Posts Tagged ‘amp’

Read Key Signatures in Music

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Ready to tackle the next lesson for learning to read sheet music? Musical key signatures are not all that difficult to understand when put into perspective. Just like a scale, music notes go up and down but in half steps instead of full.

Natural notes appear by themselves in written music. But sharps and flats have their own symbols:

	Sharp
	Flat

On a keyboard, a sharp note is the black key that’s one note higher than its natural counterpart (the white key). A flat is a black key that’s one note lower than its natural counterpart.

When sharps and flats are written into music as needed (next to the notes), they’re called accidentals. But sometimes they are shown at the beginning of a stave, right after the clef. In this case, they indicate a key signature.

Key signatures show which notes are to be played or sung as sharps or flats throughout the song. So if there’s a sharp sign on “F” and one on “C”, every “F” and “C” note throughout the song should be played as a sharp. There will be no “F” or “C” natural unless specifically indicated by a natural symbol:

Natural

Key signatures (in this case, D Major) indicate the general tone of a song, as well as where its basic scale begins and ends. For example, a song in the key of D is based on the D Major scale, which begins and ends with “D” — with “F” and “C” played sharp throughout. However, the same song can be written and played in different keys.

Key signatures are a type of musical notation that indicate which key the song is to be played in. But key signatures, despite the name, are not the same thing as key.

Key signatures are simply notational devices; just as a note is the notational name for a pitch, key signatures are the notational names for keys. It is what it says it is: a signature, a simple piece of information that tips you off to the physical form (the key) to be played.

What does it mean to be “in the key of F”, or “in the key of Bb”?

It means that the composer based the composition on the scale of F (which has 1 flat in it), or the scale of Bb (which has 2 flats in it).

Key signatures appear right after the clef (before the time signature) and show a sharp or flat on the line or space corresponding to the note to be altered. Key signatures placed at the beginning of songs will carry through the entire song, unless other key signatures are noted after a double bar, canceling out the first.

For instance, it’s entirely possible to start a song in the key of F but end it in the key of E flat; it all depends on the key signatures and where they’re placed throughout the song (a key signature can change at any point).

Accidentals can also show up throughout a song and only once or twice flatten or sharpen a note that was not previously indicated; this cancels out the key signatures, as well, but only temporarily, for as long as the accidental lasts.

Beginners just learning to read music often have a hard time with key signatures because the key itself is not expressly written, and it’s sometimes difficult to remember what goes where.

Key signatures with five flats or sharps have been known to terrorize new musicians — how in the world, they think, are we supposed to remember all these note changes while we’re playing the song?

It’s obviously possible, though, and there are some rules that can help beginners identify and remember the key as it relates to the key signatures, rules that go beyond rote memorization. If there is more than one flat, the key is the note on the second to last flat.

If there are any sharps at all, the key is a half step up from the last one noted. F major, a key frequently found in beginning sheet music, only has one flat (B), and C major has no sharps or flats at all. Key signatures, when viewed in light of these rules, are much easier for beginners to digest, ensuring that a proper knowledge of key signatures is on its way through the door.

One fact that most people don’t realize is that sharps and flats always occur in the same order:

The order of the flats is B, E, A, D, G, C, F.

The order of the sharps is just the opposite — F, C, G, D, A, E, B.

So if there is one flat in the key signature, it is always B. If there are two flats in the key signature, they are always B and E. Three flats are always B, E, and A. Four flats in a key signature spell the word BEAD. And so on.

It’s the same in sharps, too, except backward. If there is one sharp in a key signature, it is always F. Two sharps in a key signature are always F and C. Three are F, C, and G. And so on.

So once you have memorized the order of the flats, all you have to do is apply the rule mentioned earlier: the next to the last flat is the name of the key. For example, if you have four flats in a key signature, they are Bb, Eb, Ab, Db. The last flat is D, so the next to the last flat is A. So the key is Ab.

With sharps, just mentally go up 1/2 step from the last sharp, and that is the key. For example, if a key has 4 sharps, they are F#, C#, G#, D#. One-half step above D# is E, so the key is E.

Memorize the order of the flats and sharps and those two simple rules, and you’ll be able to identify what major key any song is in quickly and easily

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Read Sheet Music

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Learning to read sheet music can seem daunting to some people, especially those with no prior musical background. Sheet music contains its own little language documented on paper. The key is to find a way to crack the code, read music, and be able to play or sing on the pitch of each note.

If you want to learn how to read music, then you have come to the right place. The following article contains a guide that will teach you how to read sheet music as well as lists resources you can use to learn more about music, in general.

