Arts Electives for UC Students

CCM offers dozens of different general studies and fine arts elective courses each semester. These credit-granting courses are open to all UC students!

CCM's arts electives cover a wide range of topics including dance, movies and media, music and theatre arts. View elective courses offered by CCM during spring 2024 below.

Course offerings include in-person and online classes. Explore the complete list of classes below. Find the most up-to-date information and register at catalyst.uc.edu.

For more information on the registration process, please visit UC’s Office of the Registrar.

Spring 2024

Ballet Basics (3 credits)  
FAM1011-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 7:30-8:50 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This is an introductory course for any non-major wishing to learn the fundamentals of classical ballet technique. It is a studio course, meaning students will be in the dance studio, in full attire (leotard, tights, ballet slippers for women; white t-shirt, tights and ballet shoes for men), learning the essentials of traditional classical ballet. We will study the French terminology associated with the movement and poses we dance in order to better facilitate learning and comprehension of the movement. Mind/body awareness will be facilitated while a more thorough knowledge of the art form, including historical perspective, origin, and philosophical issues as to its importance in today's cultural world will also be discussed.


Beginning Modern Dance I (3 credits) 
FAM1025-001; (Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 8-8:50 a.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

In this course for non-dance majors, students are introduced to the techniques and movement vocabulary of contemporary and modern dance. Students will explore fundamental movement principles while emphasizing the development of improvisational and performance skills. The student will also develop the critical perspectives necessary to analyze and further appreciate dance as an art form and educational tool with cultural values.


Beginning Modern Dance II (3 credits) 
FAM1026-001; (Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 8-8:50 a.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

In this course for non-dance majors, students continue to develop the techniques and movement vocabulary of contemporary and modern dance. Students will continue to explore fundamental movement principles while emphasizing the development of improvisational and performance skills. The student will also continue to develop the critical perspectives necessary to analyze and further appreciate dance as an art form and educational tool with cultural values.


Dance for Wellness (3 credits)                   
FAM1010-001: (Friday, 9:05-11:55 a.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This course will introduce the student to dance and define wellness, healing, and injury, examining ways in which dance affects both our minds and our bodies. The role of dance as a tool for both wellness and healing in different cultures, communities, and populations will be examined. “Dance for Wellness” provides concrete exercises and dance experiences that can be used to encourage wellness. The course will consider current information about dance and how it encourages both mental and physical wellness


Hip-Hop Dance (1 Credit) 
FAM1030-001; (Monday, 6-7 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

A beginning/intermediate level dance course with no experience required. This class is designed to teach the fundamentals of Hip-Hop through choreographed dances. Hip-Hop style similar to that seen on current music videos will be the style taught in class. Individual work, floor work, and partner work will be emphasized. Combinations will be performed to Rap and R & B music.


Intermediate Ballet I (3 credits) 
FAM1017 (Tuesday/Thursday, 6-7:20 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This is a ballet course designed for dancers with previous ballet training. It is a repeatable course for the non-major wishing to further pursue the complexities and artistic nuances of classical ballet technique. It is a studio course, meaning students will be in the dance studio, in full attire (leotard, tights, ballet slippers for women/ white t-shirt, tights and ballet shoes for men) learning the essentials of a traditional classical ballet class. We will study the French terminology associated with more complex movement and positions we dance in order to better facilitate learning and comprehension of the movement. Mind/body awareness will be facilitated while a more thorough knowledge of the art form including historical perspective, origin and philosophical issues as to its importance in today's cultural world will also be discussed.


Intermediate Ballet II (3 credits) 
FAM1018 (Tuesday/Thursday, 6-7:20 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This is a ballet course designed for dancers with previous ballet training. It is a repeatable course for the non-major wishing to further pursue the complexities and artistic nuances of classical ballet technique. It is a studio course, meaning students will be in the dance studio, in full attire (leotard, tights, ballet slippers for women/ white t-shirt, tights and ballet shoes for men) learning the essentials of a traditional classical ballet class. We will study the French terminology associated with more complex movement and positions we dance in order to better facilitate learning and comprehension of the movement. Mind/body awareness will be facilitated while a more thorough knowledge of the art form including historical perspective, origin and philosophical issues as to its importance in today's cultural world will also be discussed.


Legends of Dance in America (3 credits) 
FAM1094-001; online, asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This course introduces dance legends of Ballet, Modern and Contemporary Dance, their significant contribution to the world of dance in America, as well as the passion and insight that brought the legends to their height of success. Additional course topics include viewing live dance performances.


