Music
Music
The Oxnard College Music Program is an excellent place to explore the language and history of music. Music provides a unique perspective for viewing humanity’s cultural activities and artistic expressions. Oxnard College’s music faculty are passionate and dedicated teachers and are active music professionals in both the performing and recording industry.
Students taking courses in music can earn credits towards their Arts and Humanities emphasis for their A.A. in General Studies degree, and for transfer to the CSU and UC systems. Some music courses also fulfill general education requirements for Oxnard College general education, CSU GE-Breadth, and IGETC.
Oxnard College’s Music Department provides students with a variety of courses to choose from. Students with varied levels of experience have the opportunity to acquire important listening skills, to gain historical and cultural knowledge, and to learn to play, record, produce, and perform in various musical styles. Students looking for a greater understanding of the theory and notation of music can begin their journey with Music Fundamentals, which serves as an excellent first step towards more advanced music theory and ear training. Students can study music in a variety of historical and cultural contexts in courses like Music Appreciation, History of Rock, and Music of Latin America. Students looking for practical experience in music can join an ensemble like Mariachi or Choir, and take beginning to advanced courses in Guitar and/or Piano.
For those interested music technology, Introduction to Music Technology trains students to use cutting-edge software to record, produce, and mix.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate facility with current music technology to aid them in their creative and expressive goals.
- Gain an increased appreciation and understanding of the universal language of music.
- Perform with appropriate tone, technique, and musicality in their primary performance medium.
- Demonstrate their understanding of musical notation.
- Differentiate between music's various cultural and historical contexts.
Credit Courses
This course is designed for students with little to no prior experience in music. It provides an introduction to reading, composing, and notating music. Students will study the fundamental elements of the language of music, including scales, intervals, chords, key signatures, time signatures, notation software, and the piano keyboard.
This course is designed to acquaint students with the primary elements of music and the historical stylistic periods of Western music from the medieval to the present. In addition, world music, jazz, rock, and other styles will be examined as a means of comparison. The course places an emphasis on active and analytical listening skills.
This course is for the study, rehearsal, and public performance of choral literature from a variety of stylistic periods, with an emphasis on the development of the skills needed to perform within an ensemble. The course culminates with a public performance. Students will explore the physiology of singing and basic vocal technique, will read choral music notation, and will learn to analyze the historical context and structure of a stylistically varied repertoire.
This course provides piano instruction for students with little or no prior experience. The course covers the basic elements of piano playing: music reading, technique, improvisation, scales, chords, and introductory repertoire.
This course reinforces the fundamentals of piano playing, including reading music notation, improvisation, scales, chords, and simple piano literature. Emphasis is placed on the further development of left and right hand independence. Students are required to enter with some basic music reading ability and technical skill at the piano keyboard.
This course provides further development of greater independence of hands and reinforces the fundamentals of expressive piano playing at the early intermediate level. Didactic works of the most important composers will be studied with an emphasis on historically accurate interpretation.
This course includes continued study of more advanced piano literature, technique, improvisation, harmonization and sight-reading. It includes the study of repertoire by major composers with an emphasis on historically accurate interpretation.
This course is a survey of the diverse and rich musical traditions of Latin America from pre-colonialism to the present day. The course will focus on the origins, influences, and styles within specific countries and regions such as Mexico, Brazil, the Andes, the Caribbean, the United States, and others. The course will highlight consistencies throughout Latin American musical culture, as well as the aesthetic and stylistic differences that make these varied musical traditions unique.
This course explores American popular music within the context of American culture and society. This course involves a detailed study of changing musical styles with an emphasis on analytical listening. The bulk of the course will focus on five decades of American Rock music, from 1950-2000, with an introductory exploration of pre-1950s American music, as well as the relationship between this musical past and the current state of music in the digital age.
This course introduces the fundamentals of guitar playing, such as music reading, improvisation, technique, and fretboard logic. Students will learn the various written systems applicable to the guitar, including standard notation, chord symbols, and tablature.
This course reinforces the fundamentals of guitar playing, such as music reading, improvisation, technique, and fretboard logic. Students will continue to develop their understanding of guitar notation systems, including standard notation beyond the first position, chord symbols, and tablature.
This course introduces intermediate level repertoire, technique, improvisation, and theory. It requires familiarity and the ability to read all common guitar-related notation systems.
This course introduces intermediate to advanced level repertoire, technique, improvisation, and theory. It requires familiarity and the ability to read all common guitar-related notation systems.
This course involves the study, rehearsal, and performance of Mariachi and other Mexican regional music with a focus on the medium-sized ensemble setting (10-15). Students will explore the stylistic qualities of this music in sectional and full ensemble settings, with the intention of public performance.
