Intro to Music
I am instructor-of-record of this course that I designed myself. This class consisted of 20–30 undergraduate students at Mount Saint Mary College and utilized Resonances: Engaging Music in its Cultural Context, Esther Morgan-Ellis’s open-access textbook. This course is an examination of musical traditions from around the globe. Built around the notion of how music is not a universal language, this course introduces students to how human beings use music for a variety of purposes, including storytelling, entertainment, and political expression.
Music in Movies
I was instructor-of-record of this course that I designed myself. This class consisted of 21 undergraduate students at Mount Saint Mary College. This course is an examination of film music. Partially chronological, this course will also view film music in terms of generic constructs and focus on honing students’ listening and critical thinking skills. As an upper-level course, we will be reading film music scholarship, applying that scholarship while watching films, and developing writing about what we hear and see in the form of scene analyses.
Beyond Glee: The Post-Millennial Television Musical Series
I was instructor-of-record of this online course that I designed myself. This class consisted of 5 graduate music students at Wichita State University. Per the syllabus: “The past two decades have seen an increase in the number of television series that incorporate musical numbers into their episodes. Shows such as Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Schmigadoon! are television musical series—each episode contains characters singing, and the songs continue the plot without slowing down or stopping the narrative. Songs may be newly composed or were already in existence and have been arranged for the series. Non-musical television programs, such as The Magicians, Riverdale, and Grey’s Anatomy include musical episodes—special one-off (or yearly) episodes containing musical numbers that may or may not hinder the season’s over-arching storyline. Why the television musical now? How did the television musical come to be? What is the future of the television musical? Through weekly discussions, readings, and viewings, culminating in final conference-style presentations, students will explore potential answers to these questions and consider the musical, serial, and production aspects of a genre that is in the process of becoming.”
History of Musical Theatre
I was instructor-of-record of this course that I designed myself. This class consisted of 30 undergraduate majors at Syracuse University and was designed specifically with non-music majors in mind. This course covered musical theatre history in the United States and was loosely organized chronologically, with each week focusing on a type or format of consumption of musical theatre.
Music of Science Fiction and Fantasy
I was instructor-of-record of this course that I designed myself. This class consisted of 30 undergraduate majors at Syracuse University and was designed with non-music majors in mind. This course covered how science fiction and fantasy film and television shows have been scored, analyzing scores by composers ranging from Howard Shore and John Williams to Bear McCreary and The Newton Brothers.
Music Videos
I was instructor-of-record of this course that I re-designed from an existing syllabus at Syracuse University. Per the syllabus: “This course considers music videos from the 1980s to today from a variety of perspectives. We will look at pioneering academic studies of MTV, as well as content analysis studies focused on the controversial sexual and violent content of music videos. We will consider ways of describing and analyzing music videos, ranging from musical aesthetics and depictions of place and space to representations of gender and identity. Lastly, we will examine music videos in the age of YouTube, and the explosion of innovative user-generated media, memes and viral videos that have changed our very conception of what constitutes the contemporary music video.”
Music and Media
I was instructor-of-record of this course that I re-designed from an existing syllabus at Syracuse University. Per the syllabus: ““Music and Media” explores the presence of music in such media as television, film, internet, recordings, and print culture, with a specifically contemporary focus. Students will investigate how music functions in relation to its media dissemination, as well as the ethical and social issues that arise through these various relationships. As we will see, music, as we encounter it in advertising, movies, recordings, criticism, and YouTube videos, and in both public and private spaces has a powerful effect on society and our understanding of the intersections between music, race, class, gender, and identity.”
Graduate Research and Writing
I was the sole teaching assistant to two sections of Graduate Research and Writing (GRW). This class consisted of around 45 PhD and DMA students across the two sections. This course was designed specifically for students who are starting to embark on large research projects, such as dissertations, DMA documents, or lecture-recitals, in order to complete their degrees. As a TA, I graded and gave extensive written feedback on students’ essays, presentations, and proposals. I was asked to teach the class on effective presentation skills for both sections.
Communication and Research for Today’s Musician (Taught in Spring 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters)
Per the syllabus, “Communication and Research for Today’s Musician (CRTM) aims to give CCM MM performance students proficiency in discovering and utilizing resources that will enable them to contextualize and gain understanding of pieces of music they are learning. It also aims to give them both the skills and the confidence to communicate ideas they’ve researched and developed about those pieces using means of expression and styles appropriate for a variety of different contexts. The emphasis of the class sessions is on active learning, through class discussions, peer-to-peer feedback, and exploration of different ways to communicate about and listen critically to music, supported by concise, informative demonstrations.” I was one of two teaching assistants and was assigned as the main point-of-contact for one section of CRTM for both semesters I taught. In addition to grading, I also taught almost on a weekly basis and I gave extensive written feedback on papers.
Music History III
This class consisted of around 60 undergraduate 1st-semester junior music majors and is the third course in the music history sequence at CCM, covering the Romantic to Modern periods. As one of two teaching assistants for this class, I was in charge of teaching two discussion sections a week. This course was taught during the Fall 2020 semester and taught entirely on Zoom. The other TA and I met with the main professor weekly, discussing lesson plans, delegating who would create the recorded PowerPoint(s) which replaced the usual weekly lecture, and planning and designing three writing assignments in lieu of exams.
Music History II
This class consisted of around 80 undergraduate 2nd-semester sophomore music majors and is the second course in the music history sequence at CCM, covering Baroque through the Classical period.
As one of two teaching assistants for this class, I was in charge of teaching two discussion sections, grading for those sections, and teaching one large lecture on the topic of Don Giovanni. The other TA and I met with the main professor weekly, planning and designing assignments, quizzes, and exams.
Syllabus: CCM Music History II Syllabus
Music History I
This class consisted of around 80 undergraduate 1st-semester sophomore music majors and is the first course in the music history sequence at CCM, covering music from antiquity to early Baroque.
As one of two teaching assistants for this class, I was in charge of teaching two discussion sections, grading for those sections, and leading a small group in how to write program notes.
Syllabus: CCM Music History I Syllabus
Mahler, Strauss, and Wagner
Syllabus: Syracuse University Wagner, Mahler, and Strauss Syllabus
Star Wars: The Music, The Story
Syllabus: Syracuse University Star Wars Syllabus
Convocation
Syllabus: Syracuse University Convocation Syllabus
Caitlan Truelove 