Global Arc

An exploration of music for large chamber ensemble from periods rarely addressed by Princeton performing ensembles, such as Baroque, Early Classical, and recent music by Princeton undergraduates.

Instrumental chamber music of the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, both canonic and non-canonic. Preparation for performance of ensembles. Each ensemble's repertoire will be determined in consultation with the instructors during the first week of classes.

Guides students in extended projects in performance. Prerequisite: instructor's permission.

A performance course that focuses on the development of style, concept, and repertoire in the jazz idiom. Students are coached by faculty in extended projects in performance.

The course will focus on building a structure of physical technique that will communicate good rhythm, musical shaping and character, and also verbal and non-verbal communication. Proper rehearsal strategies will be addressed in the later weeks of the course, and the final exam will be a public performance of a short work with full orchestra.

Vocal and instrumental students will rehearse and perform complete opera(s) or evenings of select opera scenes with full orchestra.

The PU Steel Band course will focus on the history and performance practice surrounding the steel drum band and its traditional musics from Trinidad and Tobago. The repertoire will be chosen from traditional music from the Caribbean (Calypso and Soca) as well as other contemporary works from the United States.

This 12-week performance course is designed to give you the musical tools you will need to build a foundation in jazz improvisation. You will gain an understanding of jazz harmony, jazz scales and modes, blues forms, deep listening/ear training, sight reading, memorize jazz repertoire, identify common jazz forms, identify important jazz artists, and build practice strategies.

This 12-week performance course builds on MPP 251 to work toward fluency in the language of jazz and the navigation of standard song forms through the study of classic improvisations. The course will focus on developing listening acuity, vocabulary, memory, analysis, and historical grasp of the music's evolution in the mid 20th century. By the end of the course, students should be able to improvise through a variety of forms with technical competence and confidence in their ability to produce melodies spontaneously.

Independent instruction in voice or instrument is an intensive immersion in all aspects of recreating music for performance. Lessons are geared towards the development and embedding of solid technique, and the application of this technique to proper style and musical expression. Issues explored include but are not limited to interpretation, stylistic appropriateness, historical context, theoretical/syntactical underpinnings, the avoidance of injuries, audition and performance strategies, and career planning.