MusicAA DegreeCertificate of Achievement
- Community of interest
- Business, Cosmetology, Arts & Design
- Award
- AA Degree
- Program code
- 44716.00AA
- Department
- Music
- CIP code
- 50.0901: Music, General.
- TOP code
- 1004.00 - Music
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP
Program Snapshot
- Community of interest
- BCAD Business, Cosmetology, Arts & Design
- Award
- AA Degree
- Program code
- 44716.00AA
- Department
- Music
- CIP code
- 50.0901: Music, General.
- TOP code
- 1004.00 - Music
Next Steps
AA Degree — expand to learn about this award
The Associate of Arts is typically awarded for academic areas outside STEM and CTE — humanities, social sciences, arts, language. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum and an academic program of specialization.
About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.
Semester-by-Semester Map
Term 1
Class Schedules
course details
A first-level introductory course in piano, open to both music and non-music majors. This course provides instruction in elementary music-reading and beginning keyboard skills, including basic piano technique, major and minor five-finger patterns, major scales, keyboard harmony, and sight-reading through beginning piano repertoire. (C-ID MUS 170).
course details
This course is an introduction to digital music production beginning with computer system operation and file management techniques. Students will apply practical concepts of modern music composition like programming drums, recording MIDI instruments, arranging and mixing, as well as post-production techniques including compression, equalization, reverb and other audio post effects.
course details
A comprehensive study of diatonic harmony and musicianship, including principles of voice leading in four-part texture, harmonic analysis, melody harmonization, non-chord tones, and basic forms (strophic, binary, ternary). Musicianship component develops skills in sight singing and dictation, including rhythmic exercises, interval recognition, melodic reading and dictation in major and minor scales, and basic harmonic dictation. (C-ID MUS 120/MUS 125).
course details
This course consists of individualized study of the appropriate techniques and repertoire for the specific instrument or voice being studied through private instruction. The emphasis is on the progressive development of skills needed for solo performance. Achievement is evaluated through a juried performance. This course may be repeated 3 times to meet the requirements of the AA-T in Music. (C-ID MUS 160).
Corequisite: MUS 60, MUS 61, MUS 63, MUS 64, MUS 70 or Other ensemble
Select one:
General Education: Area 2
about Area 2
Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
College-level mathematics or quantitative reasoning — the toolkit behind science, business, and informed citizenship.
General Education: Area 5
about Area 5
Physical and Biological Sciences
The physical universe, its life forms, and its natural phenomena — astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, oceanography, physics — taught alongside the scientific method that makes them work.
Term 2
Class Schedules
course details
A second-level introductory course in piano, open to both music and non-music majors. This course continues instruction in music-reading and keyboard skills, including piano technique, major scales and arpeggios, sight-reading, keyboard harmony, and basic transposition skills through upper-beginning piano repertoire. (C-ID MUS 171).
Prerequisite: MUS 40
course details
This course incorporates and further develops the concepts from Theory & Musicianship I and introduces chromatic harmony. Topics include seventh chords and their inversions, secondary chords, modulation techniques, and musical forms (theme and variations, rondo, sonata). Musicianship component develops advanced skills in sight singing and dictation, including compound rhythms, alto and tenor clefs, compound melodies, and harmonic dictation using diatonic triads and seventh chords. (C-ID MUS 130/MUS 135).
Prerequisite: MUS 80
course details
This course consists of individualized study of the appropriate techniques and repertoire for the specific instrument or voice being studied through private instruction. The emphasis is on the progressive development of skills needed for solo performance. Achievement is evaluated through a juried performance. This course may be repeated 3 times to meet the requirements of the AA-T in Music. (C-ID MUS 160).
Corequisite: MUS 60, MUS 61, MUS 63, MUS 64, MUS 70 or Other ensemble
Select one:
General Education: Area 1A
about Area 1A
English Composition
Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.
General Education: Area 4
about Area 4
Social and Behavioral Sciences
The systematic study of people as members of society — cultural anthropology, cultural geography, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology — and the methods these disciplines use to ask their questions.
Graduation Requirement Choice (See GE Guide)
Term 3
Class Schedules
course details
An intermediate-level piano course, open to both music and non-music majors. This course continues instruction in advancing keyboard skills, including piano technique, major and minor scales and arpeggios, sight-reading, expanded keyboard harmony, and transposition skills through intermediate piano repertoire. (C-ID MUS 172).
Prerequisite: MUS 41
course details
This course incorporates and further develops the concepts from Theory & Musicianship II and explores advanced chromatic harmony. Topics include borrowed chords, Neapolitan chord, augmented sixth chords, altered chords, chromatic modulation techniques, and an introduction to post-tonal music. Musicianship component develops advanced skills in sight singing and dictation, including decorative chromaticism, altered chords, modulation to closely related keys, and irregular meters. (C-ID MUS 140/MUS 145).
Prerequisite: MUS 82
course details
This course consists of individualized study of the appropriate techniques and repertoire for the specific instrument or voice being studied through private instruction. The emphasis is on the progressive development of skills needed for solo performance. Achievement is evaluated through a juried performance. This course may be repeated 3 times to meet the requirements of the AA-T in Music. (C-ID MUS 160).
Corequisite: MUS 60, MUS 61, MUS 63, MUS 64, MUS 70 or Other ensemble
course details
A survey of the music industry with focus on the skill, experience, and education needed for careers within the music industry. Topics include music publishing, performing rights, copyright issues, resume building, artist statements, publicity, music licensing, digital distribution, record companies, and artist management.
Select one:
General Education: Area 3
about Area 3
Arts and Humanities
How people and cultures, across time, respond to themselves and the world through artistic and cultural creative production. Visual and performing arts, art history, foreign languages, literature, philosophy, religion.
General Education: Area 6
about Area 6
Ethnic Studies
The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.
Term 4
Class Schedules
course details
This course consists of individualized study of the appropriate techniques and repertoire for the specific instrument or voice being studied through private instruction. The emphasis is on the progressive development of skills needed for solo performance. Achievement is evaluated through a juried performance. This course may be repeated 3 times to meet the requirements of the AA-T in Music. (C-ID MUS 160).
Corequisite: MUS 60, MUS 61, MUS 63, MUS 64, MUS 70 or Other ensemble
Select one:
Select two:
General Education: Area 1B
about Area 1B
Oral Communication and Critical Thinking
Baccalaureate-level oral communication and/or critical thinking — speaking with structure to a live audience, analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions.
Elective (any course numbered 1-99 or C1000-C1999)
Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.
Career Connections
2-Year Degree Paths
Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset point cleanly to an immediate 2-year outcome for this program.
4-Year Degree Paths
Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.
Example roles: 2
- Secondary School Teachers
- Musicians and Singers
Graduate School Paths
Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the graduate-school pathway for this program.
Local Job Market
Secondary School TeachersSOC 25-20313 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Amergis 3
Where the postings are
- Linda, Yuba County 2
- Thermalito, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Musicians and SingersSOC 27-20424 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- County of Nevada 4
Where the postings are
- Nevada City, Nevada County 4
Sample current postings
Posting counts come from Adzuna's index of US job boards, covering the last up to 60 days within up to 50 miles of ZIP 95965. Coverage and salary visibility vary by employer. Empty searches expand the radius and posting window before the section gives up.
Source Notes
Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.
Live wage data was not available from the BLS helper for the mapped occupations, so some pay fields may be blank.
Last generated 2026-06-12T23:24+00:00