Modern Dance Basics Online (3 credits) 
FAM1022-001; online, asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

In this course for non-dance majors, students are introduced to the techniques and movement vocabulary of contemporary and modern dance. Students will explore fundamental movement principles while emphasizing the development of improvisational and performance skills. The student will also develop critical perspectives necessary to analyze and further appreciate dance as an art form and educational tool with cultural values. Through interactive online instruction students use recording devices (e.g., smartphones, laptops, and camcorders) to develop their dance technique while building a dance community. To complete assignments students may film the dances with friends and/or family in locations of their choosing. (e.g., dorm room, apartment, basement, backyard, park, and riverside). Students may also utilize the 414 Video Production Room in Langsam Library.


Digital Audio for Non-Majors (3 credits) 
MPRO2007-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 3:30-4:50 p.m.)

This course is designed to introduce the student to the fundamentals of digital audio theory and practices through the development of basic digital audio production projects. Course topics include general production principles and theory of operation of digital audio workstations with an emphasis placed on internet radio, podcast, and commercial production processes. The student will be introduced to basic audio production techniques through the corresponding laboratory phase of this course. The student will be required to demonstrate knowledge of the principles of audio production and apply those principles in laboratory exercises. Prerequisite: To take this course you must: Have taken the following Courses EMDT1011C min grade D-, or EMED1005 min grade D-, or EMED1015 min grade D-.


Disney Animated Musicals (3 credits) 
FAM2090-001; online asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This course explores the genre of the animated film musical with a special emphasis on its presumed originator, the Walt Disney Studios. We will consider the unique expressive properties of this form, examining the ways in which both song and the animated medium distort, rearrange, and reflect the world for its audiences. As we trace the genre's history and evolution from the earliest experiments with sound technology to the latest multi-billion-dollar franchises, we will simultaneously track shifting trends in popular song and film. This history will run alongside discussions of Disney's complex and often problematic roles as a purveyor of American and global entertainment.


Film and Television Production for non-majors (3 credits) 
MPRO2002-001; (Tuesday, 6-8:50 p.m.) 

The medium of digital video has become an increasingly pervasive means of communication in contemporary culture. Digital Video allows students to apply media aesthetic theory, processes and techniques in communicating their ideas to a specified audience via the digital video production process. While taking this course, each student is required to write, produce, shoot, and edit several projects using digital video cameras, working in a digital nonlinear editing environment, and delivering their content through a variety of digital distribution channels to a specified audience.


Going to the Movies: 20th Century Classics (3 Credits) 
MPRO1075-001; (Tuesday, 6-8:50 p.m.
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

Through lectures and screenings of classic films students will explore the evolution of the motion picture as a unique and significant form of expression. The course includes investigation into film style and structure, distribution and consumption. Students will be guided in the development of aesthetic criteria for critical examination.


Integrated Media Production 1 for Non-Majors (3 credits) 
MPRO1015-001; online; asynchronously 
MPRO1015-002; (Tuesday/Thursday, 11-12:20 p.m.) 
MPRO1015-003; (Monday/Wednesday, 3:30-4:50 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: TI Technology and Innovation

Media convergence is a vital component of our new media culture. In new media there is a melding of production, design and message with user-experience. Integrated Media Production I is an introductory course - the first of a two-course sequence within the Media Production major at CCM - that provides students with a theoretical and practical foundation in the intersecting worlds of digital media production, content development, and new media design. This course is an overview of concepts and processes in convergent media production.


Jammin’ with Laptops (3 credits)   
FAM2014-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 11 a.m.-12:20 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts           

This course will explore the potentials of laptop computers for music making. Various technical topics, including analog v. digital sound, audio software, effects, gear, MIDI and audio programming languages will be surveyed. In addition, a survey of the history of computer music will be conducted by way of an investigation into seminal readings and recordings. Both of these inquiries will provide participants with the technical and analytical skills to utilize their laptops to creative ends. Participants will also be expected to work in small groups on creative projects.


Jammin’ with Laptops Online (3 credits) 
FAM2023-001; online, asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts                         

In this course, you will play, record, and make music with online instruments. There are three units, and each unit includes a distinctive music making session; Individual Session (Unit 1), Collaborative Session (Unit 2), and Creative Jam Session (Unit 3 In the Unit 1, you will individually study the basic knowledge of music making, including identifying musical instruments, playing online instruments, and recording the music that you played through the exercises. In the Midterm Exam, you will be asked to answer the basic knowledge that you have learned so far. In the Unit 2 and 3, you will form your laptop band with your online classmates to play and record music together. In the Unit 2, you will collaborate with 1~2 classmate(s) to complete the assignment together. In the Unit 3, you will collaborate with 2~4 classmates to create your own band under your instruction to direct your band members, and play for your band member's music under their respective directions. In the Final Exam, you will be asked to answer all the materials that you have learned.


