Undergraduate Bulletin

Fall 2024

Music (MUS)

The undergraduate major in music balances studies in the performance, composition, theory, and history of Western art music with the broad general education implied by a liberal arts degree. The department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with no specific "tracks" in performance, history, composition, or theory. All students take the same general program and are encouraged to select electives that reflect their individual interests and potential careers.

Students graduating with a major in Music pursue graduate study in musical performance, composition, history, and theory; teach music in private and public schools; take jobs in arts-related industries; and pursue advanced study in non-music fields.

The following are descriptions of the minors offered by the Music Department. Less rigorous than the music major, minors are not intended to prepare students for advanced study or professional work in music:

Ethnomusicology (ETH)

The minor in Ethnomusicology is designed to provide undergraduates with knowledge about a range of ethnomusicology topics, methods, and theoretical perspectives, in conjunction with a related area of specialization in the social sciences. In addition to ethnomusicology classes, including survey courses and courses on specialized topics, students will take a combination of performance and social science classes on relevant subjects in other departments. The capstone course is MUS451, “Ethnographic Methods in Music,” in which students conduct ethnographic research projects related to music. The minor in ethnomusicology is distinct from other existing music minors in that it offers training in fieldwork methods, an anthropological approach that does not rely heavily on the skills of analysis and performance that may be used in musicology, jazz studies, and the like. Moreover, it often emphasizes repertoire and practice from outside of Europe and the United States (our minor is especially strong in the musics of Asia). Ethnomusicology is the study of musical cultures, and entails a disciplinarily unique set of questions and methodologies, as well as objects.

Music and Technology (MTX)

The minor in Music and Technology is designed to provide students interested in music, media, and digital technology and the arts, with a foundation specific to the latest developments in music and technology along with a basic background in the history and theory of music. Students in other majors who have interdisciplinary interests will find this minor valuable as preparation for further studies dealing with the arts and culture and media.

Music (MUS)

The minor in Music, general studies, is designed to provide undergraduate students with a knowledge of historical and analytical approaches to the study of music in addition to the opportunity to perform in an ensemble. It is particularly well-suited to students who wish to study music as a discipline of the humanities. Coursework includes an introduction to the study of music, courses in music analysis, two semesters in a performance ensemble, and a choice of courses on specialized topics, including the study of popular musics, non-western musical traditions, music and gender, music technology, and the works of individual composers.

Music Theory (MTY)

The minor in Music Theory is designed to provide undergraduate students with a specialized knowledge in musicianship and the theory of music in addition to its history. It is particularly well-suited to students interested in honing their skills as musicians and offers more rigorous training in music analysis than the general track. Coursework includes an introduction to the study of music, courses in musicianship, music theory, only two semesters in a performance ensemble, and a choice of courses on specialized topics, including the study of popular musics, non-western musical traditions, music and gender, music technology, and the works of individual composers.

Jazz (JAZ)

The minor in Jazz studies is designed to provide undergraduate students with a foundation in music theory and history that incorporates a jazz perspective in addition to the opportunity to perform in a jazz ensemble. It is particularly well-suited to students interested in developing their skills as jazz musicians while pursuing a broader education in music history and theory. Coursework includes an introduction to the study of music, courses in improvisation, music theory, the history of jazz, two semesters performing in a jazz ensemble, and a choice of courses on specialized topics, including American music, popular music, and musics of other western and non-western traditions.