MUSI 1780 Contemporary Popular Song Studies I

Contemporary Popular Song Studies I explores the formal, melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and lyrical content of classic songs from multiple genres of popular music. Students will approach songwriting in a myriad of styles inluding the blues, rock & roll, pop, country, soul, rhythm & blues, funk, progressive and story songs. Using the National Songwriters Hall of Fame database and historic Billboard charts, students will analyze important and well-known songs spanning the years of 1950 to the present, as well as examining the vast output and composing style of prominent songwriters from these periods and genres of music. Students will be exposed to successful songs by well-known and admired composers from each decade in order to examine and analyxe the melodies, hooks and content that makes the songs effective and memorable. Student projects will include the arranging and recording of well-known song repertoire as well as writing songs in the style of famous songwriters.
Credits: 3.0