Japanese Pop, Anime & Video Game Music (3 credits) 
FAM2050-001; online, asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, SCE Society, Culture, and Ethics

You will learn the evolution of Japanese Pop, Anime, and Video Game Music (post 1980) including anime theme songs, video game music, and popular songs. Each topic will provide the composer's biography, historical background, and word-by-word translation of lyrics, and will investigate the cultural differences between Japan and America.


Media in your Life Non-Major (3 credits) 
MPRO1011-001; online; asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: TI Technology & Innovation

Did you know that the typical American spends about 11 hours a day consuming media? Think about that for a moment. How long is a typical workday? How many hours a night do you sleep? Could it be, based upon time usage alone, that media consumption is the most important activity in our lives? Whether those comments frighten you or inspire you, the fact remains that the media industry plays an enormously important role in our individual lives, is vital to the success of every major industry, and is foundational to the effective functioning of our representative democracy. Would you like to possess a more sophisticated understanding of the media production process and its artistic and theoretical underpinnings? Wouldn't you like to know more about the latest digital production tools? Do you think you might want to pursue a media career? If you answered "yes" to any one of these questions, then "The Media in Your Life" is exactly the right course for you.


Student Media Practicum (3 credits)
MPRO 2025-001; (Thursday, 4:30-7:20 p.m.) 

This course is designed to allow any student at the University of Cincinnati to gain hands-on experience within a student media group. Students will have the opportunity to contribute in a variety of areas including performance, programming production, marketing and business development. This is a hands-on practicum and not a lecture-based course, so students will be expected to contribute a significant amount of time outside of the assigned meeting time to fulfill the requirements of this course.


American Music Online (3 credits) 
FAM2006-001; online, asynchronously      
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, HP Historical Perspectives                       

An online history of music in America c. 1620 to the present. Musical life as we experience it in the USA today is the product of a history that is in many ways unique, but never far from world-wide influences. This course surveys a wide variety of music along with the social, political, and religious movements that have shaped American musical life right up to the present. Examines the contributions of numerous cultural groups, regional developments over four centuries, and the ways music reflects values, aspirations, and problems of the population. Course topics include musical genres, styles, personalities, and trends. Musical examples, discussions, quizzes, and videos are all online. No prior experience with music required.


Disney Animated Musicals (3 credits) 
FAM2090-001; online asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This course explores the genre of the animated film musical with a special emphasis on its presumed originator, the Walt Disney Studios. We will consider the unique expressive properties of this form, examining the ways in which both song and the animated medium distort, rearrange, and reflect the world for its audiences. As we trace the genre's history and evolution from the earliest experiments with sound technology to the latest multi-billion-dollar franchises, we will simultaneously track shifting trends in popular song and film. This history will run alongside discussions of Disney's complex and often problematic roles as a purveyor of American and global entertainment.


Experimental Rock (3 credits) 
FAM2013-001 (1/08-2/23/2024); online; asynchronously 
FAM2013-002 (2/26-4/22/2024); online; asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, TI Technology & Innovation

This course will provide a detailed overview of the tools, techniques and musical styles which had a tremendous impact on the aesthetic of various genres of Rock Music in the 1960s and 70s, the resonance of which can be observed in many mainstream and non-mainstream musical trends of the last 30 years. It will begin with an examination of multi-tracking tape machines: their development and techniques such as sound on sound, tape-delay and flange, which had become standard practice in studios by the late 1960s. This is followed by a technical overview of electronic instruments, specifically the synthesizer, whose development will be traced from the Theremin. Musical trends such as the 1950s avant-garde and Minimalism will serve as a bridge to examinations of seminal bands such as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk, Can, Neu:, Brian Eno and the Talking Heads among others; the technical knowledge gained from the initial lectures on tape techniques and electronic instruments will be used to gain a deeper understanding of the music of these artists.


