Experimental Pop (BFA)

BFA Shared Curriculum Requirements BFA Shared Curriculum Requirements

All undergraduate music students must complete the BFA Shared Curriculum requirements. This curriculum is intended to foster the development of skills in the essential areas of music cultures and literature, music theory and practice, performance experiences, making original work, new methods and technologies, professional development, and breadth of experience in the arts. Courses completed to meet Shared Curriculum requirements can also be used to meet Specialization Requirements.

Shared Curriculum: Summary Listing of Requirements

MUSIC CULTURES & LITERATURE

MAIC100 Worlds of Music I: Europe & N. Am. 1900-

MAIC101 Worlds of Music II: Africa, Asia, L. Am.

MUSICAL SKILLS & TECHNIQUES

MPRF103 Class Piano (or other approved keyboard course)

MTHY101 Musicianship Skills A

MTHY102 Musicianship Skills B

MTHY203 Musicianship Skills C

MTHY111 Tonal Theory & Applications A

MTHY112 Tonal Theory & Applications B

MTHY210 Non-Tonal Techniques or MTHY216 Different Tonalities

ONE unit (minimum) of coursework chosen from:

• MTHY124 Intro to North Indian Ragas

• MTHY220 Rhythm: A Global Perspective

• MTHY222 North Indian Music Theory

• MTHY228 Journey to the Persian Music

• MTHY226 Ghanaian Rhythm Theory

• MTHY224 Java/Bali: Music-Dance-Theory

• MTHY425 Tala Systems

PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTION EXPERIENCES

ONE course chosen from:

• MTEC100 Intro to Concert Production

• MTEC101 Live Sound Production

MBLExxx TWO World Music Ensemble electives (see listing below)

MBLExxx TWO additional ensemble courses

NEW METHODS & TECHNOLOGIES

TWO units of coursework chosen from:

• ICOM101 Media & Web Development

• ICOM111 Intro to Sound Production

• ICOM121 Coding Music Fundamentals

• ISCM250 Fundamentals of Computer Music

• MSCM310 Acoustics for Musicians

• MTEC104 The Art of Recording

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

TWO units of coursework chosen from:

• AAIC323 Practice & Pedagogy: ArtPilot

• CSOC300 Artist As Educator

• CSOC309 Arts Pedagogy

• ICOM101 Media & Web Development            

• MAIC403 Teaching Artistry

• MAIC404 College Pedagogy

• IINT398 Internship in Music

• MPCD350 Career Designs for Musicians

• MPCD351 Creative Producing for Music

• MPCD420 Teaching the Voice

• MPCD460 Creative Entrepreneurship

• Other professional development coursework as approved

MCMP290 Portfolio Review (in Spring semesters, 4 classes)

BREADTH IN THE ARTS

MFOR110 First-Year Seminar in Music

MFOR200 Artists in Residence Week (8 classes)

Winter Session (FOUR units of coursework completed in January)

FOUR units of coursework in Art, Dance, Film/Video, Theater, Creative Writing, or Digital Arts

Shared Curriculum: World Music Ensemble Options

The following listing of world music ensemble electives is provided for ease of reference.

• MBLE104 Tabla Ensemble

• MBLE108 Beginning World Percussion Ensemble

• MBLE109 Advanced World Percussion Ensemble

• MBLE201 Beginning African Ensemble

• MBLE202 Advanced African Ensemble

• MBLE206 Talking Drum Ensemble

• MBLE216 Advanced Talking Drum Ensemble

• MBLE220 Beginning Balinese Gamelan

• MBLE221 Advanced Balinese Gamelan

• MBLE222 Gender Wayang Ensemble

• MBLE223 Balinese Flute Ensemble

• MBLE224 Kecak Ensemble

• MBLE230 North Indian Ensemble

• MBLE240 Persia Electric Ensemble

• MPRF221 African Song

• MPRF328 Latin Percussion

• MBLE250 African Dance

• MBLE252 Balinese Dance

• MBLE254 Javanese Dance (Women)

• MBLE256 Javanese Dance (Men)

Experimental Pop (BFA)

Complete SHARED CURRICULUM (see above)

MLSN101 Hour Lesson as assigned (6 lessons)

AUDIO PRODUCTION

MTEC104 The Art of Recording

MTEC101 Live Sound Production

MSCM310 Acoustics for Musicians

• ONE course chosen from:

  • MCMP404 Field Recording Workshop

  • MCMP367 Global Studios and Audiotopias

  • MCMP308 The Art of the Mix

  • MTEC365 Digital Recording Studio

  • MTEC212 Recording the Voice

  • MTEC367 Project Recording

COMPOSITION

MCMP112 Composing Experimental Pop or MCMP114 Composing Electronic Music

MCMP369 The Studio as Instrument

TWO courses chosen from:

• MTHY215 Song Writing & Analysis

• MCMP421 Hybrid Music 

• MCMP367 Global Studios and Audiotopias

• MAIC343 Ambient and Otherworldly Music

• MCMP368 Sonic Collage

• MTEC498C Advanced Electronic Music

• MPRF471 Hip Hop Lab Practicum

• MAIC470 Hip-Hop Theory and Praxis

VOICE

MPRF217 Learning to Scream

ONE course chosen from:

• MCRW309 Words for Music

• CCRW211 Hip Hop Poetics Workshop

• CCRW212 Introduction to Creative Writing

• CCRW214 Adventures in Form and Chaos

• CCRW311 Poetry Workshop

• CCRW362 Work the Document

• CCST470 Hip Hop Lab

• other CS course in poetry or creative writing

AUDIOVISUAL ELECTIVE

ONE full semester course or 2 modules chosen from:

