RCC General Music Courses
Music History
Exploring Music: Introduction to Music History
MUS201: Studies styles and historical contexts of music from antiquity to the present. This course is designed for students of any type of musical background.
Music Appreciation
MUS105: Introduces the history and repertory of Western classical music. Through guided listening, students will develop both an aural and an intellectual understanding of music while emphasizing the political, cultural, and scientific values that have shaped the history of Western music.
Music in World Cultures
MUS108: Introduces music from various cultures with an international and cross-cultural perspective. Explores both commonalities and differences in how music is defined, valued, and utilized in many cultures around the world. Designed for students of any musical background.
History of Jazz
MUS205: Surveys Jazz styles from its origins to the present as revealed through the study of the most innovative and influential artists of this uniquely American musical form. Emphasis is placed on building critical listening and comprehension skills through listening to musical examples, in-class discussion, quizzes, class assignments, research, and reading of the text.
Introduction to Rock Music
MUS206: Surveys rock music from its origins to the present as revealed through the study of the most innovative and influential artists of this American musical form. Emphasis is placed on building listening and comprehension skills through listening to rock, in-class discussion of the music, class assignments, research, and reading of the text. (Primarily offered online)
Music Theory
Music Fundamentals
Focuses on reading and writing basic music notation Including note names, scales, key signatures, intervals, basic rhythms, meters, and the spelling of triads and seventh chords.
MUS111/112/113: A three-term sequence of music theory courses
Music Theory I
Examines the fundamentals of music theory including pitch and pitch class, simple meter and compound meter, scales including major and minor scales and diatonic modes, intervals, chords, and voice leading.
Music Theory II
MUS112 continues the examination of music theory including harmonic analysis in a key/tonal context, harmonic progressions, counterpoint, voice leading, part-writing procedures, non-chord tones, and cadences.
Music Theory III
MUS113 continues the examinations of music theory including Chromatic Harmony; Motives, Phrases and Periods; Harmonic Functions; Harmonic Progressions and Circle of Fifths; Secondary Chords and Tonicization; Mode Mixture; and Modulation. Emphasis is on concepts of contextual analysis.
Aural Skills
Aural Skills I, II, III
MUS114/115/116: A three-term sequence of courses provides instruction and practice in beginning sight-reading, sight-singing, and ear-training. It includes melodic and rhythmic dictation as well as intervallic recognition. It covers the fundamental concepts of rhythm, meter, major and minor tonalities, diatonic and modal scales, triads and seventh chords, and cadences. Must be taken in sequence, unless Instructor permission is granted.