History of Rock & Roll I (3 credits)            
FAM2011-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 2-3:20 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

Rock and Roll had humble beginnings in the Southeastern United States, but over time it developed into a force, beyond mere entertainment, that has defined youth culture on a global scale. Rock and roll culture is embedded in the fabric of youth identity. Rock and roll music is a commodity that young people use daily, often with an obsessive devotion. Marketing campaigns that target youth are so relentless that young people are under enormous media and social pressure to join the ranks of consumers. The goal of History of Rock and Roll is, therefore, threefold: 1. To provide for students a chronological survey that examines the relationship between the music, its most successful and colorful artists, the associated recording technology, and the impact of the genre on American culture. 2. Through critical listening and reading, the course will provide students with useful, evaluative tools so that they can make historically informed and thoughtful decisions about the music they select and enjoy. 3. Finally, the course will encourage students to seek and appreciate new styles, and perhaps inspire those who seek a career as a pop music artist. No prerequisite.


Japanese Pop, Anime & Video Game Music (3 credits) 
FAM2050-001; online, asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, SCE Society, Culture, and Ethics

You will learn the evolution of Japanese Pop, Anime, and Video Game Music (post 1980) including anime theme songs, video game music, and popular songs. Each topic will provide the composer's biography, historical background, and word-by-word translation of lyrics, and will investigate the cultural differences between Japan and America.


Jazz Appreciation (3 credits) 
FAM2051-001; (Tuesday, 6-8:50 p.m., online synchronously) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, SCE Society, Culture, and Ethics

A one semester overview of America's true art form: jazz. The course will introduce students to the various styles of jazz, its major performers, its history and origins, and will also involve attending jazz performances at CCM or elsewhere.


Music Appreciation Online (3 credits) 
FAM2005-001; online, asynchronously 
FAM2005-002; online, asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, SCE Society, Culture, and Ethics

An online course that introduces students to a wide range of music in the Western World, covering several historical periods, including our own time. Examines musical styles, musical terms, composers, and other aspects of the music listening experience. Considers the historical and cultural context of musical activity and the way it has shaped the musical life from medieval Europe up to the present in our own communities. Students will discuss their own experiences with music and have the opportunity to attend a musical performance of their choice, near where they live, for class credit. Musical examples, discussions, quizzes, videos, and film are all online. No prior experience with music required.


Music of the Beatles (3 credits) 
FAM2061-001; online 
FAM2061-002; online           
FAM2061-003; (Tuesday/Thursday, 12:30-1:50 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, SCE Society, Culture, and Ethics

The Music of the Beatles has made an impact in the whole world both musically and sociologically. The Beatles are considered one of the most influential bands of any era. Their music reflects the cultural and social revolution of the 1960s and serves as a model for understanding all subsequent popular music. This class will chronologically trace the development of the Beatles from their early days through the band's dissolution. There will be analysis of selected compositions with regard to lyrics, harmony, song structure, instrumentation, and arranging. This class will examine their groundbreaking production techniques, individual writing styles, and the impact of their music on other musicians and social trends.


Music of Woodstock (3 credits) 
FAM2070-001; online, asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, SCE Society, Culture, and Ethics

The course thoroughly examines the musical artists and the works they performed at history's most iconic pop music festival, Woodstock (officially the "Woodstock Music and Art Fair"). As many as half a million people or more, descending on a dairy farm in upstate New York in August of 1969 for "three days of peace and music," were treated to a wildly diverse lineup of musicians and artists hailing from no less than five different continents. The Woodstock Festival is the perfect prism through which to view the 1960s popular scene, when various streams of musical genres converged to forge a new breed of "pop"; the soundtrack of the counterculture and a young, idealistic generation. How did a music festival, let alone pop music in general, become a catalyst for social, political, and artistic change and upheaval? How was the motley assortment of musicians of various stripes, genres, genders, and ethnicities received by the crowd, temporarily the fourth-largest city in New York? How did this crowd co-exist and survive without virtually any of the realities that plague a similar-sized urban center? These are just a few of the many questions posed in this course as we study and—equally as important—savor and experience the musical performances of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.


Topics Pop Music (3 credits) 
FAM2093-001 Influential Female Vocalists, online asynchronously

This course recognizes and explores the music of influential female vocalists of the 20th and 21st centuries. We will trace music history and its genres through the study of each musician’s life and works. Music genres covered include, Musical Theatre, Pop, R&B, Singer-Songwriter, Jazz, Performance Art and Classical. Through discussion, we will consider the impact each musician has had on the music industry and on society. Musicians we will study and listen to include: Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Bernadette Peters, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Yoko Ono, Meredith Monk, Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price, Maria Callas and Renée Fleming.