This course is designed to prepare the elementary educator to analyze, understand, and identify the foundational elements of music and dance. The course will present materials from various historical and cultural perspectives to help illustrate global congruencies in music and movement.
This course is an introduction to audio recording, mixing, and computer music creation. It covers fundamental concepts and techniques used in music production, such as MIDI and sampling, signal processing, mixing, recording console functions, and multi-track recording procedures. Emphasis will be placed on hands-on experience through various recording and mixing projects.
This course offers students the opportunity to further their knowledge of music on an independent-study basis. The student and instructor will work together to design course content and/or research. Meeting times and requirements will be determined by the instructor.
Noncredit Courses
Pro Tools is the industry standard software for audio recording, mixing, and editing. This course is the first of a 2-part non-credit series that will award an industry recognized credential for both academic users and industry professionals, the Avid Certified User: Pro Tools. This course introduces fundamental Pro Tools concepts and principles, covering everything an individual needs to know to complete a basic Pro Tools project, from initial setup to final mixdown.
Pro Tools is the industry standard software for audio recording, mixing, and editing. This course is the second of a 2-part non-credit sequence that will award an industry recognized credential for both academic users and industry professionals, the Avid Certified User: Pro Tools. This course expands upon the basic principles taught in the Pro Tools Fundamentals I (MUS R801) course and introduces the core concepts and techniques students need to competently operate a Pro Tools system running mid-sized sessions. Students will learn to build sessions designed for commercial purposes and improve the results of their recording, editing, and mixing efforts.
Dr. Scott Wolf
Lead Faculty
Courses: Music Fundamentals, Music Appreciation, Music Technology, History of Rock, Music of Latin America, Guitar
Email: swolf@vcccd.edu
Bio
Scott Wolf is known for his teaching, performing, arranging, and for his highly acclaimed podcast, All Strings Considered. Wolf is lead music faculty at Oxnard College where he has dedicated himself to creating a larger and more vibrant performing arts community, in part, as founding member and assistant director of OC LIVE he has helped bring stellar musical talent to the Performing Arts Building stage.
Wolf earned his doctorate in classical guitar studying with Scott Tennant at the University of Southern California, a master’s degree with Eliot Fisk at New England Conservatory, and a bachelor’s degree studying with Randy Pile at U.C. San Diego. A flamenco aficionado, Wolf began studying flamenco guitar while living in Spain in 2003 and has continued his flamenco studies in the U.S. with Grisha Goryachev, Adam Del Monte, Juanito Pascual, and Kai Narezo. Most recently he co-authored a Flamenco Method book titled Flamenco Explained: The Flamenco Guitar Survival Guide with Narezo.
A dedicated performing artist and chamber musician, Wolf can be found performing in a variety of styles and contexts, from flamenco tablaos to solo and ensemble works to operas and musicals, most recently he performed in Ventura College’s production of “The Addams Family Musical”, and CSU San Bernadino’s production of John Addams’ “I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky.” Wolf was a guest performer at the 2014 Guitar Foundation of America festival for Dr. Alexander Dunn’s lecture on Turina’s life and works. He has also been featured soloist with the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus performing Golijov’s Oceana and playing mandolin in UC San Diego’s New Music Palimpsest playing Carter’s Liumen.
Wolf is avid arranger of solo and chamber music; his work can be heard performed by such notable groups as the Grammy Winning L.A.G.Q. and the USC Guitar Ensembles, and of course, the Primavera Quartet.
Dr. Ovanes Arakelyan
Adjunct Faculty
Courses: Piano, Music for Elementary Teachers
Email: oarakelyan@vcccd.edu
Bio
Dr. Ovanes Arakelyan began his music studies in Armenia, and later in Russia. In 2004 he received a Bachelor of Music degree from USC in the class of Daniel Pollack. In 2011 he received his Master of Arts degree from CSU Fresno, and in 2015 he obtained a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from Claremont Graduate University under the tutelage of Dr. Stewart Gordon, where he conducted original research on the piano music of Armenian composers.
Dr. Arakelyan has had numerous performances throughout the United States and abroad, reaching concert stages, such as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. He has been a winner of numerous competitions, and most recently he was a winner of the Beverly Hills Concert Series. His is now a faculty member of Glendale Community College, where he teaches keyboard harmony, class piano and applied piano.
