Arts ( Fine / Visual / Performing )

List of Music Composer Courses
Music Fundamentals
This introductory course provides the basic building blocks of music. Students learn about keys, intervals, triads, basic tonal theory and rhythm. The fundamentals of melody and harmony and a rudimentary study of musical notation are introduced. From here students are prepared for more advanced classes in music theory and composition. Ear training practice is often introduced at this point, including learning to recognise major and minor triads and intervals.
Music Theory I
A continuation of the music fundamentals course, this class delves deeper into the elements of Western music, including scales, melodic principles, counterpoint, voice leading and diatonic harmony. Some schools incorporate non-Western music at this point. Cadences and phrase structure are introduced, along with 4-part writing for instruments and voice.
Music Theory II
This course covers a more diverse array of music and more complicated concepts, such as extended chords, altered chords, binary and ternary structures and modulations.
Music Composition - Various Levels
Students start out by composing melodies based on a vocal model, using what they have learned about tonal harmony. As the student writes, he or she begins to add chromatic harmony and counterpoint, eventually writing for larger forms, such as large instrumental ensembles and orchestras.
Music Composition Degree Programs
Music composition degree programs are offered at the bachelor's, master's and doctorate degree levels. Students must become grounded in a wide variety of musical areas, such as theory, music history, music reading, ear training and playing an instrument, including voice, before they begin to compose music. While some bachelor's degree programs require incoming freshmen to already have composed music, there are other schools where this is not the case. At the master's degree level, music composer courses and programs are more advanced. Ph.D. students generally have more freedom to create and study their area of interest in more depth.