Current Courses

The course examines the basic elements of music (notation, intervals, keys, scales, chords, meter) from a practical, hands-on perspective and introduces music theory and performance. Assignments include recognizing notes and rhythms on the staff, singing, and playing instruments. Please note that previous music experience is welcome but not required for this course. Note: Students who take FNAR 1023 cannot receive credit for FNAR 1743.

This course is an in-depth exploration of voice technique. During the course, students will do exercises to develop their breathing, phonation, resonance, and articulation skills. Students will also examine the physiology of the voice and expand their awareness of how the voice works, vocal problems, and vocal care and health. In addition, students will perform songs from popular music styles such as musical theatre, rock, pop, and gospel for a public audience. All levels welcome. Prerequisites: FNAR 1023 or FNAR 1743.

This course is a practical introduction to concepts, basic materials, processes and the vocabulary of art and design delivered through slide lectures, readings and assigned projects. The concepts introduced in this course are applicable to a wide range of art and design practices. There are special presentations including visiting artist presentations, film screenings and trips to art galleries.

A practical course in the fundamentals of two-dimensional art practice with an emphasis on outdoor drawing and sketching. Students are introduced to a variety of drawing media including the use of pencil, charcoal, and ink. Landscape, figure and non-representational drawing practice are addressed. No prior experience is necessary. Prerequisite: FNAR 1113.

Introduction to Musical Theatre is a primer for students who are curious about performing musical theatre and would like the opportunity to enhance their skills in a supportive environment. This course introduces students to the three core skills required of musical theatre performers: singing, acting, and dancing. The course stresses development through individual and group exercises in physical and emotional awareness, movement, scene study, character creation and voice technique. The class will culminate in a studio performance of standard pieces of the musical theatre repertoire. Co-requisite: FNAR 1743: Music Literacy for Actors and Dancers.

Music Literacy for Actors and Dancers is a course for the performer who has not yet developed a connection between his or her musical experience and standard aspects of musical performance, with a special focus on the acquisition of fluency reading the notated score and the development of effective study and practice habits. Music materials used in class or assigned for homework will be spoken, clapped, sung, and played. Co-requisite: FNAR 1733 Intro to Musical Theatre. Note: Students who take FNAR 1743 cannot receive credit for FNAR 1023.

Tonal Music I is a hands-on study of the grammar of tonal music, with a particular focus on harmony and counterpoint. Assignments include harmonic exercises in choral and keyboard styles, species counterpoint, and frequent analyses of works from the music literature. Students are required to sing and/or play their assignments in class. Prerequisites: FNAR 1023, FNAR 1743, or permission by the instructor.

This course is an in-depth exploration of voice technique. During the course, students will do exercises to develop their breathing, phonation, resonance, and articulation skills. Students will also examine the physiology of the voice and expand their awareness of how the voice works, vocal problems, and vocal care and health. In addition, students will perform songs from popular music styles such as musical theatre, rock, pop, and gospel for a public audience. Prerequisites: FNAR 1061.

In this course, students research, rehearse and perform a musical. To this end, students will learn how to prepare for a role; engage in a rehearsal process; implement acting, singing, and dancing techniques in performance; assist with technical elements; and demonstrate professionalism in their work. The course culminates in a fully-staged production of a musical for a public audience. Musical Theatre I is a year-ong course to be taken with Acting, Singing, Dancing I. First-year students welcome. Prerequisites: Instructor's consent. Co-requisites: FNAR 2153 (Acting, Singing, Dancing I).

This course investigates some of the concepts, issues and developments crucial to understanding painting and its place in the arts. Notions of form, illusion, beauty, representation and abstraction are explored through slide lectures, readings, writing and assigned studio projects. Prerequisite: FNAR 1113.

Students with a creative or scholarly interest in a particular area of Fine Arts may pursue a 3-credit hour independent Special Projects course. Such a course may be focused on music performance, composition, or theory; or photography, drawing, painting, or mixed media. Permission of the instructor is required.

Performance Foundations provides students with an academic and practical exploration of the fundamental theories, practices and elements of performance viewed through the lens of the mind, the body and the breath. Students will explore these fundamentals through the study and practical examination of current performance practices, analysis of text and the presentation of a performance.

This class, which can be taken sequentially for up to six semesters, is an in-depth exploration of chamber music. Students perform, arrange, and/or compose music, and develop an intimate analytical and stylistic knowledge of the repertoire. The music is selected from different time periods and musical styles, or composed and adapted to the skills of the individual students. Assignments include reading and rehearsing scores, creating ad-hoc arrangements to adapt the music to the available instruments, composing new pieces, and researching analytical and historical aspects of the music and composers studied. The course concludes with a public concert of chamber music. Prerequisites: FNAR-1023 OR FNAR-1743 or permission from the instructor.

