Collaborative Piano majors typically take the following courses in the fall semester of their first year:
First-Year Experience Learning Community Courses
We will register you in these courses.
- Philosophy (PHIL 201)
- English Composition (ENG 101) OR Theology (TRS 201)
Why am I taking these classes? Honors students take equivalent honors courses.
Major Courses
You will need to choose and register for these courses.
- MUS 121, Ear Training 1 (see below for placement)
- MUS 123, Harmony 1 (see below for placement)
- MUPI 420, Private Piano Instruction
- MUS 153/154, Piano Ensemble; or MUS 155/156, Sight-Reading
- MUS 470b, Choir; MUS 480b, Wind Ensemble; or MUS 480, Orchestra
Music Theory Placement
Harmony and Ear Training require you to take the Theory Evaluation Test to determine what level you should take.
- Open up any web browser, and go to the university Blackboard site.
- Click “user login”, located on the left portion of your screen and log in using your CUA username and password (the same as your Catholic University email).
- On the right side of the screen, you should see a list of “My Courses”.
- Click on “Theory Evaluation Test”. You will be taken directly to the Assignments page, where you will see a link to the TET and instructions. Please note that the link you should click on will be the title Theory Evaluation Test, in red. Please read the instructions below this link before proceeding further.
About Your First Semester Courses
Studying Collaborative Piano at Catholic University will allow you to develop technically and artistically while also improving your ability to think critically, write and speak eloquently, and solve problems creatively.
Rigorous musical training is accomplished within a broader liberal arts curriculum. Courses in theology, philosophy, literature, and English composition round out your musical education. As you develop as a performer, you'll also study great works of literature, theology, and philosophy, allowing you to experience beauty in other forms, refine your critical faculties, and develop the cultural knowledge necessary for a practicing musician and a thoughtful human being.
Most of your music classes progress sequentially. It's important, therefore, to get and stay on track. Courses you take this semester will lay the foundation for much of the work you will do here.
In addition to your LCs, you will take the following courses:
Music Theory: All music majors are placed into the appropriate level of harmony and ear training based on the online theory evaluation test. Any student who does not pass into Harmony 1 or Ear Training level 1 will not take any music theory in their first semester. Instead, they will take Fundamentals of Music (MUS 101) in the Spring of their first year and start on the Theory level 1 track in their sophomore year.
Major Courses: Your study of collaborative piano begins with Piano Ensemble (MUS 153 or 154) or Piano Sight-reading (MUS 155 or 156). Which course you take depends on which is being offered this coming fall, so consult with your advisor.
Private Instruction: You will take private lessons (MUPI) on piano. Although all lessons for piano majors have the course code MUPI 420, MUPI sections are specific to the instrument/instructor, so students need to contact the music office for the correct section assignment.
Performing Ensemble: Depending on your primary instrument, you will take either Choir, MUS 470b; Wind Ensemble, MUS 480b; or Orchestra, MUS 480. Piano majors typically take Choir.
To learn more about the Collaborative Piano major, consult the Piano Department’s website.
Know which courses you want? Get registered.