The structure of sheet music. Sheet music is set up with a specific structure. The staff of the sheet music is made up of everything you will need to be able to read music. Depending on a variety of factors, the staff will tell you exactly what notes you will need to play. The first thing you need to do is be able to identify the staff.

• What is the staff? The staff is a set of five lines and four spaces. Each space and line has the name of a note. On the staff, you will find notes, a time signature, a clef sign, a key signature, and various markings that will affect the tempo and pitch of each note. All of these things work together to create the music that is played or sung.
• What are clefs and why do we use them? Based on what instrument you play – piano, guitar (acounstic or bass), violin, trombone, you name it – or what voice you sing (tenor, bass, alto, soprano, etc.) your music will be written in one of two clefs (treble clef & bass clef). These clefs are used to let you know what octave you are playing the notes in, as well as what notes will be played.
  • The treble clef - The treble clef is used for most musical voices including soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, and tenor. It is also used for the higher pitched instruments such as the alto clarinet, the B-Flat clarinet, the flute, oboe, violin and trumpet. The treble clef can be memorized by the following acronyms. Lines – Every Good Boy Does Fine

    Spaces – F A C E

  • The bass clef - The bass clef is used for the bass and baritone voices and lower instruments such as the tuba, trombone, and sousaphone. The bass clef was created because the notes for these lower instruments would be so low beneath the Treble Clef staff it would be very hard to write music that was easy for players to read. The bass clef notes can be memorized by:

    Lines -Good Boys Do Fine Always

    Spaces – All Cows Eat Grass

• The key signature: Some notes are flat, some are natural, and some are sharp. Which notes are sharp, flat, or natural will be marked either next to individual notes if they are played as such one or two times through a piece or in something called the key signature if they are played as such throughout the entire piece. The key signature is located directly to the right of the clef sign. Which notes are sharp or flat depend on scales and keys.The time signature: Near the beginning of the staff, there is a symbol marking, or a fraction. This tells how many notes per measure will be played. The staff is split up into measures. Each measure is separated by a vertical line. The standard key signature is 4/4 time. It is usually denoted by a large black C.

  Other common time signatures are 2/2 time (cut time), 2/4 time, 3/4 time, and 6/8 time. The time signature is written after the key signature, but before any notes on the staff.

2.

1. Notes, notes, and more notes. The fundamental structure of each pitch is denoted by a music note. There are plenty of things you need to know about a note before you can play or sing music. The most common things you will need to know is how long to hold each note, whether the note is sharp, natural, or flat, and what the name of each note is so it can be played.
   • Name that note: Notes have a letter name from A-G. Once a note gets to G, it starts over again at A. Notes from A to A, B to B, C to C, and so on denote one whole octave. Octaves can move up or down, and the standard singer has between two and four octaves their voice can sing comfortably.
   • Hold the note as long as you can! It would be difficult for an orchestra to make music together if they did not know how long to hold each note. Each instrument would go off on their own beat or melody, and nothing would come together properly. This is why it is so important you know what each note looks like and how long you are supposed to hold the note based on how they look. Whole notes, half notes, and quarter notes are common in sheet music. There are other types of notes though these are less common. The notes work together with the time signature to determine how many beats per measure should be held. The standard hold for each note is written with the time signature of 4/4 in mind. However, as time signatures change, how long you hold the note will change, as well.
2. All those funny symbols. There are many different symbols throughout sheet music. Every symbol is important. Based on what symbol you are looking at you may need to play notes or the musical piece in general faster or slower, bars should be repeated, notes should be held, or the music should get louder or quieter.
   • Tempo changes. The changes in tempo are denoted by a symbol for an Italian word
   • Volume changes. Changes in volume help to improve the mood of the piece. Not every piece of music is sung or played as loud as the person can sing. Changes in volume help to make the music more enjoyable and dramatic so works are not stagnant in tone. Here is a list of the following volume

   Make fast payment with payday loan

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Techniques and Strategies for Practicing Piano

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

Different amounts of practice time are required to learn piano at various ages and levels. Recommendations also depend on the student’s ambition and repertoire.

Inadequate practice is the number one complaint piano teachers (and other music teachers) have about students. Without practice, frustration mounts as students simply don’t progress in their piano lessons. Arguments about and resistance to practice is one of the main reasons children stop music lessons.

Each instrument has different practice requirements because of the physical demands of playing it. Practice recommendations also depend on age, level, and ambition. The following recommendations are for students learning to play piano.

