57-651 Collaborative Songwriting for Connection and Social Care (3 units)
3–9 units, Carnegie Mellon University
Special topics courses in music are developed to cover emerging issues or specialized content not represented in the existing music curriculum. These explorations of highly specialized subject matter and content vary between semesters. Fall 2025, Section A: Special Topics in Acting In this upper-level course, we will dive deeper into the study and implementation of Stanislavsky's System and Active Analysis. Over the course of the semester, students will apply this technique to various scenes, monologues, and arias. This course is a shared creative space for artists to explore work that is compelling and meaningful to them. Fall 2025, Section B: Global Popular Music This course critically examines the concepts of the "global" and the "popular" from a cultural perspective. What do these terms mean, and how do they shape the production, circulation, and reception of music? At its core, this course explores the question: What defines global popular music, and what are the consequences of being both global and popular? Students will investigate selected musical traditions from around the world through three interconnected lenses: history, aesthetics, and cultural context. Readings, listening exercises, and class discussions will provide insight into how music operates within broader social, political, and economic structures. Fall 2025, Section C: Sonic Innovation: AI, Sound Healing, and Entrepreneurial Solutions for Global Wellness This interdisciplinary course explores the fusion of artificial intelligence, sound healing, ancient cultures, and entrepreneurship, empowering students to innovate at the crossroads of music, technology, and wellness. Students will examine the physiological and psychological effects of sound, analyze AI-driven music generation, and leverage machine learning to design personalized therapeutic soundscapes.
Prerequisites: none listed
Offered: Spring 2027, Fall 2026, Spring 2026, Fall 2025
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