Topics Pop Music (3 credits)
FAM2093-002 Taylor Swift; (online asynchronously) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

Study the music and lyrics of singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift, as we discuss her impact on the past, present, and future of popular music in America.


Topics Pop Music (3 credits)
FAM2093-003 Grateful Dead, (Tuesday/Thursday, 12:3-1:50 p.m., synchronously) 

The Grateful Dead are one of the most long-lived and ever-changing bands of the 20th century.  Throughout their 30-year career, this counter-culture icon created more than just music. The Grateful Dead insistently explored new ways of creating music, culture, and experience. This course will examine the musical landscape, the culture revolution, the unique relationship with their fans, and philosophy the Grateful Dead cultivated through their “Long Strange Trip.”


Topics Pop Music (3 credits)
FAM2093-004 HipHop (Thursday, 6-8:50 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This course is designed to critically evaluate the artistic, social, political, and economic impact of Hip-Hop Culture. Hip Hop Culture, from its inception as a hyper-regional and even intimate form of creative expression, has grown to become an interconnection of art forms with global reach. As an interdisciplinary art and a billion-dollar industry, Hip Hop has experienced a series of conceptions and misconceptions informing its existence. Like many art forms before it, Hip Hop has been commodified and subsequently disconnected from its essence resulting in both broad appeal as well as inauthentic representation. In true Hip Hop fashion, however, this dichotomy has been “remixed” to produce arguably, the most accessible and equitable art form created in the last century, though at a cost. This course will explore the creation, maturation, and complicated trajectory of Hip Hop Culture through the study of the varied conditions; racial, social, technological, political, and economic, that continue to shape the culture. Lectures, readings, coursework, and research will be central to the class challenging students to think critically about the rich complexity of Hip Hop and the artist, industry leaders, cultural icons, “culture vultures” and innovators that have and continue to influence it.


What’s Hot in Popular Music (3 credits) 
FAM2062-001; online, asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This online course examines current popular music in its trending styles and genres. Students will critique selected songs from the weekly "Billboard" charts and various other media resources, including You Tube and digital download statistics, and consider both the hottest artists as well as promising up-and-comers. Students will develop skills for evaluating artistic intent with respect to lyrics, some basic literary techniques, melody, harmony, rhythm, song form, and psychology, and with a look at cutting edge production techniques. Students will identify and compare unique composing and performing styles of today's artists and identify links between the music business and societal trends. Weekly activity will include reading, viewing, and listening to examples online and completing assignments on Canopy. No prerequisite. No textbook.


Advanced Concert Band (1 credit) 
ENSM2077-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 7:30-9:15 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

An ensemble consisting of wind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists that presents musical performances on the UC campus and selected venues. Rehearsals emphasize melodic and rhythmic fundamentals and numerous musical styles at an advanced level.


Bearcat Advanced Jazz Band (1 credit) 
ENSM2075-001; (Monday, 7:30-9:15 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

An ensemble consisting of wind, brass, and rhythm section instrumentalists that presents musical performances on the UC campus and selected venues. Rehearsals emphasize melodic and rhythmic fundamentals, elements of jazz interpretation and improvisation, and numerous jazz styles including swing era, bebop, mainstream, Latin, and jazz/rock fusion.


Bearcat Concert Band (1 credit) 
ENSM2076-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 5:30-7:15 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

An ensemble consisting of wind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists that presents musical performances on the UC campus and selected venues. Rehearsals emphasize melodic and rhythmic fundamentals and numerous musical styles.


Bearcat Jazz Band (1 credit) 
ENSM2074-001; (Monday, 4:40-6:25 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

An ensemble consisting of wind, brass, and rhythm section instrumentalists that presents musical performances on the UC campus and selected venues. Rehearsals emphasize melodic and rhythmic fundamentals, elements of jazz interpretation and improvisation, and numerous jazz styles including swing era, bebop, mainstream, Latin, and jazz/rock fusion.


Bearcat Pep Band (1 credit) 
ENSM2072-001; (dates/times, TBA) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

An ensemble consisting of wind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists that presents pre-game, half-time, and post-game musical performances at all home basketball games and selected away games. Rehearsals emphasize melodic and rhythmic fundamentals and numerous musical styles.


ENSM5161-001 CCM Chamber Choir (0-1 credits) (Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 2:30-3:50 p.m.)

