Courses for Non-Music Majors
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If you have studied piano before, the course through which you can receive private piano lessons is MUS-Z 110 (MUS-Z 710 for graduate students).
MUS-P 110 (3 cr. hybrid course: 1 hr/wk online, and 2 hrs lab):
This course counts toward IUB GenEd A&H credit
This course is designed for students with NO keyboard background. Students who previously have formally studied piano for more than 2 months should enroll in a higher-level course, or contact the secondary piano office for advice on which course to take.
Students will watch asynchronous lectures online on topics including piano repertoire and history, and will meet twice weekly in a face-to-face piano lab designed to develop pianistic skill. The student achieving a passing grade in this course will be able to:
- perform pieces involving use of both hands simultaneously, within a limited range.
- play simple pieces in a variety of keys.
- execute major scales starting on white notes (both hands together)
- play five finger patterns (pentascales) starting on any note.
Theory covered in this class includes finger numbers, note reading, rhythm, dynamics, legato/staccato, key signatures, intervals, and rests.
MUS-P 120 (3 cr. hybrid course: 1 hr/wk online, and 2 hrs lab):
This course counts toward IUB GenEd A&H credit
This course is for students that are familiar with most of the material covered in P110 and can play simple pieces competently using both hands.
Students will watch asynchronous lectures online on topics including piano repertoire and history, and will meet twice weekly in a face-to-face piano lab designed to develop pianistic skill.
The student achieving a passing grade in this course will be able to:
- perform works involving leaps, and changes in hand position.
- sightread simple pieces with both hands simultaneously.
- play major and minor scales starting on white and black keys, over more
- than one octave, using both hands simultaneously.
- transpose simple pieces to a variety of keys.
- improvise simple melodies and accompaniments.
Theory covered in this course includes more complex rhythm, detailed study of keys and key signatures, types of chords and chord progressions, and harmonization.
Here are a few examples of the pieces covered in MUS-P 120, to help you get a sense of the level of the course (links open up YouTube videos):
Week 6: Thomas Attwood's Duettino
Week 10: Heinrich Wohlfahrt's Village Dance
Week 12: Susanna Garcia's "Floating"
MUS-P 130 (2 cr., 2 hrs/wk):
This course does NOT count toward IUB GenEd A&H credit
This course is taught in a classroom/piano laboratory environment, and assumes a sound knowledge of basic piano technique and music theory, as covered by P110 and P120. This class is primarily a class for the development and improvement of repertoire and technique. The student achieving a passing grade in this class will be able to:
- Perform intermediate-level piano works from all stylistic periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern)
- Play scales, arpeggios, and chords in all keys.
Because P130 is not a GenEd course, the syllabus is more freely structured and students have more freedom to work on the repertoire that their instructor thinks is appropriate for them. The easier repertoire on this class's repertoire list includes "A Soldier's Ballad" by Chan Kiat Lim, and the harder repertoire includes this Invention in F Major by J.S. Bach.
MUS-Z 110 (2 cr., 1 hr/wk):
This course is intended for those students who have passed MUS-P 130, or students at an advanced level who have previously studied piano formally for several years. Instruction in this course is one-on-one with a private instructor in a weekly lesson. Material covered in this course is individually determined by the instructor to match the student's musical and technical needs. Our instructors are graduate students who have achieved a high level of performance and teaching ability in Classical Piano.
Students who register for this course will be assessed the Music Performance Fee/Non-majors (click here and search "music performance" to see that cost for the current semester).
MUS-Z 710 (2cr., 1 hr/wk)
See MUS-Z 110. Graduate students who would like to take secondary piano should enroll for this course instead of for MUS-Z 110.