This course explores a diverse range of musicians and musical genres through the lens of Tacoma's history. Utilizing primary source readings, listening examples, and guest lectures by local musicians and historians, the course presents a survey of the musical history of Tacoma, from the region's native peoples and early settlers to the present day. The final project engages students with primary research to share local music history stories.

This is a course designed for students who have had some prior instruction on the piano. With the piano as a medium students develop an artistic awareness of music from different cultures as well as historical periods. The course focuses on improving music reading ability, harmonizing melodies, improvisation, basic musicianship, and performance of repertoire from the advanced beginner/early intermediate level literature.

This course includes study of sixteenth- and eighteenth-century counterpoint through composition and analysis. Following this is an introduction to jazz theory through analysis. The semester concludes with study of twentieth-century compositional styles including Impressionism, extended tonality, set theory, serialism, and minimalism. Students compose and perform an original minimalist process piece.

In this third semester of music theory, students learn to analyze binary, ternary, sonata, and rondo forms. Later in the semester, students learn about voice leading of triads, seventh chords, and all chromatic harmonies. Students compose and perform an original five-part rondo.

Singing and keyboard exercises in counterpoint, jazz theory, and twentieth-century techniques. Dictation of contrapuntal examples, jazz scales and chords, and twentieth-century sonorities and pitch-sets. Harmonic dictation of all chromatic harmonies and modulations.

Chromatic exercises in sight singing, melodic and harmonic dictation, and keyboard harmony to improve overall musicianship and comprehension of music theory and literature.

An all-university ensemble for brass, woodwind, and percussion. Performs on campus each semester.

This course provides students the opportunity to explore and learn about a variety of popular music genres and styles through performance in a cover band. Students will rehearse and perform songs (covers) with the ensemble taking on various roles. The ensemble will present at least one formalized concert each semester.

Prepares and performs music of many jazz styles for both large bands and small combos. The jazz band plays concerts throughout the year, both on and off campus.

An auditioned ensemble of women singing both accompanied and a capella literature and appearing in concert several times each semester.