How Much Should a Child Practice Piano?

Many piano teachers suggest that the student’s lesson length be a preliminary rule of thumb for a daily practice goal. For example, a common recommendation is that a piano student taking half-hour lessons should practice half an hour a day; a student taking hour lessons should practice an hour a day.

This rule of thumb is most appropriate for the earlier levels. At more advanced levels, piano practice requirements can be much higher, depending on the student’s ambitions. For instance, an advanced high school student who intends to major in music at the college level might take an hour lesson a week, but may well practice two or three hours a day, or even more, depending on the level of commitment and the school to which the student is applying.

But these students are exceptional, and well into the self-motivated stage. For average students, matching the lesson time five days a week will give consistent and rewarding progress.

Every pianist, indeed, every musician, develops a series of possible practice strategies to deal with different types of mistakes and to learn difficult passages so they can be brought up to speed and played fluently.

Whether just beginning to learn to play the piano or an accomplished virtuoso, pianists should look at these strategies as part of their “toolbox.” If one doesn’t work, try another. Experience tells pianists which strategies are best for which problems, but quite frequently, a pianist will try a number of practice techniques to master a particularly stubborn passage.

Mechanical Strategies for Piano Practice

Mechanical strategies are those that teach the players’ hands where to go. They deal with issues such as finding the right notes, using the right fingers, and coordinating the hands. these strategies help develop piano technique.

• Play with hands apart. Practice one hand at a time if it makes musical sense to do so. Then play with hands together.
• Play in small sections: Practice the piece in small bits, one phrase at a time. Phrases are the equivalent of sentences in the grammar of music. They are sometimes less than a line of music long, and sometimes more, just like a sentence on this page is sometimes shorter than a line, and sometimes longer. Practicing in phrases makes more musical sense than practicing by the line.
• Combine all the elements in small phrases: Practice each phrase by playing one hand, then the other, then both together.
• Study the fingering. Fingering choices should always be deliberate and intentional. Pianists must remember that good fingering involves not only getting to the note in question, but getting to the next note, and the next after that. Issues of how to tackle a series of similar motifs that start on different notes also come into play, as well as issues of musicality, which can justify fingerings that at first may look awkward. Students who have not yet mastered fingering techniques should run any changes past a teacher.
• Break the music into even smaller chunks: Music can always be broken down into its component parts. If the phrase is too long, break it into two. Or practice a single measure. Identify the weak spots where mistakes are habitual, and practically those spots until the mistakes are eradicated.

Remember, piano mistakes don’t go away by starting at the beginning and trying again!

Rhythmic Strategies for Piano Practice

Rhythmic practice techniques force the player to do all the tasks in strict time, which raises the difficulty, and also makes it very obvious which parts of the piece need more work.

• Use the metronome: At its most basic, the metronome helps pianists keep a steady tempo. Metronomes can also be used to help a student work out technical elements by forcing the pianist to play in time and gradually raising the tempo. Playing with a metronome reveals any weak spots in the piece. Metronome practice is especially valuable for ensemble players.
• Vary the rhythm: An effective way to smooth out bumps in long technical runs of very fast notes is change the rhythm. For example, a stream of 16th notes cold be played as alternating dotted 16th and 32nd notes, and then the player can try the reverse and play the section as 32nd notes followed by dotted-16th notes.
• Addi beats. A difficult series of chords can be practiced by by inserting one or more beats of rests in between them, then gradually, getting rid of the extra beats.
• Change the tempo: Playing very slowly and very fast are also good practice techniques. Playing one hand much faster than the target tempo secures the muscle memory of the passages, which makes the piece easier to play with two hands. Playing slowly helps pianists make fingering and articulation choices that are conscious and deliberate.

Finally, if mistakes persist, change the practice strategy! The worst thing is to keep doing the same thing and making the same mistake. Try to go about the problem in a different way.

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Musicology PhD Program and Degree

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Courses — A total of 16 half-courses is required to receive the PhD. Fourteen courses are usually taken during the first two years. Historical musicology students must take two half-courses in ethnomusicology and two half-courses in either theory or composition. No more than one seminar in Medieval theory and/or one analysis course (157x, 157y, 158) can be counted toward the theory require ment. Ethnomusicology students are required to take at least two half-courses each in historical musicology and in offerings outside the department.Ethnomusicology students must also take at least two half-courses in music theory or composition. It is recommended that at least one theory seminar be in cross-cultural music theory. The choice of courses will be determined in consultation with the ethnomusicology advisor.

