THMUS 111J — Jazz Theory I

3 credits
Fall
Sean Smither

In this course, students develop a foundational understanding of melodic structure, harmony, meter, rhythm, and groove as performed in jazz. After a review of music fundamentals and notation basics, with which students must demonstrate fluency, students will study melodic construction, rhythmic and metric principles, and harmonic progressions key to the development of jazz. Students will study music drawn from the American vernacular tradition, including hymns, work songs, spirituals, marches, blues, folk music, and early jazz. Important musical terminology and concepts will be introduced. Assignments include transcriptions, short composition assignments, and analyses of musical phrases and short pieces.