Musical Studies

The Musical Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences is overseen by the Musical Studies/Double Degree Committee, a General Faculty committee that consists of faculty members from both the Conservatory and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Music for Arts & Science Students

Courses
Although most courses in the Conservatory are open to qualified students in the College of Arts and Sciences, many Conservatory courses and the schedules of applied music teachers in fact become filled entirely with Conservatory students. Thus, although efforts are made to accommodate Arts and Sciences students, they should not expect to enroll in all Conservatory courses of their choice. Courses limited to Conservatory students are noted in the catalog course descriptions.

The courses listed below are specifically designed for Arts & Sciences students:

* CMUS 100 - Introduction to Western Art Music (Offered Second Semester)

* CMUS 103 - Introduction to Musics of the World (Offered First Semester)

* TECH 110/160 – Digital Art and Public Space (Offered First and Second Semesters)

* XART 100 - Concentrations: Art, Music, Culture, Past and Present (Offered Second Semester)

The following courses, described in the Conservatory section of the catalog, are recommended to qualified Arts & Sciences students (see the specific course descriptions in the Conservatory section of this catalog for prerequisites and/or limitations):

* COMP 100 - The Craft of Composition (Offered First Semester)

* MHST 101 - Introduction to the History and Literature of Music (Offered First Semester)

* ETHN 100 – Introduction to Musics of the World (Offered Second Semester)

* EDUC 300 - Principles of Education (Offered First Semester)

Note: Students who wish to elect any course in Music Theory and/or Aural Skills are required to take Music Theory Placement Test 1 and Aural Skills Placement Test 1.

The Conservatory’s Office of Associate Deans makes all assignments to teachers in private study. Because of heavy demands for private study on certain instruments or in composition, it is not always possible to place qualified students with faculty or student teachers; priority is given to advanced students (see “Supervised Student Teaching Program” and “Approved Student Teacher Program” in the Conservatory of Music section of this catalog). A student assigned to private study must contact the teacher before the end of the first week of the semester or forfeit the spot on the teacher’s schedule. College Music/Musical Studies majors must take required primary or secondary private study for a letter grade.

Normally, College students are permitted to earn two hours of credit in applied study per semester (i.e. thirty minutes of instruction weekly). Exceptionally talented students, upon the written recommendation of the private study teacher and with the approval of the Associate Dean in the Conservatory, may earn four hours of credit (i.e. one hour of applied study instruction weekly). In such cases, additional tuition will not be charged unless the four hours of credit increase the student’s registered hours to more than 16 for the semester.

Students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences who wish approval to perform a non-required recital must complete two departmental or studio recital appearances before approval may be requested. A student may apply a maximum of 32 hours of private study toward the BA degree. A student whose work does not merit continuation of private study with a teacher may be removed from the schedule.

A student who at his or her own volition discontinues applied study instruction for one or more semesters is not guaranteed a future place on a teacher’s schedule. A student who has discontinued lessons for more than one semester is required to reaudition. No student may take lessons on more than one instrument without payment of additional tuition (see “Tuition” in the Expenses section of this catalog.

Musical Ensembles
Qualified students in the College of Arts and Sciences are accepted, with or without credit, for membership in Musical Union, Oberlin College Choir, Oberlin Orchestra, Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, Oberlin Wind Ensemble, Oberlin College Community Strings, College-Community Winds, Collegium Musicum, Javanese Gamelan, Mandinka Ensemble, Performing the Music of India, Opera Theater, and various string, woodwind, and brass ensembles under the direction of members of the Conservatory faculty. Each of these may be taken for one credit hour per semester, and may be repeated for credit. A College student may apply a maximum of ten credit hours of ensemble work toward the BA degree. For further details consult the Conservatory of Music section of this catalog.

Musical Studies Major
The Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Musical Studies is an integral part of the liberal arts program of the College of Arts. The Musical Studies major is designed for Arts & Sciences students with serious preparation for and interest in the study of music within a liberal arts context. The major emphasizes critical thinking, writing, and communications skills grounded in practical musical experience. Students in the major build musical foundations in applied study, musicianship skills, and music history, and continue more advanced work in the major with a selection of courses chosen to contextualize their consideration of music.

Students interested in intensive pre-professional training are advised to apply for the Bachelor of Music program in the Conservatory. Students interested in pursuing graduate work in music are advised to take additional courses beyond the minimum major requirements and to pursue the honors program.

Minor
No minor in music exists for College of Arts and Sciences students.

Double-Degree Program
The Double-Degree program leads to both the Bachelor of Music and the Bachelor of Arts degrees. Within the Double-Degree program, the Bachelor of Arts degree may not be in music. Double-degree candidates must be admitted to both the Conservatory of Music and the College of Arts and Sciences, either upon first application to Oberlin or any time while in residence. In the latter instance, students should declare their interest in the double-degree program to the Director of Conservatory or College Admissions as appropriate.