Theory and composition students do not have a set curriculum and should plan their course of study with their advisor.

Graduate students who have one or more incompletes will not be considered for depart ment summer grants.

Students may be allowed academic credit (normally no more than two half-courses) for work done in other graduate schools in the United States or abroad, subject to the evalua­tion by the department and acceptance by the Graduate School. Petitions may be submitted after the completion of one full year of grad uate work in the department.

Analysis/Tonal Writing — Competence and fluency in traditional harmony, counterpoint, strict composition, and analysis (including analysis of 20th-century music) are prereq uisites for taking the General Examination. Entering students will be given a placement test; students found to have deficiencies in these skills will be required to take Music B, or other pertinent courses. Work must be under taken in the first year of study.

Languages — Written language examina tions are given at specified times throughout the year. Reading knowledge of the following languages must be proved before taking the General Examination:

Historical musicology students must pass German and French or Italian.

Ethnomusicology students must pass a European research language and a second lan guage to be determined in consultation with the ethnomusicology advisor.

Theory students must pass German plus one other language (French, Italian, Latin).

Composition students must pass German, Italian or French unless an alternative language is approved in writing by the graduate advisor.

Historical musicology students and ethnomusicology students must pass a third language appropriate to the field of specializa tion after completing the General Examina tions and within one year of the approval of a dissertation proposal.

Requirements for languages not tested regularly within the department may be satis fied through special examination, or through presentation of other documentation at the discretion of the graduate advisor.

Advising — Advising in the department during the pre-generals period is primarily handled by the appropriate graduate advisors and faculty members in the various programs, with the director of graduate studies available for further advice. After successful completion of the general examination, students consult with individual faculty members on their proposed fields of concentration, and when a dissertation proposal has been completed it is presented to the faculty in that field of study. When the dissertation proposal has been approved by the faculty in the program, it is brought to the entire department for final approval, and a dissertation committee is set up for each student. The dissertation committee consists of an advisor and two readers. Any questions or concerns about advising in the department can be brought to the attention of the director of graduate studies or the chair.

Residency — Two full years are required at full tuition and two at reduced tuition. See The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Hand book for specific information about residency requirements.

Review — The progress of all graduate students is reviewed at the end of each year. In addition to adequate course work, there are special requirements for first- and second-year students. Every student must submit at least one paper written for a graduate course as part of the first-year review. In musicology, every first- and second-year student must write at least one seminar paper per term.

General Examinations — The General Examination consists of two parts: written and oral. The orals are taken within one or two weeks of passing the writtens. The exams are to be taken between May and December of the student’s second year. Both the written and the oral parts can be repeated, but no more than once. The format, which is significantly different for each program, is as follows:

Historical Musicology

For historical musicologists, the general test will have three main parts — written, analysis and oral. The written exam consists of essays and short answer questions related to six of eight topics chosen by the student. The two prepared topics not selected for the written exam will be presented in the oral exam. The open-book analysis exam will be given in the summer, at a mutually agreeable time around mid-July. This will be a take-home exam, distributed on a Friday, and returned on Monday, mid-afternoon. It consists of two pieces of music (chosen from a) before 1700, b) 18th or 19th century, or c) 20th century). Students will choose one topic on which they will make a ten-minute presentation in the oral examination. Students will choose a second topic on which they will prepare a syllabus for a 13-week graduate seminar on the subject. This syllabus will be presented in written form, and may be the subject of discussion in the oral examination.

Ethnomusicology

The written test for ethnomusicologists is divided into three sections: one on ethno­musicology theory and method, a second from two areas of world music, a third on interdisciplinary problems. The analysis test includes two examples, one from the student’s major area (i.e., North Indian music, Swedish music, etc.) and a second from the Western art music tradition. The oral examination in ethnomusicology focuses on the special field or area chosen by the student, but may include questions about general ethnomusicology not necessarily related to topics covered in seminars. The remainder of the examination focuses on questions posed in the written examination.

Theory

The examination consists of four different parts: 1. A preliminary oral examination on repertoire and analysis (“single sheets”), lasting 30 mins, with 1 hr preparation time, usually taken at the beginning of the summer. 2. Four written exams of 3 hrs each: (a) systematic theories, (b) history of music theory, (c + d) two examinations in special fields relevant to dissertation research. 3. Analytical essays on two musical works from different periods (take-home paper over 4 days). 4. A two-hour oral examination will allow discussion on the written work and may broaden to engage a variety of related issues in music theory.

