Graduate Courses

Introduction analysis & practice of jazz music.

Analysis of jazz as a dance discipline- introductory level. Includes composition.

Graduate level jazz improvisation for instrumentalists. Focus on extensive playing and reviewing of styles from Bop to free Jazz. Material will be distributed through student transcriptions. Emphasis will be placed on the development of technique, mental focus and comprehending new trends in harmonic practices and applying them in playing situations

Graduate level jazz improvisation for instrumentalists. Focus on extensive playing and new trends in jazz composition. Music from contemporary modal, tonal and chromatic sources (hybrid or slash chords) will be used as material for improvisation. Advanced rhythmic concepts will also be studied and applied in playing sessions.

Through Kaleidoscope Dancers, the program’s professional and community service based dance company, students learn and collaboratively design performance repertory and prepare interactive lesson plans for children in K-12 settings. Students work with public school dance teachers to plan and create age-appropriate workshops for the spring term.

Through Kaleidoscope Dancers, the program’s professional and community service based dance company, students coordinate lesson goals, outcomes, and workshop focus with cooperating teachers. Collaboratively teach interactive lesson plans to school groups. Perform repertory for children, support and
participate in class format, and facilitate choreographic groups comprised of children and KD dancers to create
original choreography. With accompanist create accompaniment for the class and original scores for the
choreographic groups

This course examines applications of psychotherapy theory to music therapy practice. Topics include basic psychotherapy concepts; important practitioners in the history of music therapy; central ideas from psychodynamic, humanistic, and transpersonal perspectives; and contemporary progressive approaches considering cultural, resource-oriented, and empowerment viewpoints.

This course covers theory in music therapy that derives from music-based sources and explores suitable research approaches for investigating this type of theory. Students will study music therapy theorists who base their theory on music philosophy, psychology, ethnomusicology and musicology.

Surveys key developments in American Civilization since the Civil War. Explores the rise of the U.S. to world power, the impact of industrialization, mass immigration and urbanization on American society, the evolution of the political system, reform and radical dissent, and the role that race, class, and gender played in post-1865 U.S. history. Combines historical with geographical analysis of the U.S., introducing cultural and physical geography as tools for studying and teaching the American past.

Explores world history through demographic and technological change, urbanization, nomadic invasions, cross-cultural interactions, empires, and major religious and philosophical world views. Provides broad framework though which to approach teaching and learning of world history: Seeing global patterns and processes over time and space while connecting local developments to global ones; comparing within and among societies; analyzing multiple perspectives of peoples and major debates among historians; exploring persistent relevance of world history to contemporary developments.

For pre-service music teachers to gain practical experience in meeting the various accompaniment performance demands in Pre K-12 music classroom and ensemble settings.

Students are introduced to the principles of biomechanics, joint kinematics, and muscle function, to enhance their understanding of normal human motion. Experiential lab sessions provide illustrations of these concepts as well as the opportunity to develop skill in assessing joint range of motion, muscle strength, and movement patterns.

Study of normal and abnormal human motion including gait and posture. Macrophysiological and biomechanical principles will be defined and applied to static and dynamic movement. Once developed, basic concepts are applied to specific joints, the trunk and spine.

Students participate in small group laboratory experiences utilizing simulation, modeling, micro-counseling, & related foundational counseling skills in an experiential learning base. Learning of basic communicating skills necessary in interviewing, counseling, & other helping relationships. Skills learned apply to a wide range of professional counseling with children, adolescents & adults.

This course provides an in-depth look at analyzing and evaluating research studies in the behavioral sciences, including developing skills in coding and analyzing data, assessing and improving the reliability of measures, and presenting results.

By writing fragments of a reading autobiography, students explore the impact of their language development of literary texts read at home and at school. These experiences are then reflected upon to explore implications for the teaching of literature from preschool through college.

This course offers an overview of current knowledge of ASD in the field of Communication Disorders and related areas. Students learn about current theories of underlying causal factors, as well as different educational approaches and settings. Special emphasis is placed on Language and Communication skills as well as Speech Language Pathology assessment and intervention. As part of the course requirements, students conduct individual case studies throughout the course.

Explores the interconnections among the acquisition of first (and second) language and the development of print and media literacy from birth through adolescence. Emphases are placed on the interactions of reading and writing with a focus on those children who make transitions and acquire the appropriate skills easily, as well as those who find it more difficult, particularly in middle childhood and adolescence. The implications for literacy education for students speaking a second language or a variety of English are also explored in the context of urban education.