CCM Chamber Choir is a professional level ensemble that offers training in ensemble rehearsal and performance. This professional preparation includes exposure to a diverse body of repertoire, as well as ongoing interaction with notable composers, conductors, and soloists. Chamber Choir performs two, three, or four concerts per semester at both CCM and off campus venues. The ensemble's repertoire spans music of the Renaissance through the 21st century, encompassing standard repertory and recent works, and featuring CCM student soloists. Ensemble participation is by audition only, and is designed to help its members show sensitivity and empathy to their colleagues, while contributing their own interpretive ideas and responding to those of others.


ENSM6061-001 CCM Chamber Choir (0-1 credits) (Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 2:30-3:50 p.m.)

CCM Chamber Choir is a professional level ensemble of primarily graduate students, with some upper-level undergraduates, that offers training in ensemble rehearsal and performance. This professional preparation includes exposure to a diverse body of repertoire, as well as ongoing interaction with notable composers, conductors, and soloists. Chamber Choir performs two, three, or four concerts per semester at both CCM and off-campus venues. The ensemble's repertoire spans music of the Renaissance through the 21st century, encompassing standard repertory and recent works and featuring CCM student soloists. Ensemble participation is by audition only and is designed to help its members show sensitivity and empathy to their colleagues, while contributing their own interpretive ideas and responding to those of others.


ENSM5163-001/ENSM6063-001 (0-1 credits) CCM Chamber Singers (Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 12:20-1:45 p.m.)

CCM Chamber Singers is a choir of undergraduate and graduate students that offers training in ensemble rehearsal, performance, and conducting for graduate MM and DMA choral majors. This preparation includes exposure to a diverse body of repertoire, as well as ongoing interaction with notable composers, conductors, and soloists. Chamber Singers performs four concerts per semester at CCM. The ensemble's repertoire spans music of the Renaissance through 21st century, encompassing standard repertory and recent work, often featuring student soloists. Ensemble participation is by audition only and is designed to help its members show sensitivity and empathy to their colleagues, while contributing their own interpretive ideas and responding to those of others.


ENSM5162-001/ENSM6062-001 CCM Chorale (0-1 credits)
(Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 2:30-3:50 p.m.)

CCM Chorale is a professional level choir of primarily undergraduate students that offers training in ensemble rehearsal and performance. This professional preparation includes exposure to a diverse body of repertoire, as well as ongoing interaction with notable composers, conductors, and soloists. Chorale performs two, three, or four concerts per semester at both CCM and off campus venues. The ensemble's repertoire spans music of the Renaissance through the 21st century, encompassing standard repertory and recent works, and featuring CCM student soloists. Ensemble participation is by audition only, and is designed to help its members show sensitivity and empathy to their colleagues, while contributing their own interpretive ideas and responding to those of others.


Classical Guitar Class (2 credits) 
GTAR5175-001 (U) 
GTAR6075-001 (G) 
All Sections: (Tuesday/Thursday, 12:20-1:15 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

Applied course in basic guitar skills. Emphasis on playing classical and folk styles. Review of current published methods and materials. Open to non-CCM students. Course repeats each semester. Students provide their own nylon string guitars.


Group Piano for Non-music Majors (3 credits) 
PIAN1001-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 10:10-11:05 a.m.) 
PIAN1001-002; (Tuesday/Thursday, 9:05-10 a.m.) 
PIAN1001-003; (online, asynchronously) 
PIAN1001-004; (Tuesday/Thursday, 12:20-1:15 p.m.) 
PIAN1001-005; (Monday/Wednesday, 2:30-3:25 p.m.) 
PIAN1001-006; (Tuesday/Thursday, 2:30-3:25 p.m.) 
PIAN1001-007; (Tuesday/Thursday, 8-8:55 a.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

Designed for those with little or no piano experience; teaches the fundamentals of reading music, playing by ear, using chord charts, and improving finger flexibility.


Jammin’ with Laptops (3 credits)   
FAM2014-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 11 a.m.-12:20 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts           

This course will explore the potentials of laptop computers for music making. Various technical topics, including analog v. digital sound, audio software, effects, gear, MIDI and audio programming languages will be surveyed. In addition, a survey of the history of computer music will be conducted by way of an investigation into seminal readings and recordings. Both of these inquiries will provide participants with the technical and analytical skills to utilize their laptops to creative ends. Participants will also be expected to work in small groups on creative projects.


