Online Music Theory, Harmony, and Ear Training Courses
Our 4- and 12-week online music theory, harmony, and ear training courses are authored and taught by industry experts and the same renowned instructors that teach at Berklee College of Music's Boston campus.
Request Info
Level 5
Level 6
Arranging 1: Rhythm Section
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Explore all of the aspects of writing and arranging for the rhythm section and essential techniques for arranging music for a band.
Arranging: Advanced Horn Writing
Level 3
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Take your arranging abilities to the next level by studying more advanced techniques for voicing chords, orchestration, articulations, and background lines.
Arranging and Producing Contemporary Music Styles
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Expand your vocabulary of musical styles to create the contemporary grooves needed in today’s market, including explorations in rock, pop, Brazilian, Latin, R&B, funk, hip-hop, and more.
Arranging: Small Ensemble and Horns
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Develop your writing and arranging skills for small and large ensembles and learn techniques that you can apply to both live instrumentation and sequences.
Arranging: Woodwinds and Strings
Level 3
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Explore the sound and personality of woodwind and string instruments and learn how to apply them to songs, arrangements, and compositions.
Basic Ear Training
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Build your confidence as a performer with this practical approach to ear training by learning how to notate rhythms and identify different parts of a song.
Chromatic Writing and Analysis
Level 3
Credit:
$1,290
Non-credit:
$1,545
In Chromatic Writing and Analysis, you will craft innovative compositions, expand your artistic voice by analyzing chromatic music from concert repertoire, film scores, and dramatic music, and have your projects performed by live musicians.
Contemporary Vocal Arranging
Level 3
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Master the concepts of vocal writing and arranging and learn to write vocal charts in a number of contemporary styles, including jazz, folk, pop, and R&B.
Counterpoint
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Gain a broad overview of counterpoint and the art of writing lines that support both the melody and the overall structure of a composition.
Creative Strategies for Composition Beyond Style
Level 3
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Explore a variety of approaches to composing and learn how to develop any musical idea, from a melodic fragment to a catchy rhythm or phrase, or a chord.
Developing Your Artistry
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Explore what it means to be an artist, from a philosophical and practical perspective while learning how to plan and sustain a creative career.
Ear Training 1
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Ear Training 1 is all about learning how to accurately recognize, imagine, remember, and notate musical sounds, while gaining the ability to read music notation.
Ear Training 2
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Building off of Ear Training 1, Ear Training 2 will improve your improvisation skills, musical interaction in performance, and music perception in listening.
Ear Training 4
Level 4
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Ear Training 4 is the final ear training course that is designed to help you learn essential musicianship skills applicable to all styles of music: the ability to accurately recognize, imagine, remember, and notate musical sounds, and the ability to read music notation.
Ear Training for Live Performance
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Learn to play what you hear more quickly, become more certain of the notes you are performing, and respond to music with greater conviction and expression.
Getting Inside Harmony 1
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Learn to identify and modify chord progressions, improvise effectively from chord to chord, and deepen your understanding of music’s inner workings.
Getting Inside Harmony 2
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Explore more advanced principals in harmony, including melodic and harmonic tension, chord substitution, and chromatically altered chords.
Harmonic Ear Training: Recognizing Chord Progressions
Level 3
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Learn techniques that will improve your performance, arranging, and compositional skills by learning to recognize what is going on within chord progressions.
Harmony 2
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Harmony 2 studies concepts such as melodic construction and motif development and builds upon principles of linear harmonic continuity (voice leading). The course also introduces concepts like guide tones, modal interchange, blues theory, chord progressions, melodic rhythm, form and melody/harmony relationships.
History of Film Music
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
This course is a survey of music in film, covering everything from the late 1800s to the present day.
Jazz Composition
Level 3
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Learn effective techniques that will help you compose jazz tunes that have a balance of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic appeal.
Music Application and Theory
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Music Application and Theory provides a study of music fundamentals and their use in contemporary popular music.
Music Cognition
Level 3
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Explore the mental processes underlying musical behaviors and how emotion, environment, cognitive capacity, and other factors influence how we perceive music.
Music for Beginners
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Learn the essential concepts in harmony and ear training to strengthen your musicianship, regardless of the instrument or style of music that you play.
