Bachelor of Arts in Music - Cultural Studies Track

The Department of Music offers a broad-based undergraduate major that combines the study of history, theory, composition, and performance. The core of the program consists of two years of theory (with associated labs that provide further training in the musicianship skills necessary for all musical endeavors), three semesters of the history of Western music, participation in University ensemble, and three electives chosen from a broad array of topics. Students may, if desired, opt for one of five specialized tracks within the music major or work with a faculty adviser to propose an alternate program in accordance with their own interests. Cultural Studies The track in cultural studies encourages students to develop an understanding of music of various traditions in their cultural and social contexts. Students in this interdisciplinary track select courses in cultural studies from offerings in the schools of creative arts, social sciences, and humanities. Learning Goals The learning goals for the Music Department are based on an integrated approach to the study of music, encompassing a number of perspectives: Music as a technical discipline, with its own notation, materials and forms. Music as an artifact of different historical periods, cultures and societies, both Western and non-Western, in written as well as oral traditions. The practice of music in the context of both performance and composition. Music as expression and communication, fostering a deeply sympathetic understanding of peoples, a sense of community, and a humane and tolerant outlook on the world. In addition to the general requirements for the Music Major, students may enrich their experience by choosing to pursue one of five specialized tracks offered by the Department. Whichever route a student follows, course-work is built on three essential ways of knowing about and experiencing the field of music. CULTURAL STUDIES TRACK Cultural Studies is a semi-independent track in music that is a reflective, critical and cross-disciplinary exploration of culture with music as a primary lens. Students are encouraged to take courses across the academy in global studies, the creative arts, religion, languages, the social sciences, and the humanities in order to develop tools and strategies for the serious study of the various expressions of culture across place and time. Students are expected to apply critical thinking to issues of globalization, trans-nationalism, cultural production, and cultural rights, as they explore the flow of artistic expression across traditional boundaries: political, cultural, social. They are encouraged to study a non-Western instrument and to take the opportunity to study abroad. Upon graduating, a CST student will be prepared to pursue graduate study in ethnomusicology, music education, or (in some cases) performance, as well as fields outside of music, including cultural or international studies.