Conducting
Conducting is an incredibly useful skill. It also helps you to improve score reading and musical understanding more broadly. We offer a sequence of conducting courses:
- Conducting: Foundations 1 credit (fall and spring)
- Conducting: Intermediate 2 credits (spring)
- Conducting: Advanced Instrumental 3 credits (fall)
- Conducting: Advanced Musical Theater 3 credits (fall and spring)
Music History
In addition to the required Music History classes seminar, there are many other history classes you can take. These will expand your knowledge of music and will help inform your ideas as a composer. Some options include
- Film Music History
- Songwriting History
- Jazz History
- Non-Western History (Music in World Cultures sequence)
Music Notation
While not a path we simply recommend that you take this class! Currently, we suggest you take it in your freshman year. It will ensure that you are able to prepare professional performance materials for your many projects over the course of your time at NYU.
Orchestration, Arranging, Theory
The orchestration sequence is at the core of the program, but there are additional courses you can take in other fields that may be of interest:
- Jazz Theory and Ear Training
- Advanced Orchestration: Screen Scoring
- Jazz Arranging I
Additionally the music theory program offers a number of courses outside of the initial four semester sequence. These cover a wide range of topics including western and non-western approaches. We highly encourage you to explore their offerings:
- Music Theory Core Courses and Descriptions
- Music Theory Graduate Electives (for Juniors and Seniors only)
Scoring and Songwriting Courses
Many of you are interested in courses from the other concentrations. We encourage you to explore these course offerings. The program is designed with enough elective credit such that you could take all the courses in another concentration, should you want to, effectively allowing you to concentrate in more than one area.
For an overview of possible Scoring sequences, click here and here
To register for any scoring course please fill out this form.
For Songwriting and Production we suggest you explore the following:
- Drums, Drum Machines and DAWs
- Mixing in the DAW
- Songwriters Forum
- Production for Songwriters
Music Technology
If you have any interest in Music Technology there are many fantastic courses to explore. You will find the opportunity to develop skills in audio recording, electronic music performance, installation practice, software development and programing, analog and digital synthesis, and more. One sequence that might give you a good foundation in studio recording and production techniques would be:
- Recording Technology for non-majors MPATE-UE 1022 [Fall] 3 credits
- Fast track course that combines the main concepts of 2 classes: Analog and Digital Recording Technology
- Studio Production Techniques MPATE-UE 1005 [Fall] 4 credits
- Pre-Req: Recording Techniques for Non-Majors
- Recording in the studio, tracking
- Applied Studio Production MPATE-UE 1006 [Spring] 4 credits
- Pre-req: Recording Techniques for Non-Majors
- Mixing and Producing
For more information about all Music Tech courses and registration for these courses visit:
SP24: Mtech Nonmajor & Specialized course request guidelines