This course teaches students the basics of acting for film and TV. Topics will include adjusting acting for shot size, hitting marks, matching eyelines, and maintaining continuity. Students will also practice the core concepts of scene study, including breaking a scene into beats, pursuing objectives, playing actions, and working to overcome obstacles. The course culminates in a screening of scenes for a public audience.

This course is an in-depth exploration of voice technique. During the course, students will do exercises to develop their breathing, phonation, resonance, and articulation skills. Students will also examine the physiology of the voice and expand their awareness of how the voice works, vocal problems, and vocal care and health. In addition, students will perform songs from popular music styles such as musical theatre, rock, pop, and gospel for a public audience. Prerequisites: FNAR 2061.

In association with our six field trip locations, participants create artwork informed by existing field based, social, or relational art practices; merging media such as drawing, performance, printmaking, music, dance, and sculpture with a place, to develop artwork. A transition from a classroom-based instruction into an ecological environment, it is a method of experiential learning. Using social dislocation engendered by pandemic isolation as an entry point for thinking through the parameters of art, we will venture into wild and semi-wild places to create art and consider how people relate to each other through art that has an ecological grounding.

In association with our six field trip locations, participants create artwork informed by existing field based, social, or relational art practices; merging media such as drawing, performance, printmaking, music, dance, and sculpture with a place, to develop artwork. A transition from a classroom-based instruction into an ecological environment, it is a method of experiential learning. Using social dislocation engendered by pandemic isolation as an entry point for thinking through the parameters of art, we will venture into wild and semi-wild places to create art and consider how people relate to each other through art that has an ecological grounding.

This class, which can be taken sequentially for up to six semesters, is an in-depth exploration of chamber music. Students perform, arrange, and/or compose music, and develop an intimate analytical and stylistic knowledge of the repertoire. The music is selected from different time periods and musical styles, or composed and adapted to the skills of the individual students. Assignments include reading and rehearsing scores, creating ad-hoc arrangements to adapt the music to the available instruments, composing new pieces, and researching analytical and historical aspects of the music and composers studied. The course concludes with a public concert of chamber music. Prerequisites: FNAR-1051 and FNAR-1023, or permission from the instructor.

This class, which can be taken sequentially for up to six semesters, is an in-depth exploration of chamber music. Students perform, arrange, and/or compose music, and develop an intimate analytical and stylistic knowledge of the repertoire. The music is selected from different time periods and musical styles, or composed and adapted to the skills of the individual students. Assignments include reading and rehearsing scores, creating ad-hoc arrangements to adapt the music to the available instruments, composing new pieces, and researching analytical and historical aspects of the music and composers studied. The course concludes with a public concert of chamber music. Prerequisites: FNAR-1051 and FNAR-1023, or permission from the instructor.

This course is an in-depth exploration of voice technique. During the course, students will do exercises to develop their breathing, phonation, resonance, and articulation skills. Students will also examine the physiology of the voice and expand their awareness of how the voice works, vocal problems, and vocal care and health. In addition, students will perform songs from popular music styles such as musical theatre, rock, pop, and gospel for a public audience. All levels welcome. Prerequisites: FNAR 1023 or FNAR 1743.

A practical course in the fundamentals of two-dimensional art practice with an emphasis on outdoor drawing and sketching in various media. Pre-requisite: FNAR 1333, Drawing and Sketching I or FNAR 1113, Practical Introduction to Art Fundamentals.

Introduction to Musical Theatre is a primer for students who are curious about performing musical theatre and would like the opportunity to enhance their skills in a supportive environment. This course introduces students to the three core skills required of musical theatre performers: singing, acting, and dancing. The course stresses development through individual and group exercises in physical and emotional awareness, movement, scene study, character creation and voice technique. The class will culminate in a studio performance of standard pieces of the musical theatre repertoire. Co-requisite: FNAR 1743: Music Literacy for Actors and Dancers.

Music Literacy for Actors and Dancers is a course for the performer who has not yet developed a connection between his or her musical experience and standard aspects of musical performance, with a special focus on the acquisition of fluency reading the notated score and the development of effective study and practice habits. Music materials used in class or assigned for homework will be spoken, clapped, sung, and played. Co-requisite: FNAR 1733 Intro to Musical Theatre. Note: Students who take FNAR 1743 cannot receive credit for FNAR 1023.

Piano Master Class meets three hours a week to explore issues of piano technique and interpretation. Students are required to actively participate by regularly performing for the group and by developing and refining collaborative performance projects outside of class time. The course earns one credit per semester. A course fee may be required, and enrolment is limited to 18 participants. A series of sequential courses follow this course.

This course is an in-depth exploration of voice technique. During the course, students will do exercises to develop their breathing, phonation, resonance, and articulation skills. Students will also examine the physiology of the voice and expand their awareness of how the voice works, vocal problems, and vocal care and health. In addition, students will perform songs from popular music styles such as musical theatre, rock, pop, and gospel for a public audience. Prerequisites: FNAR 1061.

