Department of Music Offers New Coursework in Music Industry Studies

In a continued effort to diversify offerings, the Department of Music in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences announces new classes in music industry studies for spring 2021.

All students interested in these courses are welcome to enroll, regardless of major.

Three of these courses are designed and for online learning, making them ideal for any student on and off campus to engage in music studies. An "Artist Development" course was designed for face-to-face learning, but due to on-going safety concerns related to COVID-19 will be offered remotely.

For more information on the classes, please contact professor Jake Hertzog, Jazz Area coordinator in the Department of Music.

Spring 2021 Music Industry Courses

Composing Film & Television: MUPD 477V-902 (12400) 3 credits
Professor Lendell Black

The purpose of this course is to help composers develop the tools needed to create original music for visual media. The course focuses on the aesthetics, procedures, and technical aspects of scoring for film and television. Students will learn to write in various styles common to Hollywood, including comedy, drama, action, and fantasy-heroic. Recommended: Previously have taken MUTH 3613 or MUTH 3723.

Prerequisites: MUAC 2112 Music Technology and MUTH 2603 Music Theory II or instructor consent.

IP & Legal Aspects Music Industry: MUPD 477V-901 (12399) 3 credits
Professor Bruce Phillips

This survey course examines copyright law, trademark law, rights of publicity, and other legal principles that form the foundation of the entertainment industry in the United States, and to a lesser extent, the world.  

By the end of the course, you will be able to: 

1. Explain the basics of U.S. copyright and trademark law 
2. Explain the works eligible for copyright protection, the nature and limitations of that protection and the formalities for maximizing that protection 
3. Develop a basic understanding of how to read court opinions and statutes 
4. Explain trademark law, how rights in trademarks arise, and how to register trademarks at the state and federal level 
5. Read and explain various types of agreements prevalent in the entertainment industry, e.g. recording contracts, production/producer deals, management, publishing and/or licensing agreements 
6. Explain certain basic terminology commonly used in entertainment industry contracts 
7. Calculate royalties based upon the language used in a contract 
8. Describe the laws, rules, customs and practices of contract law as it pertains to the current entertainment industry

Apply all of the foregoing, specifically to the issues critical to music and the recording industry 

Contemporary Commercial Songwriting: MUTH 477V:901, 1 credit
Professor Jake Hertzog with special guest Kenny Lamb

This hands-on class will be taught by U of A music faculty member Jake Hertzog and multi-platinum selling professional songwriter Kenny Lamb. In the course students will learn to compose songs in contemporary styles while learning to assess technical elements of song: lyrics, melody, form, production, and style. Students will understand various methods of demo creation for songwriters and develop understanding of the processes by which songs are marketed to various music industry agents.

Artist Development: MUPD 477V-016/577V-004, 3 credits
Professor Jake Hertzog

Tuesdays 1-3 p.m. — Synchronously via Microsoft Teams; Additional asynchronous assignments included. 

This course represents the academic and applied component of the artist development side of the music department's student-run label services project. Students will work on actual project cycles involving selecting artists, recording and producing music, organizing music releases and media campaigns, creating online promotional strategies, and mapping the development of musical artist's careers. Through these applied experiences students will gain hands on intimate knowledge of the of the artist development in music industry. This course will frequently involve special guest instructors and also target tangential areas of the entertainment business: Graphics and visuals, artist management, A&R functions, social media and branding.