• MCMP498S Making Music Videos

• MHST344 Non-Traditional Film Music

• MCMP343 The Art of Sound Design

• Audiovisual Composition

• Visual Music

• Introduction to Audiovisual Performance

• Audiovisual Improvisation using Jitter

CRITICAL POP

MHST330 Studies in Experimental Pop  or MHST332 Studies in Electronic Music

TWO courses chosen from:

• MAIC240 Jazz History

• MAIC316 Blues before 1960

• MAIC370 DIY

• MHST300 Black Temporalities and Black Time

• MHST312 Ethnology of African Music

• MHST331 Studies in Avant-Rock & Noise 

• MHST371 Jazz and Urban Experimentalism

• MHST405–409 Focus Rock

• MHST410 The Elastic Voice

• MHST412 What is a Song?

• MHST498K Disco:Emancipatory Dancefloors

• MHST440 Writing About Music

• MAIC430 Ambient & Otherworldly Music

• MAIC470 Hip-Hop Theory and Praxis

COLLABORATION

4 units chosen from:

MFOR104 Experimental Pop Collectives (2 units)

MBLE440 The Electronic Underground (2 units)

2 units of:

MBLE328 Collaborative Music Ensemble 1 or 2 (2 units)

2 units chosen from:

MBLE328 Collaborative Music Ensemble 1 or 2 (2 units)

MBLE-325 Creative Electronic Ensemble (1 unit)

MBLE-310 Improvisation Ensemble (1 unit)

Shared Curriculum: A Typical Course Sequence Semester-by-Semester

There may be some variability as to when Shared Curriculum courses are taken depending on the individual student’s placement, experience and development. However, certain strict deadlines do apply (see Music Theory and Skills Deadlines below).

First Year First Semester (BFA1-1)

MTHY101 Musicianship Skills A

MTHY111 Tonal Theory & Applications A

MAIC100 Worlds of Music I: Europe & N. Am. 1900-

MPRF103 Class Piano

Second Semester (BFA1-2)

MTHY102 Musicianship Skills B

MTHY112 Tonal Theory & Applications B

MAIC101 Worlds of Music II: Africa, Asia, L. Am.

Second Year First Semester (BFA2-1)

MTHY203 Musicianship Skills C

MTHY210 Non-Tonal Techniques or MTHY216 Different Tonalities

M… World Music Ensemble elective (see the list of ensemble electives above)

Second Semester (BFA2-2)

MTHY204 Musicianship Skills D (if required)

MTHYxxx World Music Theory course

MTEC100 or MTEC101 Concert Production

M… World Music Ensemble elective (see the list of ensemble electives above)

Third Year First Semester (BFA3-1)

course in Making Original Work (see course listing above)

course in New Methods & Technologies (see course listing above)

course in Art, Dance, Film/Video, Theater, Creative Writing, or Digital Arts (IDAR)

MBLExxx Ensemble elective

Third Year Second Semester (BFA3-2)

course in Professional Development (see course listing above)

course in New Methods & Technologies (see course listing above)

course in Art, Dance, Film/Video, Theater, Creative Writing, or Digital Arts (IDAR)

MBLExxx Ensemble elective

Fourth Year First Semester (BFA4-1)

course in Professional Development (see course listing above)

Second Semester (BFA4-2)

Music Theory and Skills Deadlines (DOs and DON’Ts)

⇒ DO finish Music Theory and Skills requirements on time

MTHY001 (Fundamental Musicianship), if required, must be completed by the end of the first year of residence in order to maintain eligibility to continue as a student in The Herb Alpert School of Music.

MTHY111 & MTHY112 (Tonal Theory & Applications A & B), and MTHY101 & MTHY102 (Musicianship Skills A & B) must all be completed by the end of the second year in residence, if required.

MTHY210/216 (Non-Tonal Techniques/Different Tonalities) and MTHY203 & MTHY204 (Musicianship Skills C & D), if required, must all be completed by the end of the third year in residence.

⇒ DON’T take a vacation from Music Theory and Skills requirements

All undergraduate students must take and pass Shared Curriculum theory courses each semester until all required courses in the music theory sequence MTHY001, MTHY111, MTHY112, MTHY210/216 are completed. (See Individual Specialization Descriptions below for requirements by specialization.)

All undergraduate students must take and pass tonal musicianship skills courses each semester until all required courses in the Practical Musicianship sequence MTHY001, MTHY101, MTHY102, MTHY203, MTHY204 are completed. (See the descriptions of BFA Music Specializations below for requirements.)

⇒ DO fulfill Music Theory and Skills Incomplete grades on time

In any course that constitutes a prerequisite for another required course in the Music Theory or Skills curriculum, an Incomplete (I) grade must be made up before the student will be allowed to enroll in the next course in the sequence. Instructors are not obliged to permit enrollment in music theory or skills courses after classes begin, so Incomplete grades should be made up before the date on which the following semester's regular classes commence.

FAILURE TO FULFILL MUSIC THEORY AND SKILLS REQUIREMENTS ACCORDING TO THESE STIPULATIONS MAY RESULT IN ACADEMIC WARNING, INELIGIBILITY TO ADVANCE IN YEAR LEVEL, LOSS OF FINANCIAL AID, AND POSSIBLE DISMISSAL FROM THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC (see CalArts’ Metier Standing Policy).