BA: Music

UNDERGRADUATE

Bachelors of Arts in Music (B.A.)

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Music is separated into three concentrations:

• Contemporary Practices – prepares students to perform create/compose/improvise, and think critically about music in a diverse range of musical practices and traditions. Emphasizes composition, improvisation, and topical theory.
  
• Global Musics – prepares students to perform, think critically, and write in a diverse range of musical practices. Emphasizes research and performance practice.
  
• Western Art Music – focuses on Western Canon theory, history, and performance, but allows students to study ethnomusicology, composition, and improvisation through elective courses.

Note that these are not separate degrees – if you choose the Music B.A., your diploma will read “B.A. in Music with a Concentration in …“

For more specific information on each concentration in the major, please see below.

B.A. in Music – Contemporary Practices Concentration

The objective of the Contemporary Practices (CP) concentration is to prepare students to perform, create/compose/improvise, and think critically about music in a diverse range of musical practices and traditions.

Students in the CP concentration will take a variety of history, culture, theory, improvisation and composition courses & participate in ensembles and performance practice workshops – gaining academic, performance and music making fluency in a variety of musical practices.

In addition to taking core music courses, students in the CP concentration will also be required to complete three “Modules”, or course pathways, organized around central themes:

• Global Art Musics [e.g. history/culture, workshop, ensemble, and special topics theory courses in art music traditions]
• Experimental and Contemporary Musics [e.g. culture/history courses in contemporary and popular musics, and workshop courses in music production, technology, and songwriting]
• Spontaneous Composition/Improvisation [e.g. theory and practice courses in improvisation, ensembles involving improvisation-focused traditions]

For more detailed information regarding course requirements, please reference the resources linked below:

B.A. in Music – Global Musics Concentration

The objective of the Global Musics (GM) concentration is to prepare students to perform, think critically, and write in a diverse range of musical practices.

The GM concentration provides a pathway for students interested in various modes of musical inquiry not limited to western art music to pursue the Music major (though western art music is included). Students in the GM concentration will take a variety of history and culture courses & participate in ensembles and performance practice workshops – gaining academic and performance fluency in a variety of musical practices.

In addition to taking core music courses, students in the GM concentration will also be required to complete three of seven “Modules”, or course pathways, organized around a central theme.

Modules contain courses that cross a range of regional, genre and theme-based topics including:

• Region/Area coverage (and repertoires within area)—Europe; Asia (including South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia); Africa and the Americas (including Latin America and Latin American Diasporas & Africa and African Diasporas);
• Genre/Repertoire coverage—Jazz; Contemporary/Experimental;
• Theme-based coverage—Popular Music; World Musics.

For more detailed information regarding course requirements, please reference the resources linked below:

B.A. in Music – Western Art Music Concentration

The Western Art Music concentration is simply a renaming of our longstanding Music B.A. curriculum. It emphasizes deep knowledge in Western theory, history, and applied performance on a primary instrument, but allows for students to branch out into other areas via upper-division electives. Unlike the other two concentrations, it is not focused around a modular design.

For more detailed information regarding course requirements, please reference the resources linked below: