MHST 111a Engaging with Music
This course builds upon the foundational work in critical thinking, reading, and writing that students develop in
LARTS 111A—affording students the opportunity both to deepen those skills and to apply them to the contextual study of music. Through an intensive study of 3 different repertoires, one of which is outside of the repertoire of Western classical music, students will engage with the questions, contexts, and problems relevant to the contemplation of music as an element of culture. As we consider the multi-layered identity of musical works, their place in the societies that bore witness to their creation, and our own lives as musicians in the 21st century, students will immerse themselves fully in the different facets of musical works we study: developing skills in analytical listening, score reading, and gathering and evaluating relevant sources will enable us to ask relevant questions, seek persuasive answers, support our own ideas, and find meaningful points of connection between these works and our emerging identity as informed, inquisitive, and engaged artists.