Courses
The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.
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CFA ME 742: Psychology and Sociology in Music Education: Perspectives and Applications
The purpose of this course is to critically examine psychological and sociological concepts as they relate to music and education. Topics include key issues and concepts in psychology and sociology; psychology as related to music education processes; problems encountered in the sociology of music education; and cultural influences that affect both the psychology of the individual and the sociological aspects of group dynamics. -
CFA ME 751: Community Music Perspectives
Drawing upon the social, cultural, political, and economic milieu including movements in music education, music therapy and ethnomusicology, this course first examines reasons for the growth and development of community music. Students will be asked to trace an aspect of community music that may be considered as part of its heritage and also to evaluate and critique a contemporary community music project through fieldwork. Students will then be in a position to articulate their own vision for community music both as a practicum and as a scholarly pursuit. -
CFA ME 759: Curriculum in Music Education: Vision and Design
This is the final course in the Master of Music in Music Education degree program, and it lasts for 14 weeks. In the course, students focus on the development of a site-specific music curriculum, including the philosophical, psychological, and sociological foundations for that curriculum as well as the prospective implementation and assessment of the project. Because the nature of the project is to bring together elements from all previous coursework, it is graded as the Comprehensive Examination for the degree program. -
CFA ME 799: Curriculum Organization in Music Education
Philosophies and objectives of music in public education; scope and sequence of curriculum appropriate for general choral and instrumental instruction. 4.0 credits. -
CFA ME 840: Contemporary Issues in Music Education
Study of current issues influencing the state of music education in schools. Focus on the interpretation, implementation, and development of policy. Topics include public policy, politics, advocacy, diversity, evaluation, and curriculum. -
CFA ME 841: Quantitative Research Methods
Quantitative research methods and their application to educational research contexts; quantitative research design, sampling techniques, reliability and validity, descriptive and inferential statistics, quantitative studies in music education, and using software to conduct statistical analysis. Prerequisite required: ME 859 Problems, Theories, and Literature (4 cr.) -
CFA ME 842: Qualitative Research Methods
This course introduces graduate students to key issues and concepts in qualitative research. Students develop skills in conducting interviews, and observations; they gain experience with ethnographic and narrative techniques including transcribing, coding, interpreting data and presenting results of analysis. Prerequisite required: ME 859 Problems, Theories, and Literature (4 cr.) -
CFA ME 859: Problems, Theories, and Literature
In this course, students begin the process of transitioning from their roles as graduate students to their lifelong roles as scholars. Topics and activities include: a scholarly reading and writing; theories and conceptual frameworks; constructing a research problem, rationale, and research questions; and creating an outline for a scholarly literature review. -
CFA ME 899: Independent Project/Directed Study
Specialized, individually tailored and guided work on projects not connected with a thesis, dissertation or other terminal document, but of particular interest to the graduate student. Variable credit. -
CFA ME 921: Research and Directed Study in Music Education
All other courses must be completed prior to enrollment in ME921. A week-long residency on campus with faculty where students define a need for research, develop a research problem, think critically about theoretical frameworks, and discuss appropriate research strategies. -
CFA ME 990: CONTINUING STDY
This is a continuing studies course designed for graduate students who have not yet had their thesis or dissertation proposals approved. [0 cr] -
CFA ME 995: DMA DISSRTATION
This course is for DMA students who have passed their qualifying examinations, have had their dissertation proposals approved and are in the first semester of dissertation work. In subsequent semesters, students should register for ME996. [3 cr] -
CFA ME 996: DMA DISS CONT
Ongoing work toward completion of the DMA terminal project; dissertation, doctoral composition or comparable approved project. This is for students who have completed their first semester of dissertation work and are continuing to work toward completion of the degree. Students must register for ME996 in every semester through graduation. [0 cr] -
CFA MH 106: Music and Culture
This course introduces music across history, genre, and cultures, examining music's relationship to politics, race, religion, and identity. We'll approach music as a human activity enmeshed in social, political, economic, philosophical, religious, ecological, and individual contexts. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration. -
CFA MH 211: History & Literature of Music 1
Historical survey of music tracing the history, performance, cultural significance, and development of musical styles from the Middle Ages to approximately the end of the Baroque. Required for all students in the BM and BA Music routes. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy. -
CFA MH 212: History & Literature of Music 2
Historical survey of music from 1750 to the present. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. -
CFA MH 401: Graduate Music History Review 1
Review of music history and literature from the Middle Ages to 1750. 2 cr. -
CFA MH 402: Graduate Music History Review 2
Review of music history and literature from the ca. 1750 to the present. 2.0 cr. -
CFA MH 403: Latinos Making Music in the United States
What impact have Latinos and Latinas had on the popular music of the United States? More than you might think. Not only have Latinos in the United States been instrumental in creating globally popular Spanish-language music like salsa, norteno, and reggaeton, they are also central, if usually unacknowledged, in the histories of jazz, rock and hip hop. The history of US music is usually told as the story of interactions between black and white Americans, so what does a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual music history reveal about music in the United States? To answer these questions, we will trace the participation of Latinos, alongside other ethnic groups, in the creation of US popular music from the 19th to the 21st centuries, surveying the musical styles of Latinos in the US and discussing the role of these musics in articulating race, class, gender and sexual identities for US Latinos, their circulation along migration routes, their role in identity politics and ethnic marketing, and their commercial crossover to Anglo audiences. But then, what is Latino in the first place? Many Latinos are of Mexican descent, others from the Caribbean, and others from elsewhere. Some are Spanish-dominant and some only speak English. Some have been here for generations an others arrived last year. Some have been reticent to highlight their Latino identities, and others have put Latino identity and identity politics at the center of their musical projects. How do these different ways of being Latino manifest themselves in musical activities and musical taste? and how, since the early 2000s boom of Latin artists like Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, and Jennifer Lopez, has the music industry sought to market to all of them? Above all, how can we tell these stories in all their richness and complexity? Case studies may include Mexican- American/Chicano, Puerto Rican/Nuyorican and Cuban/American musics; Latin music in golden age Hollywood; Latin dance crazes from mambo to the Macarena; rock en espanol; reggaeton, race politics, and the creation of the "Hurban" market; and the transnational Latin music industries of Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. 4cr Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CFA MH 404: Approaches to Sacred Music East and West
This course aims to develop a cultural awareness of diversity and global citizenship through a deeper understanding of diverse religious beliefs and sacred music practices. Students will explore civic engagement through participation in several musical subcultures in the Boston area. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.