Professor and students explain the benefits of music classes at BYU

Registration for the winter semester is in full swing, and BYU students continue to bustle around adding, deleting, and editing their class schedules.

One area that many people overlook when choosing classes is music. Even if students are not music majors, taking music classes is a rewarding way to fill their schedules—whether it’s for electives or art credits, a fun break from tough classes, or exploring a talent.

“It gives you the opportunity to engage with music at a deeper college level and really apply that knowledge,” explained Madeline Clifford, a first-year student in the Music Dance Theater program.

A wide variety of music classes are available to all BYU students, regardless of their major. The list includes:

• MUSIC 100 – Music Basics
• MUSIC 101 – Introduction to Music
• MUSIC 111R – Basic Vocal Skills
• MUSIC 113 – Basic piano technique 1
• MUSIC 114R – Beginning Piano Technique 2
• MUSIC 115 – Basic Organ Playing Skills
• MUSIC 116R – Organ Technique and Literature
• MUSIC 117 – Basic Guitar Skills
• MUSIC 118R – Guitar Technique and Literature
• MUSIC 123 – Preparing the Harp for a Large Ensemble
• MUSIC 135 – Basic Conducting
• MUSIC 160R – Choice Bassoon, carillon, Cello, Clarinet, Classic voice, Modern voice, Euphonium, Flute, Guitar, Harp, Harpsichord, Horn, Performance Instructions: Music Technology Studio, Oboe, Organ, Percussion, Operating instructions, Piano, Saxophone, String bass, Trombone, Pipe, Tuba, Viola or Violin
• MUSIC 166 – Organ Registration
• MUSIC 176 – Careers in Music Education
• MUSIC 186 – Songwriting 1
• MUSIC 201 – Civilization: Music 1
• MUSIC 202 – Civilization: Music 2
• MUSIC 203 – World Musical Cultures
• MUSIC 204 – Introduction to Jazz

All classes listed are available for the Winter 2025 semester except MUSIC 123, MUSIC 166, and three sections of MUSIC 160R—Performance Instruction, Performance Instruction: Music Technology Studio, and Harpsichord.

Jaren Hinckley, professor of music at BYU, will teach various sections of MUSIC 101 in Winter 2025.

“My hope is that they will fall in love with classical music and continue to seek it out for the rest of their lives, both in their daily lives and in their search for live entertainment,” Hinckley said, describing his goals for his students. “Keeping art alive.”

Hinckley also strives for his students to understand the diversity of classical music, as well as to expand their knowledge of musical genres, forms, styles and techniques by asking questions.

“Music improves our lives in many ways. Without music, how boring would our life be? Hinckley thought about it.

Senior Logan McNatt is majoring in a subject that is quite different from music—information systems. However, this semester he is taking the contemporary vocal section of MUSIC 160R.

“I had more free time and I thought, ‘I could do what I love,’” McNatt said.

McNatt has been a dancer since a young age and currently teaches DANCE 180 (or social dance, beginning) at BYU.

Although he devotes most of his time to studying information systems, he does not shy away from expressing his more creative side. With time to fill his schedule, he decided to hone his singing skills with BYU’s MUSIC 160R.

“I wanted to take vocal lessons so I could audition for a musical and maybe get into it,” McNutt said.

McNatt explained that his wife, Leah McNatt, is an extremely talented singer and dancer and usually gets the best roles in the plays she auditions for.

“It would be great if in the future we could both… act in a musical together,” he said.

McNatt said that when a student registers for MUSIC 160R, they are assigned a professor who will work with them individually throughout the semester, depending on the availability of the student’s schedule.

With a training schedule of 30 minutes per week, the focus is on improving vocal technique through exercises. Students also work on two to three performance songs to ensure they are perfect by the end of the semester, McNatt said.

Clifford is studying a major in which music plays a central role. By taking music majors and minors, her love for music grew greatly throughout her college career.

Along with his musical and dance theater classes, Clifford took MUSIC 100 and MUSIC 113.

In the MUSIC 100 Fundamentals of Music program, professors teach songwriting, Circle of Fifths, leading musical themes and other topics, Clifford said.

“It seems to me that we as members (of the Church) grow and learn from the ends of the hymnbook,” Clifford observed. “But I… had never taken a course on how to direct music before, and it was very educational. I feel like I learned a lot.”

Clifford said MUSIC 100 is an ideal course for beginners because classes only meet once a week for an hour.

For MUSIC 113, Beginning Piano 1, Clifford explained that each student sits at their piano with headphones on. The class, taught by BYU graduate students, teaches the fundamentals of piano using the Piano Marvel course.

“If you’ve never taken a music lesson in your life, this is where you can start,” Clifford emphasized. “Everyone was able to grow from where they started, which was cool.”

Clifford believes that teaching music in the classroom significantly improves student achievement.

“Sometimes the scariest thing is doing it in front of people and not doing it alone,” she said. “That’s when you feel like you’re growing the most.”

Hinckley, who received his doctorate in clarinet performance from Florida State University, also teaches core clarinet courses. He explained why he loves teaching music.

“I like to share my pleasure with others,” he noted.

Students can take on a love of music, or nurture it if they already have one, through the variety of music classes that BYU offers. The passion that BYU music teachers have to offer results in top-notch teaching skills.

Music classes can be added to schedules until the winter semester add/drop deadline of January 15, 2025.

Some classes, such as MUSIC 160R, may incur additional costs beyond tuition.