Music
College of Fine Arts
Music Education
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Arts Engagement as Active Hope: Attuning/Reflecting/Writing Our Way Towards a Sustainable Future
CFA ME 377
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120). Online offering. Explore the arts and writing to contemplate nature, identify unsustainable practices, and propose viable alternatives. Learners of all ability levels in the arts are welcome. Effective Summer 1 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, The Individual in Community, Creativity/Innovation. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 12-June 26)
O1 (IND) ArrangedTawnya SmithOnline section O1: Meets online for a required live class Thurs 10-11 am in weeks 1-3, and in optional live classes and required small student groups that are arranged during weeks 4-6. Nonstandard course datesSummer 2 (June 29-August 14)
O2 (IND) ArrangedKarin HendricksOnline section O2: Meets online for a required live class Thurs 10-11 am in weeks 1-3, and in optional live classes and required small student groups that are arranged during weeks 4-6. Nonstandard course datesFor information about technology requirements for online courses at Boston University, see bu.edu/online/technology. BU Virtual can be reached at buvirtual@bu.edu or 617-358-1960 for additional information. -
Empowering Song: Music with Body, Mind, and Heart
CFA ME 550
Focuses on progressive and imaginative modes of music education. Draws on the best practices of music and other artistic disciplines to inspire singers, teachers, and arts practitioners of all ages and abilities to discover the power of their own voices and the importance of including others in collaborative music-making. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 24-July 18)
B1 (IND) Arranged(IND) Mon./Tues./Wed./Thurs./Fri./Sat. 9:30 am-5:30 pmAndre De QuadrosNonstandard course dates. Meets in person July 6-11. Asynchronous assignments & online interactions begin June 24. Final projects due July 18 -
String Teaching in the 21st Century
CFA ME 671
Strategies for string performers and educators to thrive in the 21st century. Topics include: motivating and engaging music learners; health/wellness; entrepreneurship; and collaborative performance of eclectic string styles. Activities are suitable for students with beginning to advanced string playing experience. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (IND) Arranged(IND) Mon./Tues./Wed./Thurs./Fri./Sat. 8:30 am-4:30 pmKarin HendricksNonstandard course dates. Meets in person July 13-18. Asynchronous readings and online assignments begin June 29. Final projects due August 7 -
The Poetics and Politics of Hip Hop
CFA MH 410
Students in this course will engage with a history of hip hop music, including major trends, changes in technique and musicianship, some important artists and albums, regional styles, and relationship with the larger sociocultural context of African-American and US politics, cultural production, and daily life. Students will examine and critique the construction of canons of hip hop greatness and engage in remaking them. They will identify how hip hop is shaped by the politics of race, class, and gender issues in ways that have ramifications for a broader appraisal of the role of these factors in US society. Students will reflect on their own positionality as social and political actors and global citizens. Students will interpret both primary sources (recordings, music videos, films, album art, reviews) and secondary sources (scholarly and journalistic texts), applying the listening, viewing, and reading skills necessary to assess these sources critically, and bring their analyses of these sources to bear in discussion and in- and out-of-class assignments. No prerequisites or prior skills required. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (LEC) Tues./Thurs. 1-4:30 pmMichael Birenbaum QuinteroMeets w/CAS AA 410 -
R&B, Motown, and Classic Funk: Soundtracks of Empowerment and Civil Rights
CFA MH 430
Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, Motown, Soul, and Funk are seminal in the development of rap, hip-hop, fusion, and contemporary urban and R&B styles. These styles provided the soundtrack for African American identity, empowerment, and protest from the civil rights struggle of the late 1950s and early '60s to the Black Power commentary of the 1970s, and, eventually into the hip-hop era. This course places these styles within their cultural and historical contexts and examines their musical characteristics in detail. This course does not require previous training in music. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 1-4:30 pmVictor Coelho -
Elements of Music Theory 1
CFA MT 105
A creative introduction to the foundational principles of musical structure. Uses a multi-modal approach, combining in-class performance exercises, listening, composition, keyboard, and aural (and oral) learning. Students acquire an analytical vocabulary and the basic knowledge to support the exploration of musical repertoires, to enhance their own performances, and to develop their own musical compositions. Analytical and music-composition projects engage concepts of musical space, time, pitch, rhythm, and harmony as employed in tonal music. Course may not be taken by CFA music majors. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (IND) Mon./Tues./Wed./Thurs. 9-11 amMartin Amlin -
