Jazz & Popular Music Theory

Catalog description

This course examines the theoretical foundations of jazz and popular music, focusing on advanced harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic concepts. Key topics include extended harmony, chord-scale relationships, chord substitution, reharmonization, melodic embellishment, counterpoint, voice leading, meter, rhythm, and syncopation. Students will explore these concepts within standard 12-bar blues forms, 32-bar song forms, and modern pop song arrangements. Through aural analysis, ear training, transcription, and model composition exercises, students will deepen their understanding of chord progressions, melodic development, and song structure, with special emphasis on interpreting and writing chord symbols and lead-sheet notation. The course also examines the historical and social impact of influential jazz and popular music composers and performers, highlighting how these artists shaped the evolution of music. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze a wide range of repertoires and create original compositions that demonstrate a deeper understanding of jazz and popular music theory.