Music History of the Western World 1: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Explore the development of Western European music from Antiquity and the Middle Ages through the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Music History of the Western World 2: Classical, Romantic, and Modern
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Gain an understanding of how music was developed in the West through the study of composers, compositions, and key characteristics of a number of musical genres.
Music Notation and Score Preparation using Sibelius Ultimate
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Learn to use Sibelius to create lead sheets, scores, and parts, as well as how to enter and format notation so it conforms to current music publishing standards.
Music Theory 101
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Learn music theory and gain the foundation you need to take your skills to a higher level by reading, writing, and critically listening to music.
Music Theory 201: Harmony and Function
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Become a more effective player and writer by studying harmony and furthering your music theory background to understand the rhythms, progressions, and complex chords in jazz, pop, blues, and rock.
Music Theory 301: Advanced Melody, Harmony, Rhythm
Level 3
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Prepare yourself for any future musical endeavor and gain a professional command of the mechanics of contemporary music in this advanced music theory course.
Music Theory and Composition 1
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Gain a solid understanding of music fundamentals by taking a detailed look at the major and minor keys, and the tools to comprehend scales and chords.
Music Theory and Composition 2
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Further your own musical language by expanding your knowledge of major and minor key harmony and melody, in addition to scales, chords, and drum grooves.
Music Theory and Composition 3
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Continue developing the foundation for your musical knowledge as you explore and express yourself through composition for film, TV, and video games.
Music Theory and Composition 4
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Building on the foundation of the previous three levels, learn compositional techniques first pioneered by twentieth century European and American composers.
Music Theory and Sight-Singing for Vocalists
Level 1
Credit:
$1,345
Non-credit:
$1,190
This course is a basic to Intermediate level class introducing the elements of music theory and sight-reading for vocalists who would like to develop a strong fundamental knowledge of music theory and improve sight-singing skills.
Music Theory Fundamentals
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Music Theory Fundamentals will lead you to a basic understanding of scales, harmony, bass lines, rhythmic language, and music notation. Geared towards students with no prior literacy in music, in this course you will explore music fundamentals and their use in contemporary popular music.
Music Therapy Principles
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Gain an understanding of a music therapy career, including training requirements, levels of practice, and music therapy techniques.
Music Therapy Techniques for Wellness
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Enrich your mind, body, and spirit by learning about the psychological, neurological, and immunological changes that can happen when you engage with music.
Piano Chords 101
Level 2
Credit:
$1,345
Non-credit:
$1,190
Learn how to construct, recognize, and musically use essential chords at the keyboard.
Reharmonization Techniques
Level 4
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Take your musical vocabulary and skill set to a whole new level for writing, arranging, and performing music of any genre by learning reharmonization.
Rock History
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Discover the history of rock ‘n’ roll from the people who lived it, and learn about the prime innovators and the historical context in which the genre and its subgenres have alternately flourished and struggled.
Script Analysis for Theater
This is a Boston Conservatory course offered through Berklee Online.
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Script Analysis for Theater offers insight into the role of form and structure in theater. Examining genres, aesthetics, and movements across time and around the globe, students will finish the course better prepared to deliver their own work to the stage.
The Language of Film and TV
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Gain a thorough understanding of film and TV, and learn to communicate effectively with directors, producers, and others involved in the production process.
Time and Rhythm 1
This is a Boston Conservatory course offered through Berklee Online.
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
This course is designed to enhance your relationship with time by strengthening your sense of internal pulse, aurally analyzing rhythmic structures in music, and by examining the foundations of rhythmic notation.
Tonal Writing and Analysis
Level 2
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
Enhance your compositional skills by exploring repertoire from the Romantic and post-Romantic eras. You’ll engage with diverse course materials and actively participate in hands-on projects to complete four original compositions developed to professional standards.
Wellness for Artists: Music, Movement, and Mindfulness
Level 1
Credit:
$1,545
Non-credit:
$1,290
This course explores the Four Pillars of Wellness for Artists: Mindfulness, Movement, Nutrition, and Sleep, to help build a strong foundation in understanding your body and mind to better support a long and happy career in the arts.
