Music
20 courses · San Diego City College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026 · Spring 2027
MUSI 044 Supervised Tutoring in Music
- Units
- 0
This course is designed to prepare the student to succeed in the corequisite and subsequent subject matter courses. This course may be taken four times with a different corequisite subject matter course.
MUSI 100 Introduction to Music
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
This course is designed to develop aural and analytical musical skills. Emphasis is placed on conceptual, contextual, and stylistic elements of music from various periods and cultures, and encompassing a range of genres and styles. This course is designed to support students in all majors who are interested in satisfying the general education requirements for Arts and Humanities.
MUSI 103 History of Rock Music
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
This course surveys the origins and development of Rock music from the 1940s to the present including its roots and related genres. The course focuses on the evolution of different styles within the Rock genre as well as the social, political, economic, and cultural contexts of Rock music. This course is intended for all students interested in the history of Rock music.
MUSI 108 The Business of Music
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
- Advisory
- Completion of or concurrent enrollment in: ENGL C1000 with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
This course is a comprehensive survey of the music business. Course content emphasizes the various areas of the music business, the functions of each area and the relationships between the areas. Topics include songwriting; music publishing; copyrighting; music licensing; unions and guilds; agents and managers; artists and management; the record industry; artists' recording contracts; studios and engineers; and music in radio, television and advertising. This course is intended for students majoring in music or anyone interested in the music industry.
MUSI 109 World Music
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
This music survey course explores the music cultures of South Asia; East Asia; Southeast Asia; the Middle East; Africa; the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific. Musical practices and perspectives from several music cultures are studied with an emphasis on understanding and appreciation from non-ethnocentric viewpoints. Listening perception is developed through lectures and multimedia presentations. This course is intended for students majoring in music or anyone interested in music and culture.
MUSI 110 Music for Elementary School Teachers
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 40 - 45 hours lecture/24-27 hours lab
This course prepares students to teach music as part of the curriculum in the elementary school classroom, the preschool, or day-care program. Students develop an understanding of musical concepts primarily by singing and playing an instrument, and practice using lesson plans for teaching these concepts to children.
MUSI 111 Jazz History
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
This course is a survey of the history and development of Jazz in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the origins of Jazz, the variety of styles that developed throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, current trends, and outstanding performers and composers. This course is intended for all students interested in the history of Jazz.
MUSI 124A Piano Class I
- Units
- 1
- Hours
- 48-54 hours lab
This course explores the process of making music at the piano. The focus of the course is to provide a musical experience for students to continue a life-long pursuit of self-expression. This course also emphasizes developing fundamental techniques needed to play the piano. The concept of music theory is also included. Students learn piano techniques and applicable music theory by playing music on the piano though simple solo and ensemble pieces. This course is designed for all students interested in learning to play the piano.
MUSI 124B Piano Class II
- Units
- 1
- Hours
- 48-54 hours lab
- Prerequisite
- MUSI 124A with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
This course further explores the process of making music at the piano as the second semester of piano studies. Students learn piano techniques and applicable music theory by playing music on the piano with additional sight-reading and intermediate piano solo and ensemble music. The course is designed for all students who are interested in further expanding piano studies.
MUSI 126 Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
- Advisory
- BLAS 120 with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
This course is a musical history of Rap Music and Hip Hop culture covering the origins of Rap Music and its relationship to the African American historical continuum in music, defining the genre and its sub-genres, and covering the significance of iconic artists & recordings. This course also covers the impact of Rap Music in other genre such as Rock, Jazz, Country & Classical Music composers and its influence in a variety of international cultural contexts & musics. This course is open to all students interested in the history & appreciation of Rap Music.
MUSI 134A Voice Class I
- Units
- 1
- Hours
- 48-54 hours lab
This course is an opportunity to explore your singing voice. To become a more expressive singer, a variety of songs are used for developing the range, volume, and tone color of your solo voice. A goal of the course is to provide a musical experience that inspires students to continue singing as a source of self-expression and growth.
MUSI 137 Singing Plus
- Units
- 2
- Hours
- 24 - 27 hours lecture/24-27 hours lab
This course is an introduction to singing in ensembles. Emphasis is placed on developing basic vocal, aural and music-reading skills. Students rehearse and perform solo as well as in concert with others. This course is intended for both music and non-music majors.