Jammin’ with Laptops Online (3 credits) 
FAM2023-001; online, asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts                         

In this course, you will play, record, and make music with online instruments. There are three units, and each unit includes a distinctive music making session; Individual Session (Unit 1), Collaborative Session (Unit 2), and Creative Jam Session (Unit 3 In the Unit 1, you will individually study the basic knowledge of music making, including identifying musical instruments, playing online instruments, and recording the music that you played through the exercises. In the Midterm Exam, you will be asked to answer the basic knowledge that you have learned so far. In the Unit 2 and 3, you will form your laptop band with your online classmates to play and record music together. In the Unit 2, you will collaborate with 1~2 classmate(s) to complete the assignment together. In the Unit 3, you will collaborate with 2~4 classmates to create your own band under your instruction to direct your band members, and play for your band member's music under their respective directions. In the Final Exam, you will be asked to answer all the materials that you have learned.


Piano Elective for Graduate Students (1-2 credits) 
PIAN8030-001;(1 credit) TBA 
PIAN8030-002; (2 credit) TBA

Applied weekly lessons. Content (repertoire and technical exercises) determined by professor based on the specific needs of each student.


Piano Elective for Undergraduates (1-2 credits) 
PIAN5030-001; (1 credit) TBA 
PIAN5030-002; (2 credit) TBA

Piano lessons for students who want to study as an elective. By permission only.


Pop Piano for Non-Majors (3 credits) 
PIAN1003-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 11:15-12:10 p.m.) 
PIAN1003-002; (Tuesday/Thursday, 1:25-2:20 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

Students will learn how to play piano parts of popular idiom piano pieces. They will learn how to realize chord “lead” sheets and also listen to music to pick up piano accompaniment styles. Learning to read music is not part of this course, although you will learn to read rhythm charts. Music will be chosen from artists such as Coldplay, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, as well as earlier works by Chicago, Motley Crue and John Lennon. Choices will be made depending on the type of accompaniment style you are learning.


UC Cabaret Singers (0-1 credit) 
ENSM1082-001; (Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 4:40-5:50 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

The UC Men's and Women's Choruses seek to enrich the university experience by providing students a wide range of aesthetic experiences, introducing them to a variety of musical styles, helping them gain appreciation for tonal sounds, and making connections between music and their own personal lives. Members of the UC Men's and Women's Choruses will work toward excellence in performance with other students who share a common interest in choral music. The ensembles regularly perform on campus, locally and on annual national tours. The Cabaret Singers is a select auditioned group drawn out of the Men's and Women's Choruses. The ensemble will explore a wide variety of music designed for a smaller ensemble.


UC Choruses (0-1 credit) 
ENSM1050-001 Treble Voices: Alta Petit (Tuesday/Thursday, 2-3:50 p.m.) 
ENSM1050-002 Tenor/Bas voices: Juncta Juvan (Tuesday/Thursday, 2-3:50 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

The UC Men's and Women's Choruses seek to enrich the university experience by providing students a wide range of aesthetic experiences, introducing them to a variety of musical styles, helping them gain appreciation for tonal sounds, and making connections between music and their own personal lives. Members of the UC Men's and Women's Choruses will work toward excellence in performance with other students who share a common interest in choral music. The ensembles regularly perform on campus, locally and on annual national tours.


UC Symphony Orchestra (0-1 credit) 
ENSM2091-001; (Tuesday, 8-10 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

The UC Symphony Orchestra is specifically for and is designed to provide students with an opportunity to rehearse and perform great orchestral repertoire. Membership in the orchestra is open to instrumentalists who own their own instrument, have a basic technical proficiency, and the ability to read music. Specific seating assignments in the orchestra are determined by informal auditions at the start of each quarter.


Voice Class (1 credit) 
VOIC1075/7075-001; (Thursday, 2-2:55 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

Voice Class is intended to impart the rudiments of classical vocal technique. Topics addressed include breathing for singing, phonation, anatomy of the breathing process, anatomy of the larynx, posture, vowel formation, and characteristics of consonant sounds. The class will culminate in the student performing a song in English.


Vox Antiqua 
MUHS5171-001/ENSM6071-001 (0-1 credits) 
(Sunday, 7:30-9:30 p.m.)

Students learn to play music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and early Baroque using period instruments.


World Music Lab: (0-1credits)  
FAM3085-001; Tabla I; (Wednesday, 6-7:40 p.m.) 
FAM3085-002; Tabla II; (Wednesday, 7:45-9:25 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

Students learn to play music of a given cultural tradition in an ensemble setting using appropriate instruments and/or voice.


