32-6221 Scoring I: Composing Dramatic Music

The first in a four-semester composition and orchestration sequence which is the core of the MFA program, this course is designed to introduce students to the craft of composing dramatic music and marrying music to story. Composition for the screen is an applied art, and requires that the composer be guided in his or her choice of musical vocabulary by the emotional and thematic values embodied in script, performance, and directorial intent. This course will explore the application of a variety of musical devices, including harmonic language, melodic development, rhythmic propulsive elements and styles of voicings, to musically express various emotional states such as joy, sorrow, fear, tension, awe, and wonder. Lessons in technique will drive writing assignments geared to specific dramatic scenes wherein music must support the emotional context. As a final project, students will compose the score to a short film excerpt using a live woodwind and string ensemble in a recording studio environment. Taking the course in tandem with Lab (Tutorial), students will utilize Logic Studio MIDI software to realize digital mock-ups.

4 Credits