Composition

For composers, a written analysis is to be completed in three days at the end of the spring term of the second year of graduate study. It consists of a piece or set of pieces that should be analyzed by the student in the allotted time period. Students are also required to write an original composition of 7-10 minutes length with an imposed instrumenta tion, to be submitted by August 15. The oral examination is based on an in-depth discus sion of three major works that are assigned in the late spring of the second year of graduate study, plus an analytical presentation of the student’s original composition.

Teaching

Beginning in the third year, graduate students in good standing are eligible for teaching fellowships. Most teaching fellows devote 2/5 TIME to teaching.

Additional third-year requirements — The third year is primarily devoted to developing a dissertation proposal and the beginning of work on the dissertation. All students will complete their required courses; in most cases, that will mean two half-courses, the topics of which may be assigned by the faculty as a result of the General Examination. Musicology students will begin their third language (to be completed within one year of the approval of a dissertation proposal).

Dissertation — Within the academic year in which the General Examination is passed, the PhD candidate is expected to develop a proposal for a dissertation, which should be a major original contribution to the field. The proposal must be submitted for approval to the department, which is responsible for assigning the student a committee consisting of a dissertation advisor and two other faculty members. Normally, the complete disserta tion must be submitted within five years after passing the General Examination, and satisfactory progress must be demonstrated every year in order that the student remain in good standing. If the dissertation is submitted thereafter the department is not obligated to accept it. The formal requirements for the dissertation are set forth in The Form of the PhD Dissertation, provided by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The depart ment requires one bound copy for the Music Library, in addition to the two copies required for the Registrar.

Colloquium — Musicology and theory students, after the approval of their disserta tion proposal, will participate in the doctoral colloquium until the dissertation is accepted. Exceptions are made for traveling scholars researching outside of Harvard.

Course Information

In general, for all students, 100-level courses should be taken as supplemental to the grad­uate program, and should not be the major portion of the student’s coursework. The students should discuss their intentions with the graduate advisor. Students are encouraged to pursue course offerings in performance.

Graduate credit will automatically be given to composition students for any of the following 100-level courses: Music 157x and y, 160, 165r, 167r. In order to receive graduate credit, permission to take any addi tional half-courses at the 100-level must be granted by the graduate advisor before taking the course.

For theory students, the following courses will count as “in their secondary area”; in composition, 166r, 167r, up to a total of two terms in all, 261r, 262r, 264, 270, and 272; in musicology, courses numbered 201 through 219 or any 100-level course which has been specifically designated as satisfying this requirement in a given term by both the graduate advisors in musicology and the graduate advisor in theory. Theory students intending to count graduate credit (toward the 16 half-course credits) for any 100-level course should obtain written authorization to do so from the graduate theory advisor prior to taking the course.

