The Music Major introduces students to the primary subfields of music, developing the skills of research, analysis, performance, and the creation of original work. Broadly diverse in its coverage of styles, cultures, and fields, the Music Department provides students foundational knowledge in multiple modes of music study, but also offers students substantial freedom in crafting focus of courses relevant to individual interests. The skills in critical thinking, research, writing, and performance gained in the major have proven pertinent and applicable to alumni in a broad variety of fields. Students planning a professional career in music should consult with faculty members in their area for advice and assistance.
Requirements for the Music Major
Sixty-four credits, including:
- Musical Foundations and Theory (16 credits)
- MUSC 103 Musicianship I
- MUSC 104 Musicianship II
- MUSC 110 Theory I: The Principles of Harmony
- MUSC 204 Theory II: Musical Structures
- One 200- or 300-level course in Western Art Music (6 credits)
- LCST 250 Songs and Stories: Music and/as Language
- MUSC 211 Race, Gender, and Classical Music
- MUSC 212 Sex, Music, and the Virtuoso (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 217 Opera: Stage, Screen, Recording (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 218 Listening to Dance Music (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 219 The Musical Avant-Garde (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 308 Seminar in Music Analysis (not offered in 2022-23)
- One 200- or 300-level course in Ethnomusicology or Popular Music (6 credits)
- ARBC 222 Music in the Middle East
- MUSC 213 J-Pop: Listening to Music in Modern Japan
- MUSC 215 Western Music and its Social Ecosystems, 1830-Present (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 232 Golden Age of R & B (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 241 Music of Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 246 Music in Racism and Antiracism
- MUSC 247 1950s/60s American Folk Music Revival
- MUSC 248 Music of South Asia (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 313 Video Game Music: History, Interpretation, Practice
- MUSC 320 Ambient Music
- MUSC 337 Music in Social Movements (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 338 Sonic Spectacles in Minnesota and Beyond: Music as Heritage (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 341 Rock Lab and Lab (not offered in 2022-23)
- Composition (6 credits)
- MUSC 153J Composition (Juried)
- MUSC 208 Computer Music and Sound
- MUSC 220 Composition Studio
- MUSC 221 Electronic Music Composition
- MUSC 222 Composing for Ad Hoc Ensemble (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 223 Vocal Counterpoint (not offered in 2022-23)
- MUSC 224 Collaborative Composition in Community Partnership
- MUSC 225 Performing with Electronics
- MUSC 253J Composition (Juried)
- Ensemble Participation (2 credits)
- Juried Applied Lessons (4 credits)
- Any combination of juried applied lessons and MUSC 299 may fill this requirement. Composition 153J/253J does not satisfy this requirement
- 300-level Seminar (6 credits)
- Any Music course numbered between Music 303 to Music 339, Inclusive note: a course which fulfills the seminar requirement may not be “double counted” toward other requirements, e.g., Western Art Music, Ethnomusicology, or Popular Music.
- Any Music course numbered between Music 303 to Music 339, Inclusive note: a course which fulfills the seminar requirement may not be “double counted” toward other requirements, e.g., Western Art Music, Ethnomusicology, or Popular Music.
- Music Electives (12 credits)
- Any MUSC credits, including Music classes and Cognitive Science 130, The Musical Mind, ensembles, chamber music, applied lessons, and MUSC 299
- Any MUSC credits, including Music classes and Cognitive Science 130, The Musical Mind, ensembles, chamber music, applied lessons, and MUSC 299
- Integrative exercise (6 credits)