Private Study
Private instruction by members of the Conservatory faculty or by advanced students supervised by the faculty is offered in composition, piano, voice, organ, strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, guitar), woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon), brass (trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba), percussion, and early instruments (harpsichord, fortepiano, recorder, Baroque flute, Baroque oboe, Baroque violin, Baroque cello, viola da gamba). College students are permitted, under the following conditions, to earn credit in private study (see also “Private Study” in the Conservatory of Music section of this catalog): The student must be certified as eligible for credit. This certification must be secured prior to the first semester in which credit is desired and is based on an audition before the appropriate applied study or composition department. Secondary Private Study auditions are held during the orientation periods and/or during the first week of classes each semester; see www.oberlin.edu/condean for audition dates, procedures, and policies. Results of secondary auditions are typically posted one or two days following the auditions on the bulletin board outside Bibbins 113 in the Conservatory.

Major Description

The Musical Studies major is designed for Arts & Sciences students with serious preparation for and interest in the study of music within a liberal arts context. The major emphasizes critical thinking, writing, and communications skills grounded in practical musical experience. Students in the major build musical foundations in applied study, musicianship skills, and music history, and continue more advanced work in the major with a selection of courses chosen to contextualize their consideration of music. Students interested in pursuing graduate work in music are advised to take additional courses beyond the minimum major requirements and to pursue the honors program.

Note: Students interested in intensive pre-professional training are advised to apply for the Bachelor of Music program in the Conservatory.

Admission to the Major

Students must apply for admission to the Musical Studies major. The Musical Studies Committee determines acceptance to the major on the basis of the following:

i. Successful completion of one of the following courses, with either a required minimum grade of B- or the recommendation of the instructor: MHST 101; JAZZ 290; ETHN 100; TECH 150; COMP 100.

ii. Approval for credit-bearing secondary private study at Oberlin. Approval must be obtained prior to application to the major. Secondary-lesson auditions are organized by the Conservatory at the beginning of each semester; see ww.oberlin.edu/condean for audition procedures and requirements.

iii. An essay in which the applicant articulates specific goals for the major, specifies an area of concentration/focus within the major, identifies advanced courses appropriate to that concentration, and provides a rationale for those choices.

Major Requirements

The major consists of a minimum of 43 credit hours of foundational and advanced work, apportioned as follows:

I. Musical Foundations: minimum 30 hrs required.

a. Music Theory & Aural Skills: 12 hrs

    MUTH 130/131: Theory I (3hrs); MUTH 101: Aural Skills I (1hr)
    MUTH 132: Theory II (3hrs); MUTH 102: Aural Skills II (1 hr)
    MUTH 231: Theory III (3hrs); MUTH 201: Aural Skills III (1hr)

b. Musicology: 10 hrs

    MHST 101 (4 hrs) [1]
    MHST 200-level (3 hrs)
    MHST or ETHNO 200-level or HPRF 302 (3 hrs)

c. Applied Study: 8-10 hrs

A minimum of four semesters (8 hours) of secondary private study. [2]
Successful completion of a minimum of two ensembles, to be selected from the following:

APST 700 (Musical Union); APST 701 (Oberlin College Choir); APST 702 (Oberlin College Singers); APST 703 (Chamber Choir); APST 705 (Oberlin College Women’s Chorale); APST 710 (Oberlin Orchestra); APST 711 (Oberlin Chamber Orchestra); APST 720 (Oberlin Wind Ensemble); APST 722 (College-Community Winds); APST 723 (Contemporary Music Ensemble); APST 725 (Oberlin College Community Strings); APST 730 Collegium Musicum; APST 800 (Chamber Music); APST 805 (Contemporary Chamber Music); APST 810 (Piano Ensemble); Conservatory world-music ensembles; Conservatory historical-performance ensembles.[3]

II. Advanced Work in the Major Concentration: minimum 13 hrs required.

The Musical Studies major offers students the opportunity both tofocus and contextualize their study of music. Each Musical Studies major must identify an area of concentration and propose a minimum of three specific advanced courses appropriate to that concentration. The Musical Studies Senior seminar offers students an opportunity to place their study within a broader cultural context, and to conduct research, creative, and/or performance studies leading to the capstone project.

a. Concentration Courses:

Three courses as appropriate to the approved concentration within the major. Two of these courses must be above the introductory level and one additional course must be at the 300-level or above. [4] Concentration electives may not duplicate Musical Foundations courses and must include at least one Conservatory course.

b. Musical Studies Senior Seminar [5] (4hrs)

[1] Students who enter the major through CMUS 100 may substitute another MHST or ETHN course for MHST 101.

[2] Students interested in graduate study in music are advised to pursue private applied study and ensembles each semester.

[3] An audition may be required for certain ensembles. Large ensembles registered for zero-credit may be used to fulfill this requirement.

[4] MUTH 232 and MHST 200-level courses may be applied towards fulfillment of this requirement. Students interested in graduate study in music are advised to fulfill concentration requirements with upper-division music electives; specifically recommended is MHST 301: Introduction to Music Research and Writing.

[5] A capstone project reflecting the student’s concentration is a requirement of this class.

Honors Program

Students in the Music Studies major who wish to pursue an independent research project are invited to apply for the honors program in the second semester of the junior year. Entry to the honors program is contingent on approval of the honors proposal by both the student’s advisor and the College Music Committee. Detailed application information is available from the Chair of the College Music Committee.

Students admitted to the honors program must enroll in CMUS 400/401 (Senior Honors). The requirements for the successful completion of the honors project include a scholarly thesis and comprehensive examinations.