MUSI 148A Music Theory I
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- MUSI 150A with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
- Advisory
- Concurrent enrollment in: MUSI 268A
This course is a study of music, including structural, historical and stylistic analysis of music of Western classical music, World music, jazz, and popular music. The class will discuss the cultural, social and technical significance of the musical literature, examining rhythms, intervals, chords, cadences, melodies, phrases, notes and scales. Students will develop four-part writing skills using diatonic triads and seventh chords, and learn how to read and compose with figured bass, lead sheet chord symbols and standard musical notation. The history of notation and practice will be discussed as students develop skills in notation software and handwritten notation. This course is intended for music majors.
MUSI 148B Music Theory II
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- MUSI 148A with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
- Advisory
- Concurrent enrollment in: MUSI 268B
This course series continues in its study of diatonic music including the structural, historical and stylistic analysis of music of Western classical music, World music, jazz, and popular music. The class will discuss the cultural, social and technical significance of the musical literature, examining how melody, structure, harmony, and chord progressions, have an impact on the listener. The course will include analysis of Baroque and Classical pieces of music and an examination of large-scale events and form. The course will also include identifying, creating, and composing with the modes of the major scale. Students will continue to develop four-part writing skills using triads and seventh chords, non-harmonic tones, suspensions, retardations, figured bass, 6/4 chords, modulations and tonicizations. The history of notation and practice will be discussed as students develop skills in notation software and handwritten notation. This course is intended for music majors.
MUSI 150A Basic Musicianship
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
This course is the study and practice of musical literacy. Emphasis is placed on the development of perceptions in sight and sound as related to the symbols of rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic notation. Topics include skill development in notating notes, intervals, scales, key signatures, rhythms, and chords. Students also identify terms used to indicate navigation, tempo, and dynamics. This course is designed for music majors and musicians.
MUSI 190 Introduction to Music Technology
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
- Advisory
- Completion of or concurrent enrollment in: MUSI 150A with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
This course is a study of music/audio as it applies to computer music/audio applications, sequencing Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), hard disk recording, and recording. Students design and create music/audio projects using microphones, recorders, mixing boards, synthesizers, and samplers. This course is designed for all students interested in music and audio technology.
MUSI 202 Computer Music
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 48 - 54 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- MUSI 190 with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
This course is a study of the application of contemporary digital technology to the practice of music / audio applications. Emphasis in this course is on acquisition of computer skills to access and manipulate musical data via MIDI (musical instrument digital interface), hard disk audio files and other digital formats. These skills allow students to digitally sample sounds, control synthesizers and samplers, access and alter audio files, sequence music, transcribe and print musical scores and conceive new techniques for computer music. This course is designed for students who are interested in continuing their education in the recording studio.
MUSI 268A Ear Training I
- Units
- 1
- Hours
- 48-54 hours lab
- Prerequisite
- MUSI 150A with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
- Advisory
- MUSI 148A with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
The course is designed to facilitate perception, performance, and identification of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic patterns in music. This course consists of sight singing scales, melodies & rhythms, notating melodies, harmonies & rhythms, and identifying chords & intervals. The emphasis is on the development of basic skills in sight singing and dictation: the sight singing and notating of short diatonic melodies containing seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths & octaves, the identification of major, minor, augmented & diminished triads in root position, harmonic dictation of primary triads in major keys, and rhythmic dictation with duple, triple & quadruple subdivisions of the beat. This course is designed for the music majors and students interested in enhancing technical knowledge and skills in music.
MUSI 268B Ear Training II
- Units
- 1
- Hours
- 48-54 hours lab
- Prerequisite
- MUSI 268A with a Grade of "C" or better, or equivalent
This course is the second of a sequence in ear training. Emphasis is placed on continued development of skill in sight singing major and minor melodies which contain seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths, octaves and the tritone; melodic dictation containing triadic arpeggiations; harmonic identification of all diatonic triads in root position and inversions and in major and minor keys; rhythmic dictation with duple, triple, and quadruple subdivisions of the beat in simple and compound meters; notation of two-part and four-part dictation; and identification of errors in melodic phrases. This course is designed for the student pursuing music as a major or for the student interested in enhancing technical knowledge and skills.
MUSI 290 Independent Study
- Units
- 1-3
- Hours
- 48-162 hours other
This course affords students the opportunity to pursue special interests in music. Projects may include extended research on music subjects addressed in scheduled music classes as well as topics outside the music curriculum. The culmination of the course may include a written paper, presentation or performance. An Independent Study has to be arranged with, approved and monitored by a member of the music faculty.