Music Department Class Descriptions
Vocal Music
Concert Choir
This advanced ensemble explores the musical styles of choral literature including Pre-Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary. Students study the characteristics of each style as it applies to their vocal performance and incorporate fundamental vocal techniques and exercises studied in class. Students are also required to listen to recordings of artists who have influenced the growth of the choral and voice literature. All students will be required to remain proficient on their voice and work on building their music reading skills. The class performs at three school concerts and two festivals. All students are required to be enrolled in Theory. Full participation is a requirement of this course.
Gospel Choir
This ensemble sings a variety of gospel literature for mixed choir, from spirituals to contemporary gospel. Emphasis is placed on style, form, blend, intonation, independence of parts as well as accompanied and a capella singing. The ensemble is given the opportunity to showcase its work through various public performances at school and around the city.
Mixed Choir
This ensemble is designed for the entering vocal musician. Students study the characteristics of each style as it applies to their vocal performance and incorporate fundamental vocal techniques and exercises studied in class. Students are also required to listen to recordings of artists who have influenced the growth of the choral and voice literature. All students will be required to remain proficient on their voice and work on building their music reading skills. The class performs at two school concerts and one festival. All students are required to be enrolled in Theory. Full participation is a requirement of this course.
Opera Workshop
This course offers practical experience in the preparation and performance of a fully staged “Grand Opera” with a musical theatre production. Along the way, students learn the technical skills necessary to pursue a singing career. The Full Circle Opera at Arts High offers gifted young singers the opportunity to jump-start their careers and love of opera in a supportive and creative environment that cannot be found elsewhere. The training prepares students for the professional arena and to continue mastering their art through college and university education.
Sight Singing & Listening
This class is designed for entering students to work on reading skills. Classwork includes study and practice in melodic and rhythmic dictation and sight-singing using moveable “do.” The course also presents stylistic developments in Western music including jazz.
Vocal Jazz Ensemble
This course offers extensive study in the jazz idiom at an advanced level, stressing vocal technique and audience communication. Singers must be skilled musicians, capable of performing contemporary harmonies. Improvisational skills and microphone technique required. The schedule may include tour and recording sessions, as well as participation in competitive and noncompetitive choral festivals. Extra rehearsal time required.
Voice Fundamentals
This course is a correlated study of the fundamentals of vocal performance through the development of critical listening, musical literacy, stage etiquette, foreign language diction and accurate execution of vocal technique. Performance techniques include the development of proficiency in singing beginning level literature in Italian, French, German and English.
Instrumental Music
Jazz Combos
This course trains students in the presentation of traditional and contemporary small group jazz. Students selected for the jazz combos generally improvise at a high level. The Jazz Combo focuses on preparing material for jazz performances such as concerts and festivals. In this endeavor, students are generally self-directed (with some guidance from the director) and are responsible for creating their own program.
Jazz Ensemble
This course trains students in the presentation of traditional and contemporary big band jazz. This advanced ensemble focuses on music of a moderate to professional level of difficulty and the various styles associated with big band jazz, improvisation and sight-reading.
Lab Band
Lab Band is considered to be an intermediate ensemble focusing on improvisation and jazz articulation. This ensemble is designed for the entering instrumentalist with limited background in jazz and improvisation. Students study the characteristics of various jazz styles as they apply to a small group setting. Students also are required to listen to recordings of artists who have influenced the growth of the jazz literature. All students will be required to remain proficient on their instrument and work on building their music reading and improvisation skills. The class will perform at two school concerts and all students are required to be enrolled in Theory.
Orchestra
This course explores the musical styles of the traditional orchestral literature ranging from Baroque to Contemporary through performance and regular rehearsal. Students also are required to listen to recordings of major orchestras that have influenced the growth of music. All students are required to remain proficient on their instrument. The ensemble performs at four to six concerts and two festivals.
Piano Ensembles
This course focuses on preparation and performance of representative works from the piano literature for four, six, eight and ten hands along with a chamber music repertoire. This ensemble explores musical styles including Pre-Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary. Students perform in three concerts and are assigned to chamber groups.
Reading Ensemble
This course is designed to increase and develop students’ ability to sight-read and more thoroughly interpret music written in the jazz idiom. This course is required for all entering guitar and saxophone students.
String Ensembles
This course focuses on preparation and public performance of representative works for the string instrumentalist. Students study the major chamber music literature of the respective instruments. Emphasis is on the materials most frequently used in developing skills and techniques for successful auditioning.
String Orchestra
This course focuses on preparation and public performance of representative works from the string literature, including chamber music. Performances are on- and off-campus. The course initiates instrumentalists to a broad spectrum of string literature and develops students’ sight-reading abilities.
Woodwind Ensembles
This course focuses on preparation and public performance of representative works for the wind instrumentalist. Performances are on- and off-campus. This ensemble explores the musical styles of wind chamber literature, including Pre-Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary.
Non-Performance Music Classes
Film Scoring
Creating music that serves a dramatic purpose in fim and television is the primary focus of this course of study. Students learn to compose, arrange and orchestrate music to create a sense of time, place, drama and action. In addition, students learn the techniques for synchronizing music to film.
Secondary Focus
The history of film music is presented in broad terms, touching on the advent of music for film, the major film composers and the major stylistic threads of music composed for film. The business of music in the film and television industry is presented, including the people and organizations involved with the composer.
Jazz Theory 1
This course covers the fundamentals of music crucial to the study of jazz. The course covers jazz notation, intervals, major and minor key signatures, scales, modes, jazz chord symbols, transposition of all major jazz instruments, basic chord progressions, analysis of standard jazz repertoire, transcription of songs and solos for analysis.
Jazz Theory 2
This course covers the basic elements of jazz harmony, including chords, modal harmony, upper structure triads, diminish scales, analysis of advance jazz standards and analysis of records and their importance in tradition, transcriptions and composition/arranging.
Theory 3
This class covers dissonance and chromaticism in four-part harmony, analysis of tonal music and study of 20th century music techniques.
Music Fundamentals
This course is designed to cover the fundamentals of music. The course covers music notation, intervals, major and minor key signatures, scales, chords, cadences and seventh chords along with melodic and rhythmic dictation and sight singing.
Music Technology
This course offers an introduction to the techniques, equipment and software used in creating and recording music. Topics covered include recording, digital sound editing, MIDI sequencing, sound design and music notation software.
Music Theory 1
This course covers rudimentary theory, first species counterpoint in two voices and an introduction to four-part harmony and analysis of secondary dominants and diatonic chords.
Music Theory 2
This course covers the study of first, second, third and fourth species counterpoint in two voices, four-part diatonic harmony, melodic and rhythmic figuration and harmonic analysis of all chromatic chords and form in tonal music.
Orchestration
Students in this class become familiar with the functions of the instruments of the symphony orchestra. Through exercises and listening, students are able to score pieces for various instruments. Students also gain beginning level exposure to the art of conducting. Analysis of orchestral styles and various masterworks from the repertoire are covered.
Acting for Singers
This course is designed for music students wishing to work on acting skills.
