ESP Biography

Every composer needs to start somewhere! In this class, we'll follow in the footsteps of some of the greats by learning the rules of harmony and counterpoint. We'll work through a few examples as a class, and then students will have the chance to begin their own original compositions.

When most people hear the phrase "particle physics," they immediately think of huge colliders like the LHC. However, accelerators and the search for the Higgs boson are not the full story! This class will cover the other side of particle physics: the astounding numbers of particles that pass by the earth every day, how physicists are trying to detect them, and what they can tell us about the nature of the universe.

Every composer needs to start somewhere! This class will cover the basics of harmony and counterpoint needed to harmonize a melody or realize a figured baseline. The class will work through several examples together, and then students will have the opportunity to begin their own short compositions.

How do composers structure music without using conventional tonality? Find out in this class! We'll cover the basic of pitch-class set theory and the twelve-tone technique, and students will have the opportunity to write simple atonal compositions.

Gustav Holst's suite The Planets is one of the best known and most beloved pieces in the modern orchestral repertoire, but it is rarely explored in detail. In this class, you'll get the chance! We will discuss the musical and astrological inspirations for the work, and relate the music to modern-day astronomy of our solar system.