Topics in Music History:Music in Films Topic is determined by the instructor - refer to section for the course description.

MUSC 0230 Music in Films In this course, we will explore the evolution of music in cinema, from musical accompaniments during the silent era to early sound film to experimental and popular films in the present day. Students will learn to listen to and analyze various styles of music used in Western and non-Western films, including classical, jazz, and popular music, as well as the sound effects and dialogue that together produce a film's sonic landscape. Students will become familiar with key concepts in film and media studies and develop an understanding of the musical conventions that work in conjunction with images, often at a subconscious level, to create compelling narratives and evoke emotional responses in viewers. In addition to listening to—and watching— films, we will examine the ways that film music techniques have been modified and repurposed in music for television and video games.

Music and its Afterlives This course is open to all students who are interested in thinking about music and its history.  We will examine how music has been captured, preserved, and transmitted over time, from medieval manuscripts to digital recordings. Through hands-on work with primary sources, we will investigate what we can know about the musical past. We will engage key questions in music historiography, including whose music is remembered, how notational and recording technologies shape what survives, and what is gained or lost when sound is translated into symbol. Drawing on musicology, archival studies, and media history, we will develop skills in analyzing historical sources and understanding music as both a historical subject and a methodological problem.

Introduction to Music In this course we will develop critical listening skills through guided study of selected works of Western classical, popular, and folk music, as well as a sampling of music from non-Western cultures, from the Middle Ages to the present. Students will learn to listen actively, to identify how music uses basic sound materials— such as rhythm, melody, timbre, texture, and harmony—to create meaning and expression, and to draw connections between music and its social and historical context. Previous musical training is not required.

Music, Authoritarianism, and Resistance How do music-makers navigate the fraught terrain of authoritarian politics? This course dives into the entanglement of twentieth-century music and the social, cultural, and political currents shaped by authoritarian regimes. From the cultural platforms of early fascist states to contemporary reflections on political oppression, we will explore how music constructs, critiques, and reimagines power and identity. Drawing on musicology, media studies, and sound studies, we will examine works by composers, performers, and filmmakers who grappled with authoritarian control. Expect lively discussions, close readings of texts and music, and hands-on analysis of music’s power to resist and reflect. Through collaborative projects and a final research paper, we will develop tools to decode the intersection of music, sound, power, and resistance.

Music in Western Cultures In this course we will develop skills for assessing music’s social, economic, and political importance in Western societies. Through a series of units focusing on various aspects of music (such as composition, performance, dissemination, and reception) and on various eras from ancient Greece to the present, students will engage with the principal questions and methods of historical musicology. Students will learn to interpret musical works’ formal, stylistic, and performative characteristics through close engagement with scores and recordings, and draw connections between musical works and the institutions and wider socio-cultural conditions that have shaped and continue to shape music-making.

Approaches to Music Inquiry  In this course we will explore various approaches to music inquiry in order to develop an in-depth understanding of diverse procedures for uncovering, applying, and producing musical knowledge. We will use a seminar format that supports a multimodal study and application of such knowledge. Course activities will include discussions, lectures, analysis, investigation, presentations, readings, writing, and creative work. The seminar will culminate in projects that advance methodologies of our senior and/or related capstone work. All music majors are required to take this course in the fall of their senior year.  3hrs. lect./disc.

Danielle Simon

Reviews and ratings for Danielle Simon at Middlebury College.Danielle Simon teaches Topics Music:Broadway Musical, Topics Music:Music in Film Topics in Music:Music in Film, Music and its Afterlives and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Danielle Simon good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I felt this course was pretty easy but I did enjoy it overall. I do think it was the first course at middlebury where I genuinely felt like I wanted more work and material. The professor is lovely though.

I took this course to fill a distribution requirement. It was a chill class, and easy class. I enjoyed the projects with making my own instrument, and a few different songs. Participation wasn't required during the class which was nice. It was a pretty easy A as long as you turn in all your work and put forth a bit of effort. 

This was a wonderful class with a wonderful professor. She is passionate, enthusiastic, and deeply knowledgeable about what she teaches, and it shows in every session. Classes were genuinely fun, and I looked forward to them each week. The workload was manageable, grading was fair, and she was understanding of students’ individual needs. I highly recommend this course.