Focuses on the development and consolidation of choreographic and performance skills.
Prerequisite: Any 30 points at Stage I in Dance Studies
To develop an understanding of our moving bodies through movement awareness, dance improvisation, choreography and creative and analytic writing. Students will undertake both theoretical and practical classes focusing on a range of practices that dancers and movement practitioners use to facilitate kinaesthetic awareness, experimentation, communication and choreography. Students will explore somatic theory and practice, improvisation scores, choreography and dance analysis.
Note: This course has very limited enrolment availability. It is recommended that students apply early and have a second choice course option.
A survey of the production technology available to assist musicians, and an introduction to modern music production. Topics include: Modern DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) functionality, MIDI and audio recording/editing, synthesis, and multi-track mixing.
Practical and theoretical introduction to performing cultures of the Pacific with emphasis on Polynesian cultures. Basic music and dance skills are taught in practical instruction. Consideration of commonalities and differences among Pacific cultures. Academic discussion of styles, instruments, performer categories and the place of the performing arts in Pacific cultures.
An introduction to New Zealand’s home-grown popular music, from the 1950s to the present day. A broad range of musical styles will be considered and situated within various social contexts. The issue of cultural identity in music – at national and local levels – will also be explored.
A study of significant people, major discoveries and inventions, and key factors (artistic, intellectual, social, technical) that were important agents of change in Western music. No previous knowledge of music is assumed.
Note: This course has very limited enrolment availability. It is recommended that students apply early and have a second choice course option.
This module offers students an introduction to the arts, entertainment, fashion, architecture and history that have made London the world’s most influential and vital cultural hub. From rock legends to the Royal Opera, Shakespeare to shock art and cathedrals to Canary Wharf, this module describes how London emerged from the ashes of war to become the most vibrant and culturally rich city on earth. It aims to give students an overall appreciation of London culture and to teach them the skills they need to write fluent, confident and relevant reviews across a variety of arts and entertainment genres. It will also give students an introduction to the various ways the arts are covered across all media platforms and to the work of some key London artists, designers and performers.
Site visits: Banksy exhibition. Note: site visits are subject to change.
Introduction to interpretation of drama through art of actor. Development of individual insights, skills, and disciplines in presentation of dramatic material to audiences.
Development and practice in acting techniques. Preparation and taping of scenes for analysis.
Introduction to basic acoustic principles, practical techniques, and working procedures for equipment used in contemporary music production, including microphones, mixers, recorders, synthesizers, and sequencers. Basic sound processing operations (equalization, compression, distortion, reverberation). Operating principles of most popular systems of music production software and hardware.
Beginning-level study of ballet as movement practice.
Introduction to guitar techniques, accompanying, and arranging for guitar; coverage of note reading and tablature. May be repeated for credit without limitation.
Simple keyboard skills together with basic aspects of music theory and its practical application to keyboard: sight-reading, tonality, chords, scales, cadences, simple compositions, and improvisations. May be repeated for credit without limitation.
Study of modern and/or postmodern movement practice.
Introduction to development of rap music and hip-hop culture, with emphasis on musical and verbal qualities, philosophical and political ideologies, gender representation, and influences on cinema and popular culture. P/NP or letter grading.
Investigation of diversity in American society as manifested in dramatic works and theatrical presentations.
Intended for Theater minors and other non majors. Exploration and development of creative writing skills for one or more of various forms of entertainment media.
Development of world music or world beat, including its meaning and importance to contemporary culture as well as its history and impact.
Survey of history of American musical: its composers, writers, and performers from musical’s emergence in immigrant cultures to Broadway and Off-Broadway. With its roots in British music halls and comic opera, Viennese operetta and African American jazz, American musical theater emerged as vivid and popular art form with its own culture and identity.
Exploration of theater in production, with emphasis on collaborative role of theater artists and active role of audience. Understanding of and access to live theatrical event and enhanced appreciation of value of theater to society; development of critical skills through consideration of representative examples of theatrical production from Europe, America, Asia, and Africa.
Survey of development of jazz in American culture. Discussion of different compositional/performance techniques and approaches that distinguish different sub-styles of jazz from one another, as well as key historical figures that shaped development of jazz from its early years through modern jazz. Important historical social issues (segregation, Depression, World War II, Civil Rights Movement) that intersect with history of U.S. and jazz music.
Exploration of ways music is mediated to people by industry, technologies, and corporations. Survey of leading theorists of media and exploration of case studies.
Survey of traditional and contemporary musical culture.
Course in music fundamentals, including musicianship, theory, and terminology.
Exploration of young but quickly growing profession of music therapy in health care industry. Students gain comprehensive understanding of music therapy, what it takes to become board-certified music therapist, and standards of practice and research. Students gain ability to define music therapy and advocate its services within community, and general understanding of how to assess and carry out music therapy session. Students participate in classroom activities that include simple songwriting, lyric analysis, instrumentation, and discussion. Prior music training not required. Includes homework, research assignments, and quizzes. In final group project, students work together to assess hypothetical client and create two session plans with clearly stated objectives.
Study of complex problems in voice, movement, and acting.
Exploration of techniques, methods, and process of music production and larger issues in art of making music. Students learn how to foster and capture performance and emotion in music through variety of methods and tools, including artistic direction in studio and choices made in sound, arrangement, and application of technology.
Musical experience helpful, but not required. Brief historical survey of film music, with strong emphasis on recent development: Japanese animation, advertising, and MTV, as well as computer tools and digital scoring methods. Designed to inspire and inform those interested in movie music.
Voice instruction for singers at beginning to intermediate level. Exploration of fundamentals of vocal technique, including overview of basics of proper breath control, resonance, care of voice, diction, and interpretation. Beginning vocal repertoire used as vehicle for understanding these concepts. May be repeated for credit without limitation.
Beginning-level study of yoga.