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The Program in Musicology

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

Music

The Graduate Program of the Department of Music offers advanced training in historical musicology, ethnomusicology, theory, and composition, leading to the degree of PhD in music. There is no admission to an AM program separate from these PhD programs. In unusual cases, students who cannot success fully complete the General Examination may be given the option of completing the require ments for a terminal AM degree. The Graduate Program of the Depart ment of Music also offers an AM Degree in Music with a specialty in Performance Prac tice. This two-year program is designed for a small number of specialized students who are preparing or engaged in careers as performers and teachers. The program description and requirements follow the description of the PhD program. The faculty of the department includes about 20 members. There are 60 to 65 graduate students in residence; six to ten new graduate students enter each year. The Music Building contains a concert hall (the John Knowles Paine Hall), classrooms, faculty and graduate offices, a superb research library (the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library), a microfilm library of primary source materials (the Isham Memorial Library), an archive of world music recordings, listening facilities, an electronic music studio (HUSEAC), an ethnomusicology lab, an early instrument room, chamber music rehearsal rooms, and individual practice rooms. Other facilities throughout Harvard University include the vast resources of Widener Library, the Houghton Library (which contains rare music prints and manu scripts, and autographs of major composers), the Morse Music Library at the Hilles Library, and the libraries and practice rooms of the undergraduate houses, and Dudley House, the center of graduate student activities. In addition, a wealth of musical opportunities is readily available to students at Harvard and at the many neighboring universities (e.g., Boston University, Brandeis University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and civic and professional institutions (e.g., Boston Public Library, Museum of Fine Arts with the Mason Collection of Musical Instruments, and the New England Conservatory). Since teaching is an integral part of graduate training, most graduate students are teaching fellows during part of the time they are at Harvard. Teaching fellows are also eligible to apply for a resident or nonresident tutorship in one of the 13 undergraduate houses. In addition to financial benefits, teaching fellowships and tutorships provide excellent professional experience. In recent years virtually every graduate student has received one or more of the fellowships and grants awarded by the Univer sity and the music department. Awards given by the department each year include several prizes in composition, the John Knowles Paine Traveling Fellowships, the Oscar S. Schafer Fellowship, the Richard F. French Fellowship, the Ferdinand Gordon & Elizabeth Hunter Morrill Fellowship, and the Nino and Lea Pirrotta Research Grant. All applicants are required to take the GRE General Examination and must submit, along with their applications, samples of their previous work in musicology (for the musicology PhD), ethnomusicology (ethno musicology PhD), or theory (theory PhD). Applicants to the composition program must submit three to four compositions, both scores and recordings where possible. All supplemental materials should be sent to the Admissions Office of the GSAS. Samples of work should be sent with a self-addressed, stamped envelope if they are to be returned to the student. Applications for admission and for financial aid must be received at the Admissions Office of the Graduate School by January 2 for candidates who seek entrance in the following fall term. For applications for admissions and financial aid write: Admissions Office, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Holyoke Center 350, 1350 Massa chusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. The application may be submitted online at www.gsas.harvard.edu. The Program in Musicology At Harvard, musicology is broadly defined as the disciplined study of music and includes the historical, comparative, and systematic aspects of the field. The program incorpo rates two tracks: historical musicology, with an emphasis on the history, theory, and literature of Western music in its contexts, from antiq uity to the present; and ethnomusicology, which concentrates on the ethnographic study of any musical tradition in relationship to its cultural setting. Most graduate courses in historical musicology and ethnomusicology are research seminars; many treat specific topics, periods, and regions, while others deal with current problems and methods. On the completion of preparatory training and the passing of the General Examinations, PhD dissertations may be written in either field. The Program in Theory The PhD in music theory is characterized both by a deep involvement in the inner workings of music and by an engagement with the wider philosophical, cultural and psychological ques tions surrounding music. Our PhDs typically apply for the theory program with a “minor” in either composition or musicology. The program reflects this interdisciplinary interest of our students, and seeks to explore the links of music theory to other areas of critical engagement, while providing our theorists with the specialized skills they require. The teaching in the program empha sizes analytical techniques–all students take courses on Schenkerian theory and on a range of tonal and post-tonal analytical practices, as well as an introductory course to explore current issues in the field. At the same time, the program also encourages students to build a framework in which to place these tech niques and to reflect on the underpinnings of music theory. Regular courses on questions in psychology, temporality, history of music theory, and aesthetics round off our course offerings and often take music theory into interdisciplinary territory. Graduate courses on challenging repertoires–e.g. modal theory, non-Western music, or very recent composi tion–frequently round off our offerings. The dissertation projects our theory grad uates work on reflect this unique combination of interests. Recent and current PhD topics include Feminist approaches to performance analysis, Microtonality and tone imaginations, Multi-modal analysis of boy-band videos, Athanasius Kircher’s Musurgia universalis (1650), and Neuro-scientific imaging of perceptual parameters. Our theory faculty is enhanced on a regular basis by exciting visiting faculty, which complement our existing research and teaching strengths in interesting new ways. Recent visi tors have included Allan Keiler (Brandeis), Fred Lerdahl (Columbia), Allen Forte (Yale), Ellie Hisama (Columbia)–as well as Brian Ferneyhough (Stanford), Helmut Lachenmann (Stuttgart) and Harrison Birtwistle (London). The Program in Composition Harvard’s program in composition is designed to give students the time and opportunity to develop as composers by offering general musical guidance as well as specific individual criticism of their works. The program is centered around students’ achieving clarity of expression through developing their command of compositional technique. In addition, acquaintance with the literature of the past and present through analysis and performance is considered indispensable. Most courses are seminars and deal with specific topics or student works. On the completion of prepara tory training and the passing of the General Examinations, PhD dissertations comprising a substantial portfolio between five to seven pieces of varied scoring and length may be submitted. Normally, students do not transfer from one program to another. Under exceptional circumstances, a change from one depart ment graduate program to another may be possible. Students applying for a change must be in good standing in their original program. They must submit a formal request to the director of graduate studies no later than the first week of May of the first year of study, including a list of courses indicating how they propose to fulfill the requirements of the new program. The admissions committee of the new program will make the decision in consul tation with the graduate advisors; the decision will be presented to the department faculty. The students have to fulfill all the require ments of the new program (number and area of courses, languages, general exams).

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