Harmony Department • Courses • Faculty   Berkleemusic Online Extension School • Online Harmony Courses • Online Harmony Certificate Programs

The musical world is a much different place than it was when Berklee was founded, but our commitment to giving students the tools to understand and create their music is as strong as ever. The radical increase in stylistic diversity since the 1950s gives us an ever-broader field to survey, but the Berklee harmony program provides the skills you will need to navigate in a changing envirnment.

After learning the basics of music theory, students learn how to analyze the harmony and melody of contemporary music and how to use this knowledge to create their own compositions and performances. In addition to weekly assignments, students will write at least one project a semester that they record with student project bands, collaborating with their fellow students, or at a MIDI workstation.

The core (required) harmony courses cover the spectrum from fundamentals, such as scale knowledge and chord construction, to more specialized topics that pertain to particular styles. Harmonic and melodic analysis, as well as ear training, are an integral part of all the courses. Rather than being dry or abstract, analysis will help students understand and retain the sound of chord progressions and to understand the underlying principles that make them compelling.

First-semester placement is based on music placement test scores, taken during students' initial week at the college. Students who arrive at Berklee with extensive practical experience or study at another music school or a Berklee-affiliated international school may be placed in a higher level of harmony to start, but everyone who attends Berklee will have the benefit of some study in the Harmony Department.

Besides the required four semesters of basic harmony, the department offers electives for those interested in furthering their studies:

HR-325  Reharmonization Techniques  
HR-231  Harmonic Analysis of Rock Music
HR-335  Advanced Harmonic Concepts  
HR-345  Advanced Modal Harmony  
HR-241  Harmony in Brazilian Song  
HR-355  The Music of the Yellowjackets  
HR-251  The Blues: Analysis and Application
HR-361  World Music Elements for the Contemporary Musician

Department Chair

Joseph Mulholland Chair B.A., Williams College M.M., New England Conservatory of Music Freelance jazz pianist and vocal accompanist Composer and arranger for dance, theater, film, and video Released three CDs with the Joe Mulholland Sextet, including Eye Music, 2001 Member of Martin St. Collage, an improvisational music/painting/dance ensemble, 1990–1998 Member of the Big & Phat Jazz Big Band and the Indigo Invention Group Music director, Windhover Center for the Performing Arts; composed and recorded sound design and songs for original productions of Peer Gynt, Dogtown Common, and Battle for Pigeon Cove Harbor Performances at the Regattabar, Top of the Hub, Scullers, and the Waterfront Jazz Festival, among others Music director for Didi Stewart and Friends, 1987-1998 Taught jazz piano and ensembles at Brown University, 1985-1997 Composed and performed in Tango Suite for the Northeast Youth Ballet Created electronic scores for "Intersections" and "My Backyard," modern dance pieces premiered in 2004 and 2005 Berklee faculty member since 1994
Thomas Hojnacki Assistant Chair B.M., New England Conservatory of Music M.M., New England Conservatory of Music Composer, conductor, and pianist Performances with the Kenny Hadley Big Band, the John Allmark Jazz Orchestra, East Side Horns, Brass Attack, Al Martino, Gregory Hines, George Garzone, Jimmy Giuffre, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Steve Marvin, Marcus Belgrave, Amanda Carr, and Matt Wilson Principal guest conductor of the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra Recordings include "New Orleans March," MMC New Composers Series, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Robert Black conductor, (MMC Recordings); "Symphony No. 1," Midnight Tolls, Prague Dvorak Symphony Orchestra, Julius Williams conductor (Albany Records); "Toon, Variations and Fugue," Musique que Faire Plaisir, Berlin Saxophone Quartet (BIT Musik Werke) Compositions include choral music, orchestra, band, and chamber music, including All Through the Night: The New Christmas Carol Musical Citation for special artistic merit in musical composition from GEMA (the German performing rights organization) Musical director, conductor, and keyboardist for over 50 theater productions, including opera, musical theater, and ballet; productions at the Charles Playhouse, the Stuart Street Playhouse, Theatre by the Sea, Worcester Foothills Theatre Company, the Cutler Majestic Theatre, the Colonial Theatre, and the North Shore Music Theatre

Harmony Department Facilities and Resources

Professional Writing Division MIDI Lab
This lab consists of 12 fully configured workstations and a separate similarly equipped studio for live overdubbing to provide you with hands-on access to professional music technology.

For Further Information

For further information about the Harmony Department, please call (617) 747-8468.