Course Number:

Credit Hours:

4

Course Title:

Music ELMO: Magic, Mystery, and Secrets of Sound and Music

Course Description:

Designed to integrate concepts and methods of science into the music curriculum. Subjects from across the spectrum of the sciences and technology with particular relevance to the music disciplines are used to build quantitative and critical thinking skills and a knowledge base in science and technology. A sense of the magic and mystery of science is reinforced by dramatic demonstrations and hands-on activities. Some topics relevant to music majors include the properties of gases and their effects on sound; the wave nature of sound; the relationship of frequency to pitch and timbre; the science of a musical instrument; sound and pitch perception; the genetics of musical ability; musical illusions and the brain; the science of musical synthesis; electronics and musical reproduction; the biology of vocal production; the evolution of bird song; and acoustic properties of materials and rooms.