Applied Voice (Hour)
CFA ML 507
Seven one-hour private lessons provided by CFA faculty. Students should make personal arrangements with the School of Music for private lessons. There is an Applied Music fee during Summer Term of $1,025 for seven one-hour lessons per session for CFA ML 507. In addition, standard tuition rates also apply. Register for 3 or 4 units. Variable cr. Tuition: $845 per credit
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (APP) ArrangedLynn EustisHour LessonSummer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (APP) ArrangedLynn EustisHour Lesson -
Applied Voice (Half-Hour)
CFA ML 508
Seven half-hour private lessons provided by CFA faculty. Students should make personal arrangements with the School of Music for private lessons. There is an Applied Music fee during Summer Term of $512.50 for seven half-hour lessons per session for CFA ML 508. In addition, standard tuition rates also apply. Register for 1 or 2 units. Variable cr. Tuition: $845 per credit
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (APP) ArrangedLynn EustisHalf-Hour LessonSummer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (APP) ArrangedLynn EustisHalf-Hour Lesson -
Applied Horn (Hour)
CFA ML 529
Seven one-hour private lessons provided by CFA faculty. Students should make personal arrangements with the School of Music for private lessons. There is an Applied Music fee during Summer Term of $1,025 for seven one-hour lessons per session for CFA ML 529. In addition, standard tuition rates also apply. Register for 3 or 4 units. Variable cr. Tuition: $845 per credit
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (APP) ArrangedHazel DavisHour LessonSummer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (APP) ArrangedHazel DavisHour Lesson -
Applied Guitar for Non-Music Majors (Hour)
CFA ML 565
Seven one-hour private lessons provided by CFA faculty. Students should make personal arrangements with the School of Music for private lessons. There is an Applied Music fee during Summer Term of $1,025 for seven one-hour lessons per session for CFA ML 565. In addition, standard tuition rates also apply. Register for 3 or 4 units. Variable cr. Tuition: $845 per credit
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (APP) ArrangedWarren LevensonHour LessonSummer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (APP) ArrangedWarren LevensonHour Lesson -
Applied Guitar for Non-Music Majors (Half-Hour)
CFA ML 566
Seven half-hour private lessons provided by CFA faculty. Students should make personal arrangements with the School of Music for private lessons. There is an Applied Music fee during Summer Term of $512.50 for seven half-hour lessons per session for CFA ML 566. In addition, standard tuition rates also apply. Register for 1 or 2 units. Variable cr. Tuition: $845 per credit
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (APP) ArrangedWarren LevensonHalf-Hour LessonSummer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (APP) ArrangedWarren LevensonHalf-Hour Lesson -
Special Topics: Advanced Choral Conducting Institute
CFA MU 535
This course offers immersive, hands-on instruction for aspiring and experienced choral conductors, including current music educators and conductors, seeking to refine their skills in leading vocal ensembles. Students engage in intensive score study, conducting technique, rehearsal planning, and ensemble leadership, with a focus on technically sound, expressive conducting. Through a combination of podium time, faculty coaching, and private lessons, students will develop advanced gestural vocabulary and explore strategies for achieving cohesive ensemble sound. Pre-course readings and assignments will be provided in preparation for the in-person aspect of this intensive course. Available for graduate conducting credit in consultation with student advisors. Variable cr. Tuition: $845 per credit
Summer 2 (July 15-August 1)
B1 (IND) Arranged(IND) Mon./Tues./Wed./Thurs./Fri./Sat. 9 am-5 pmDaniel ParsleyNonstandard course dates. Meets in person July 27-August 1. Students will have preparatory activities and virtual interactions with the instructor beginning July 15. Variable credits. Student must register for 4 units
Music History
Music Theory
Applied Music
Applied Music Lessons
Private study in applied music is offered during both sessions of Summer Term. The Summer Term office can assist with any registration questions. Once registered, instructors will reach out to students via email to schedule lessons. There is an Applied Music fee during Summer Term of $1,025 for seven one-hour lessons and $512.50 for seven half-hour lessons per session. Lessons also carry a standard undergraduate tuition charge of $845 per credit. Students taking hour-long lessons must register for 3 or 4 credits; students taking half-hour lessons must register for 1 or 2 credits. Music lessons are available in the following:
Summer 1 and Summer 2: Voice
CFA ML 507: 7 one-hour lessons
CFA ML 508: 7 half-hour lessons
Summer 1 and Summer 2: Guitar for Non-Music Majors
CFA ML 565: 7 one-hour lessons
CFA ML 566: 7 half-hour lessons
Summer 1 and Summer 2: Horn
CFA ML 529: 7 one-hour lessons