Academic Catalog

Music: General

Program Description

The Associate in Arts degree in Music is a comprehensive course of study preparing the student to transfer to a four-year institution in music or a music related field, or to enter the music industry or a related field upon completion. Foothill's Music Department offers a wide variety of courses to satisfy the diverse interests and needs of its students. In addition to core courses in comprehensive musicianship and history/literature, the department also offers courses such as Music of American Cultures, Music & Media: Hendrix to Hip-Hop, and many others. The department's award-winning faculty are active as composers, authors, performers, arrangers, and publishers in the Bay Area and throughout the U.S. The department has some of the newest and most comprehensive facilities in the country. Our performance facilities have been newly renovated and all of our classrooms are equipped with Steinway pianos and/or top of the line sound reinforcement/multimedia delivery systems. The Interdisciplinary Electronic Arts Center has many new features such as a new media classroom with MIDI keyboard stations fully equipped with the latest in recording and sound production design.

Learn more about the program on the Music website.

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Through the study of music history/literature, students examine music masterpieces from multiple eras and cultures, synthesizing information and making judgments as they evaluate how music reflects individual composers' lives, as well as the contemporary social/historical context in which the compositions were created and performed.
  • Through music theory/composition, students analyze the structure of music and learn to create their own original works satisfying specific and complex compositional requirements.
  • Through music performance, students learn how to apply and express their historical, theoretical, and artistic understandings in a presentation addressing an appropriate audience.
  • Using this three-lens framework, students increase their community/global consciousness as they learn to appreciate how music is a potent tool for understanding individual and cultural uniqueness within the larger context of our common humanity.

Career Opportunities

Career prospects in the music industry are diverse and abundant. With the advent of digital music delivery systems and alternative media, music is an integral part of the media revolution. Students have the opportunity to enter the industry in a variety of positions directly and indirectly related to this media revolution. Careers are not localized: due to the growth of new media and the communication available via the internet, opportunities exist in many locations.

Award Type(s)

  • AA = Associate in Arts Degree
  • CA = Certificate of Achievement

Units Required

  • Major: 43
  • Certificate(s): 25

Associate Degree Requirements

English Proficiency
Select one of the following:
ENGL 1ACOMPOSITION & READING5
ENGL 1AHHONORS COMPOSITION & READING5
ESLL 26ADVANCED COMPOSITION & READING5
or equivalent
Ethnic Studies
Any course in the ETHN (Ethnic Studies) subject code, currently approved for Area F of CSU GE and Area 7 of IGETC
Mathematics Proficiency
College-level math course at or above the level of Intermediate Algebra

A minimum of 90 units is required1 to include:

  • Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
  • Core courses (35 units)
  • Support courses (8 units)
1

Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.

Note: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core and support courses used for the degree or certificate.

Core and Support Courses

Core Courses
Select seven courses from the following:35
GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
HONORS GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
HONORS GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
HONORS GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
WORLD MUSIC: ROOTS TO CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL FUSION
THEORY & MUSICIANSHIP I
THEORY & MUSICIANSHIP II
THEORY & MUSICIANSHIP III
Support Courses
Select eight units from the following:8
INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC
HISTORY OF AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATRE
MUSIC OF AMERICAN CULTURES
HONORS MUSIC OF AMERICAN CULTURES
MUSIC & MEDIA: HENDRIX TO HIP-HOP
MUSIC FUNDAMENTALS
FUNK, FUSION & HIP-HOP
HISTORY OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC: 1970-PRESENT
BEGINNING CLASS PIANO
INTERMEDIATE CLASS PIANO
ADVANCED CLASS PIANO
CLASS VOICE I
BEGINNING CLASSICAL GUITAR
INTERMEDIATE CLASSICAL GUITAR
ADVANCED CLASSICAL GUITAR
BEGINNING ACOUSTIC GUITAR TECHNIQUES
INTERMEDIATE ACOUSTIC GUITAR TECHNIQUES
ADVANCED ACOUSTIC GUITAR TECHNIQUES
INTRODUCTION TO MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION TO MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION
INTERMEDIATE MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
INTERMEDIATE MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
ADVANCED MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
ADVANCED MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
ADVANCED MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTION WORKSHOP II
ADVANCED MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTION WORKSHOP II
SINGING TECHNIQUE FOR MUSICAL THEATRE
SINGING TECHNIQUE FOR MUSICAL THEATRE
MUSICAL THEATRE REPERTOIRE FOR SINGERS
MUSICAL THEATRE REPERTOIRE FOR SINGERS
Total Units43

Certificate Requirements

Certificate of Achievement in Music History and Literature

  • Units: 25
MUS 2AGREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES5
or MUS 2AH HONORS GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
MUS 2BGREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES5
or MUS 2BH HONORS GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
MUS 2CGREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES5
or MUS 2CH HONORS GREAT COMPOSERS & MUSIC MASTERPIECES
MUS 2DWORLD MUSIC: ROOTS TO CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL FUSION5
MUS 8MUSIC OF AMERICAN CULTURES5
or MUS 8H HONORS MUSIC OF AMERICAN CULTURES
Total Units25