Counterpoint is the artful interplay of two or more melodic lines. In this class, we’ll take a historical view of how counterpoint has been written: what are the ‘rules’ of writing polyphonically (with multiple melodic voices), and how have those rules changed over time? We will experiment with writing counterpoint in a variety of different historical styles, from the simple harmonies of 12th century church songs, through the wildly ornate flourishes of the baroque period, into the angular and dissonant counterpoint practiced by modernist composers in the 20th century. We might even venture to formulate our own “rules” for writing polyphonic music. Students signing up for this class should know how to read music.

This is a music class for people who have little or no experience playing music. With that in mind, we’ll be taking a three pronged approach: listening, theorizing, and playing with simple instruments (hand percussion, recorder, voice, drum machine, synthesizer). Listening will be the core component of the course: we will listen deeply and widely, establishing some familiarity with the “canon” of Western art music and building an awareness of musical forms and approaches from other times and places. As we listen, we will develop a vocabulary with which to 1) describe what we hear and 2) conceptualize what we want to hear. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we will play around with sound together. The goal of this class is not to become expert musicians or to create masterpieces, but to cultivate a playful attitude towards sound and to access the joy of making music with others. 

In this class, students will learn the fundamentals of music theory— pitch, rhythm, melody, and harmony. We will start the semester by learning to read and write traditional music notation, but we will prioritize ear training: cultivating our ability to hear, identify, and sing scales, modes, and intervals. Throughout the semester, students will have the opportunity to experiment with several different approaches to music composition and improvisation. Students need not have any prior musical knowledge to enroll in this course, as we will be starting from the very basics. Those with more advanced knowledge are welcome to participate, and will be challenged with material matched to their skill level.

This class is an introduction to theater tech, designed to teach students the skills and terminology of the various technical fields of live event and theater production. Topics covered will include light and sound design, costume design and construction, stage management, carpentry/set building, and prop making. Come prepared to learn an overview of each! This class is introductory, but is also open to students who have experience in one area of theater tech and want to learn more in an unfamiliar area.

Along with hands-on work in our theater, we will visit local theaters to see how they run their tech, and speak with professionals in various tech-related fields and positions.

Depending on the number of students, we will round out the term by designing a production (lights, sound, set, props, costumes, etc.) as a team.