Inside the Department

We are adapting and innovating as our Music classes move online

The Department of Music is excited to announce that despite the limitations imposed upon us during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still thriving, learning, and creating. During these current challenges, we are all relying on our abilities to adapt to an ever-changing world, continually develop new skills, and orchestrate new paths of learning. Now, more than ever, music is what brings us together — music heals, allows us to grow, and provides us with an unlimited source of inspiration. The months ahead will be an opportunity to learn in unique ways, fostering creativity while adapting to the current challenges we are facing. 

The richness of the creative minds in our department is evident in the diverse selection of classes being offered during the Spring Quarter. Visit Explore Courses for up-to-date Music class information.

Some notable Music courses for Spring

  • Music 153B: Internet Ensemble Tech Force is a new course. Taught by Chris Chafe, the course participants will become familiar with low latency audio collaboration technology. To put their newly gained skills to use, students will work with various ensembles. Added bonus: 153B participants will use CCRMA’s facilities remotely.
  • Music 1SI: Introduction to Indian Classical Music, taught by Lindsey Copeland, will introduce participants to two main genres of Indian Classical Music: Carnatic and Hindustani. Students will learn about the ways melody, rhythm, song structure, and improvisation are used to tell a tale and simultaneously entertain the listener.
  • Music 18B: Jazz History: Bebop to Present, taught by Murray Low, introduces students to the groundbreaking work of bebop players of the ‘40s and how those ideas still inform jazz to the present day. Students will discuss significant artists within the genre and their methods.
  • Music 25: Decoding Anime is where lovers of anime will be guided by François Rose. Anime as an artistic form often features highly imaginative graphics and striking music, with vibrant characters and stories. The course aims at decoding the expressive power of anime by applying a method of multimedia analysis that focuses on the interaction of its elements: story, image, sound, and music.
  • Music 102/202: The Art of Music Video: Practice and Analysis, taught by Carol Vernallis, will analyze the art of music video. The relationships between music and image, gesture, rhythm, experimental film and video, camera work, lighting editing, and other elements of audiovisual work will be examined.
  • Music 132: Music Education: Then, Now, and Then Again will be taught by Russ Gavin. This course explores the role of music in education, its function, current significance, and potential future.
  • Music 154E: Creative Agency in the Pandemic World is a newly-developed course to be taught by Mark Applebaum. What is the role of an artist in the pandemic world? Examine, discuss, and respond to this question by creating art -- in any medium -- that speaks to this moment in history. 
  • Music 160: Stanford SymphonyOrchestra / Stanford Philharmonialed by conductor Paul Phillips, will provide students with listening assignments, relevant readings, and engaging discussions related to orchestral music.
  • Music 171: Chamber Music, supervised by the St. Lawrence String Quartet (ensemble-in-residence) will offer online, no credit lecture courses. Their emphasis will be on the musicianship of the Quartet’s members, exploration of their favorite works, learning methodologies, close examination of works by specific composers, and contemporary orchestral practices. The students will benefit from a more intimate approach to learning by regularly communicating with their coaches, receiving insights and suggestions on a weekly basis.
  • Music 220C/D: Research Seminar in Computer-Generated Music will pursue individual projects in computer-generated music with instructor Jonathan Berger and other CCRMA faculty, and collaborate with Chris Chafe’s Mus 153B: Internet Ensemble Task Force to utilize CCRMA facilities for the performance of music as a virtual ensemble.
  • Music 246N: Transcultural Perspectives of Southeast Asian Music and Arts, taught by Hanz Kretz, will highlight Southeast Asia cultures and their influence on Western art and literature, particularly in France, where a range of French visual artists and musicians would incorporate ideas from Khmer art, Balinese theater, and Gamelan and Karnatak music.