The Music Major
- The Music Major
- Mission and Goals
- Declaring a Music Major
- Music Major Requirements
- Sample Plan for the Major
- Major in Music with a Concentration in Performance (New in Fall 2006)
- Waiver of Music Major Requirements
THE MUSIC MAJOR
The undergraduate curriculum of the music department is designed for the student who wishes to pursue a broad range of musical interests within the context of a liberal arts education. Emphasis is given to a variety of musical disciplines, including composition, theory, performance, ethnomusicology, and musicology (music history). The music major is designed not only to prepare the student for graduate work in music scholarship, performance, or composition, but also to offer a solid foundation in one of the most ancient and universal of the liberal arts.
The music major may be considered a component of one's general education--a central focus of an otherwise diverse experience--or it may be treated as a pre-professional program. The two views are certainly not mutually exclusive: the choice of this major need not imply any specific vocational commitment. In practice, the music major can provide either a general survey of music as a liberal arts experience or as a path into various areas of specialization. The music department cuts a wide swath across the fields of music. In keeping with its goal of musical excellence within the liberal arts environment, the music department has attracted a versatile faculty of distinguished performers, conductors, composers, and scholars.
What happens to students after they leave the music department? Many graduates have continued their academic and professional studies at universities and professional institutions in this country and abroad. Many enjoy active careers as college teachers, private teachers, classical and jazz performers, musicologists, composers, conductors, and opera or concert managers. Others have held posts such as the first professional president of the New York Philharmonic, the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, the artistic director for a large recording company, and as arranger-conductor for Hollywood TV productions. Our graduates have won the BMI Young Composer Awards, the ASCAP Foundation1s Grants to Young Composers, and the Charles Ives Fellowship from American Academy of Arts and Letters. Thus, the professional relevance of a major in music seems to encompass a wide range of careers. Many students have chosen not to pursue music as a career, but have nonetheless found the music major to be an excellent focus of their liberal arts education, preparing them for graduate and professional study in fields such as law, medicine, or business.
DECLARING A MUSIC MAJOR
Soon after declaration of the music major at the Pre-Major Advising Center, you will receive a copy of the Handbook for Music Majors and Minors. After reading the handbook, you should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), who will assign you an advisor. You can then arrange an appointment with your advisor so you can meet each other and begin to plan your program of study. It is possible to change advisors if, for one reason or another, the pairing proves unsatisfactory. Changes should be arranged with the DUS.
What can an advisor do for you? At the very minimum, an advisor provides your Personal Identification Number (PIN) that allows you to register twice a year. Beyond that, an advisor is a person with whom you plan a coherent program of study and then revise as your interests and our offerings change. In addition, advisors are useful sources of information concerning courses and instructors. For major planning efforts or for advice on specialized points, it is often useful to consult with other faculty members as well. Besides the mandatory conferences for first majors during pre-registration, it is not unreasonable to seek out your advisor at other times (by appointment).
MUSIC MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
In addition to the general requirements of the University as outlined in the Bulletin of Undergraduate Instruction, a student wishing to graduate as a music major with an A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) degree must complete the following courses in the Department of Music:
The new music major requires ten full course credits, at least eight of which must be at the 100-level or above, plus study in applied music (see below.)
Prerequisite:
Music 65: Theory and Practice of Tonal Music I (Music 55 may be taken first as a remedial course for students with insufficient background, but it does not count toward the major.)
Requirements:
Music 114: Theory and Practice of Tonal Music II
Music 115: Theory and Practice of Tonal Music III
Music 155: Music History I (to 1650)
Music 156: Music History II (1650-1850)
Music 157: Music History III (after 1850)
Music 190S Seminar in Music OR a 200-level course approved by the DUS
ONE course each from TWO of the following three groups:
Group A: The Post-Tonal Era
Music 117S: Theory and Practice of Post-Tonal Music
Music 139: Music and Modernism
Group B: Outside the Western Classical Tradition
Music 134: Music in East Asia
Music 135: Music in South Asia
Music 136: World Music: Aesthetic and Anthropological
Approaches
Music 137: Music, Social Life, and Scenes
Music 138S: Special Topics in Ethnomusicology
Music 141S: Special Topics in Jazz
Music 142: African-American Music in the Twentieth Century
Group C: Advanced Studies in Performance and Composition
Music 161: Advanced Composition
Music 177: Advanced Study in Conducting
Music 179: Advanced Study in Musical Performance
Music elective approved by the DUS
Applied music: 2 semesters of study in an instrument
or voice
Ensemble: 2 semesters in a departmental ensemble (excluding
Music 102)
SAMPLE PLAN FOR THE MAJOR
It is a good idea to begin taking required music major courses during your freshman year. While it is certainly possible to begin required courses in the second year, this might make your schedule during the last semesters less flexible. If you are considering a semester of study away from Duke, you should be especially careful in your planning.
Students should be aware that certain music major requirements are typically offered only once during the academic year. The pattern is usually as follows:
Fall: Music 115, 155, 157
Spring: Music 116S or 117S, 156, 190S
Fall and Spring: Music 65, 114
A typical course of study for a music major with an emphasis on performance might look something like this:
Freshman year
Fall: Music 65, ensemble, applied lessons
Spring: Music 114, ensemble, applied lessons
Sophomore year
Fall: Music 115, ensemble, applied lessons
Spring: Music 156, ensemble, applied lessons
Junior year
Fall: Music 157, applied lessons
Spring: Music 187S
Senior Year
Fall: Music 155, applied lessons
Spring: Music 179, 190S
This represents a common scenario for some Duke music majors. However, another course of study might be quite different, including less applied music and more courses in music literature, theory, composition, or ethnomusicology. You and your advisor will work out a coherent plan that suits your needs. For more information, please contact Susan Dunn, Director of Undergraduate Studies.
MAJOR IN MUSIC WITH A CONCENTRATION IN PERFORMANCE (New in Fall 2006)
The new major in music with a concentration in performance provides the opportunity to pursue an intensive course of study and practice in instrumental or vocal performance.Prerequisite:
Music 65: Theory and Practice of Tonal Music I (Music 55 may be taken first as a remedial course for students with insufficient background, but it does not count toward the major.)
Requirements:
Music 114: Theory and Practice of Tonal Music II
Music 115: Theory and Practice of Tonal Music III
Music 155: Music History I (to 1650)
Music 156: Music History II (1650-1850)
Music 157: Music History III (after 1850)
Music 190S Seminar in Music OR a 200-level course approved by the DUS
TWO full credits of Music 179, culminating in a recital
ONE additional music elective approved by the DUS
At least FIVE semesters of applied music (Music 80-99, 179) earning a minimum of four full creditsTWO semesters of participation in a departmental ensemble (not 102)
Faculty advisory panel consultation during sophomore year or before delacring a major.
For more information about the new major, please contact Susan Dunn, Director of Undergraduate Studies.