Offered in the Spring, Music: Harmony and Counterpoint II is the continuation of Music: Harmony and Counterpoint I. These two courses, which should be taken back-to-back, comprise a year-long, hands-on study of the grammar of tonal music, with a particular focus on harmony and counterpoint. Assignments include exercises in four-voice harmony in choral and keyboard styles, exercises in two- and three-voice species counterpoint, the composition of original pieces for small chamber combinations, as well as frequent formal analyses of standard masterpieces from the literature. Students are required to sing and/or play their assignments in class. Prerequisite: FNAR 2053 with a grade of B or better, or permission by the instructor. Recommended co-requisite: FNAR 1041.

In this course, students research, rehearse and perform a musical. To this end, students will learn how to prepare for a role; engage in a rehearsal process; implement acting, singing, and dancing techniques in performance; assist with technical elements; and demonstrate professionalism in their work. The course culminates in a fully-staged production of a musical for a public audience. Musical Theatre I is a year-ong course to be taken with Acting, Singing, Dancing I. First-year students welcome. Prerequisites: Instructor's consent. Co-requisites: FNAR 2153 (Acting, Singing, Dancing I).

Students with a creative or scholarly interest in a particular area of Fine Arts may pursue a 3-credit hour independent Special Projects course. Such a course may be focused on music performance, composition, or theory; or photography, drawing, painting, or mixed media. Permission of the instructor is required.

This class, which can be taken sequentially for up to six semesters, is an in-depth exploration of chamber music. Students perform, arrange, and/or compose music, and develop an intimate analytical and stylistic knowledge of the repertoire. The music is selected from different time periods and musical styles, or composed and adapted to the skills of the individual students. Assignments include reading and rehearsing scores, creating ad-hoc arrangements to adapt the music to the available instruments, composing new pieces, and researching analytical and historical aspects of the music and composers studied. The course concludes with a public concert of chamber music. Prerequisites: FNAR-1023 OR FNAR-1743 or permission from the instructor.

This class, which can be taken sequentially for up to six semesters, is an in-depth exploration of chamber music. Students perform, arrange, and/or compose music, and develop an intimate analytical and stylistic knowledge of the repertoire. The music is selected from different time periods and musical styles, or composed and adapted to the skills of the individual students. Assignments include reading and rehearsing scores, creating ad-hoc arrangements to adapt the music to the available instruments, composing new pieces, and researching analytical and historical aspects of the music and composers studied. The course concludes with a public concert of chamber music. Prerequisites: FNAR-1023 or FNAR-1743 or permission from the instructor.

This course is an in-depth exploration of voice technique. During the course, students will do exercises to develop their breathing, phonation, resonance, and articulation skills. Students will also examine the physiology of the voice and expand their awareness of how the voice works, vocal problems, and vocal care and health. In addition, students will perform songs from popular music styles such as musical theatre, rock, pop, and gospel for a public audience. Prerequisites: FNAR 2061.

This course explores creative bookbinding. Building on strengths from creative writing, journalism, printmaking and photography, this course focuses on how to build books. Part One: Participants experiment and create their own content using resources such as a darkroom and printmaking equipment. Creative approaches include digitally created or manipulated images, photosensitized materials, silkscreen, and lino-cut prints. Part Two: Once participants have selected their method, they bind their content into a handmade book.

Spanning the past five decades, the course examines current art and the critical theory driving it. Art is now driven by biennales and art fairs which have created primary methods for its dispersal. This has generated a scenario where power, capital, and controversy have all become aspects of art's consumption. Expensive art is being used for investment and stored in Freezones that are tax shelters for luxury goods. Finally, AI will have irreversible repercussions on the future of art. Pre-requisite: FNAR 1113 or permission of the instructor.

This class, which can be taken sequentially for up to six semesters, is an in-depth exploration of chamber music. Students perform, arrange, and/or compose music, and develop an intimate analytical and stylistic knowledge of the repertoire. The music is selected from different time periods and musical styles, or composed and adapted to the skills of the individual students. Assignments include reading and rehearsing scores, creating ad-hoc arrangements to adapt the music to the available instruments, composing new pieces, and researching analytical and historical aspects of the music and composers studied. The course concludes with a public concert of chamber music. Prerequisites: FNAR-1051 and FNAR-1023, or permission from the instructor.

Sp.Top:Fund. of Theatre

This class, which can be taken sequentially for up to six semesters, is an in-depth exploration of chamber music. Students perform, arrange, and/or compose music, and develop an intimate analytical and stylistic knowledge of the repertoire. The music is selected from different time periods and musical styles, or composed and adapted to the skills of the individual students. Assignments include reading and rehearsing scores, creating ad-hoc arrangements to adapt the music to the available instruments, composing new pieces, and researching analytical and historical aspects of the music and composers studied. The course concludes with a public concert of chamber music. Prerequisites: FNAR-1051 and FNAR-1023, or permission from the instructor.