Acting for Non-Majors (3 credits) 
FAM1001-001; (Monday/Wednesday, 1-2:20 p.m.) 
FAM1001-002; (Monday/Wednesday, 6-7:20 p.m.) 
FAM1001-003; (Monday/Wednesday, 4-5:20 p.m.) 
FAM1001-004; (Monday/Wednesday, 2:30-3:50 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

An introductory course in the craft of acting designed for University students interested in theatre performance. Students will work on unscripted material in group improvisations and scripted material in the presentation of monologues or scenes. Basic actor vocabulary common to all styles of performance will be taught.


Hamilton: A Musical Theater Revolution (3 credits) 
FAM2075-001; online asynchronously 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, SCE Society, Culture, and Ethics

Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical, "Hamilton," has been credited as revolutionary and a game changer in the history of the American musical since its off-Broadway opening in 2015. This course explores the revolutionary aspect of this musical, covering song and plot conventions of musical theater as they appear in musicals from the 1920s to the present and investigating how Miranda employs, challenges, and transforms them in "Hamilton." We will also consider Hamilton among other "history musicals," its relationship with popular music (especially hip-hop and socio-political issues of race and ethnicity derived from Miranda's choice to offer a multi-racial cast to represent the Founding Fathers. We will thus contextualize Hamilton in musical theater history and investigate what aspects of the musical are conventional and which ones are original.


Introduction to Stage Lighting & Sound (3 credits) 
THPR1020C-001; (Tuesday/Thursday, 9:30-10:50 a.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

In this course, the student will learn hands on skills with lighting and sound equipment, while discovering the ways in which modern technology can be effectively applied as a key production element in drama, musical theatre, opera and dance. Through experiences both practical and theoretical, each student will gain operational skills, and recognize the importance of teamwork and collaboration in creating art and discovering a personal aesthetic.


Stage Lighting Lab & Crew for Non-Majors (1-2 credits) 
THPR1018C-001; (Friday, 10:10-11:05 a.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

Practical production undergraduate crew work in the execution of stage lighting designs for major opera, musical theatre, dance and dramatic productions. Each student will practice their understanding in accomplishing the execution of a realized lighting design project(s). Non-typical work session hours required (evening and weekends) for installation and running crews for productions. May be repeated for credit.


Theatre History for Non-Majors (3 credits) 
DRPF2055-001; (Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 11:15-12:10 p.m.) 
DRPF2055-002; (Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 2:30-3:25 p.m.) 
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts, HP Historical Perspectives

History of Theatre is a chronological look at the rise of Western theatre from ancient times to the Renaissance. The course examines how theatre emerges, its dramatic structure, styles of acting, various visual elements, and different production techniques. The course also explores how theatre artisans built upon the experiences of one another, introduces key figures from theatre history and shows how theatre continues to influence us today.


Musical Theatre Topics: Broadway Favorites 
FAM2091-001; online asynchronously  
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts

This course explores the genre of musical theatre with a special emphasis on the top grossing, most popular Broadway musicals from the past 40 years. We will trace the genre’s history through these iconic musicals, all while examining the popular trends surrounding their creation. This course will go in depth into the musical and theoretical concepts of the genre. Through discussion, we will consider the impact Broadway’s musicals have had on society and Broadway’s leadership in socio and political America. Musicals we may study include: LES MISERABLES, WICKED, HAMILTON, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, MAMMA MIA, WAITRESS, RENT, SPRING AWAKENING, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, KINKY BOOTS, IN THE HEIGHTS, SWEENEY TODD, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, and THE LAST FIVE YEARS.


Registration Details

UC students can register online by logging on to their Catalyst account at catalyst.uc.edu.

Non-UC students can begin the registration process by visiting uc.edu/pathways/nonmatric.

For information on course fees please refer to uc.edu/about/financial-aid.


News and Events

1

UC students: Enroll now for CCM's spring 2024 arts electives

October 24, 2023

UC’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) offers dozens of different general studies and arts elective courses in spring 2024. These credit-granting courses are open to all UC students and cover a wide range of topics including dance, movies and media, music and theatre arts!

2

See a concert or show at CCM: Fall schedule of major events now...

August 15, 2023

Experience world-class performances by the next generation of performing and media artists at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)! The college’s fall 2023 schedule of ticketed events is now available; tickets are on sale beginning 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15 through the CCM Box Office website.

3

UC students: Enroll now for CCM's fall 2023 arts electives

May 22, 2023

UC’s College-Conservatory of Music offers dozens of different general studies and arts elective courses in fall 2023. These credit-granting courses are open to all UC students and cover a wide range of topics including dance, movies and media, music and theatre arts!

Load More
Debug Query for this