Jorge Herrera
Adjunct Faculty
Courses: Music of Latin America, History of Rock
Email: jorge_herrera3@vcccd.edu
Bio
Jorge Andres Herrerra, who was born in Oxnard, CA and earned his BA and MA from UCLA with an emphasis in Chicana/o and Ethnomusicology. He is earning his doctorate in Ethnomusicology from UCLA, researching the study of border culture, Mexican corridos, and the musical outcomes of the Mexico-US border. He teaches various courses at Cal State Fullerton in the Chicana/o Studies department including; Chicano Music Experience, Mexican History, Music of Mexico, and Introduction to Chicana/o Studies. He founded Mariachi programs at Fillmore High School and Oxnard College and is working on his 10th album with his band, Hermanos Herrera. Jorge has toured with Mexican music legends Ramon Ayala and Paquita La Del Barrio to name a few.
Marci Katznelson
Adjunct Faculty
Courses: History of Rock
Email: mkatznelson@vcccd.edu
Bio
Marci Katznelson earned her Master of Music in Commercial Music with an emphasis in Composition and Arranging from California State University, Los Angeles. She is also a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnomusicology. Additionally, she is a Pro Tools Certified Operator in Music and Post Production as well as an active member of the Avid Certified Instructor community.
Beyond her academic accomplishments, Katznelson is a multi-award winning singer-songwriter. Classically trained, she grew up on rock n’ roll and with a love for all styles and genres of music, including rock, pop, folk, country, R&B, blues and jazz, among others. She has numerous projects to her credit as vocalist, songwriter, pianist, percussionist and producer, including solo albums, EPs, guest appearances and worldwide performances. She has worked with jazz and rock greats such as Kenny Burrell, Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, as well as bassist Shawn Davis (Nikka Costa, Beck, Juanes). She is currently collaborating with composer and arranger Daniel Gotz (Million Dollar Listing NY, LA, SF, Miami) on another studio album project.
In addition to Oxnard College, Katznelson has served as Associate/Adjunct Faculty and Lecturer in the Music, Commercial Music, Audio Technology and Applied Technology Departments at the University of La Verne, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; California State University, Los Angeles; El Camino College, Rio Hondo College, Riverside City College and Mt. San Jacinto College. It is her absolute pleasure to share her expertise and passion for music with the students of Oxnard College. As music is both her life and her livelihood, Marci Katznelson will tell you, "life without music would be a mistake" (Friedrich Nietzsche).
Dr. Hugo Nogueira
Adjunct Faculty
Courses: Guitar, Music Appreciation
Email: hmaianogueira@vcccd.edu
Bio
Dr. Hugo Nogueira won the 2011 American Guitar Society competition in Los Angeles, California. After attending three prestigious conservatories in Brazil, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Composition in 2007 and a teaching credential in 2010. Hugo continued his studies earning his Master’s Degree in Guitar Performance at Azusa Pacific University. Additionally, he has had masterclasses with world class guitarists such as Ana Vidovic, Jason Vieaux, Scott Tennant, and Marc Teicholz. Hugo has also participated atguitar festivals such as La Guitarra in San Luis Obispo, Sierra Nevada Guitar festival, and New Mexico Guitar Festival. In 2012, Hugo Nogueira performed and gave masterclasses at Cal State San Bernardino and University of Redlands.
Awarded an assistantship in the fall of 2013, Hugo began to work on his Doctorate in Classical Guitar Performance at UNLV with the internationally renowned concert guitarist, Ricardo Cobo. In 2014 and 2015, Hugo was invited to be part of the guitar competition committee at the Clark County School District, Las Vegas Academy of Arts, and Junior festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the last few years, Hugo has been performing in different states across the U.S such as California, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida, Ohio and Michigan. In May2017, Hugo Nogueira graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts. In 2018, Dr. Nogueira is invited by the South Bay MTAC (Music Teachers' Association of California) to give a lecture-recital about the Spanish composer, Francisco Tárrega. Dr. Nogueira is currently teaching at Los Angeles Pierce College and Ventura College.
Dr. David Castaneda
Adjunct Faculty
Courses: Music Fundamentals
Email: dcastaneda@vcccd.edu
Bio
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger David Castañeda, PhD serves San Diego Miramar College as Assistant Professor of Music. Dr. Castañeda has worked with Grammy Award winning artists such as Kamau Kenyatta, Allan Phillips, Hubert Laws, and has studied with artists such as Calixto Oviedo, Euro Zambrano, among many others. Dr. Castañeda focuses his scholarly work on musical traditions from across the globe, paying particular attention to their intersections in the contemporary era. In addition to teaching courses at Miramar College, Dr. Castañeda is active in the San Diego and Los Angeles music scenes and hosts the People + Art podcast.