Introduction
Offerings in Music are given in three related areas:
- music & sound studies (music history, ethnomusicology, sound studies)
- music composition/theory
- music performance
The department frequently offers courses exploring such diverse subjects as ethnomusicology, music and gender, music in media, sound and the environment, music and politics, and popular music.
Course descriptions, requirements for the major, FAQs and other information may be found on the department web site.
Music theory placement
What many colleges refer to as "music theory," Dickinson has retitled and recast as the "Keys to Music" sequence of courses to reflect more accurately what is taught in those courses and to enhance the studies of the mechanics of music with historical perspective. There are six levels of Keys to Music, beginning with fundamentals for students who have no or nearly no experience in music: MUAC 115, Keys to Music 1: Overture.
It may be possible to test out of one or more semesters of the Keys to Music sequence (115, 125, 126, 245, 246). The placement exam is offered online and at Music Information Night (second night of classes). No AP Music Theory score alone qualifies a student for Music Theory credit.
Courses appropriate for prospective majors
MUAC 100 Topics in Music
MUAC 101 Early Musical Migrations
MUAC 102 The Listening Mind
MUAC 115 Keys to Music 1: Overture
MUAC 125 Keys to Music 2: Sacred Roots
MUAC 126 Keys to Music 3: The Enlightenment
MUAC 131 Introduction to the Art of Composition
MUAC 133 Living Music, Modern and Contemporary
MUAC 206 Music in the United States
MUAC 209 Listening Across Cultures
MUAC 221 Music in Media
*First-year students intending to major in music are strongly encouraged to take the Music Theory placement exam and complete MUAC 125 and 126 as early as possible. (They can be taken out of sequence.) Students considering a major in music should consult with a faculty advisor in music.
*Performance Studies: For all prospective majors in the music performance track, private studio instruction should begin as soon as possible.
A fee is assessed for all Performance Studies lessons (with the exception of the MUPS 111 classes, and declared music majors who meet certain criteria). These fees are added to the student’s tuition when registration is confirmed at the end of the Add/Drop period (see the Financial Operations web page for current fee amounts). Performance Studies fees are non-refundable.
For course descriptions and requirements for the major, refer to the Academic Bulletin: Music.
Courses that fulfill distribution requirements
Arts Requirement and Divsion IC credit
• Participating for four semesters in the same faculty-led ensemble (Choir, Jazz Ensemble, Orchestra, or Chamber Music.)
• One full-credit of Performance Studies lessons in an instrument or voice (two half credits in the same instrument or voice may be coupled together to make a full credit).
• Any full-credit MUAC class (two half-credits in composition courses may be coupled together to make a full credit).
Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
MUAC 125 Keys to Music 2: Sacred Roots
MUAC 126 Keys to Music 3: The Enlightenment
Global Diversity
MUAC 209 Listening Across Cultures
MUAC 210 Pause: The Politics of Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Hip Hop Music
MUAC 210 Topics in Global Music: It's a Hip Hop World
MUAC 210 Topics in Global Music
MUAC 211 Music, Gender & Performance
MUAC 212 Popular Musics of the Portuguese Black Atlantic
MUAC 355 Seminar in Ethnomusicology: Music and Place
MUAC 356 The Social Life of Music & Sound
U.S. Diversity
MUAC 206 Music in the United States
Sustainability
MUAC 357 - Ear to the Earth
WID
MUAC 345 Keys to Music 6: Theorizing Possibilities
MUAC 354 German Music and Politics
MUAC 355 Seminar in Ethnomusicology: Music and Place
MUAC 356 The Social Life of Music & Sound
MUAC 357 Ear to the Earth
Department Ensembles (MUEN)
Students participating in MUEN ensembles will receive .25 credit per semester of co-curriculum involvement. Students will receive grades of Credit (CR) or No Credit (NC).
All music department ensembles at Dickinson (choir, jazz ensemble, and orchestra) as well as the chamber music program are open to all students via audition. Auditions on all instruments (including voice) comprise the performance of one work (a movement or song) that demonstrates the student's best musical abilities. Instrumentalists may also be asked to play specific scales. Placement for private lessons, ensembles, and chamber music takes place on the first Tuesday of the fall semester at Music Information Night, which is held at 5:30 p.m. in Weiss Center for the Arts.
After placement in an ensemble, students will receive a registration code from the faculty director and then must register themselves through Banner.
Students may participate in more than one ensemble at a time, as no rehearsals overlap.
Lockers for instrument storage are available to students participating in ensembles and/or taking lessons in the department.
Performance Studies (MUPS)
Dickinson invites all students - from beginners to advanced students- to further or begin their study of music through Performance Studies. Performance Studies/studio lessons at Dickinson are open to all students, regardless of major, and carry academic credit.
Private lessons are offered in voice and instruments, either as half-hour lessons or full-hour lessons in the Performance Studies program. Performance Studies lessons are taken for credit (one half-credit for a semester of weekly half-hour lessons, one full-credit for a semester of weekly full-hour lessons.) One credit of private lessons in the same instrument satisfies the Arts Requirement.
In order to begin private lessons at Dickinson, students should follow these steps:
1. Attend Music Information Night (MIN) at 5:30 the first Tuesday of each fall semester of classes. MIN is where students can meet their instructor(s) and get placed into lessons and/or
ensembles. Upperclass students may contact the appropriate faculty instructor for placement. (A directory of all Performance Studies faculty, including contact information, is available on the Music Department Faculty page.)
2. The instructor will place the appropriate override code on the student's Banner account.
3. Upon receiving a confirmation email, students must then log in to Banner and register for lessons as they would for any other class.
4. Once registration is confirmed, the student and instructor will arrange for a mutually convenient weekly lesson time.
If performance studies lessons take a student into overload status, they should contact music@dickinson.edu for further guidance.
PLEASE NOTE: A fee is charged for all Performance Studies lessons (with the exception of lessons for music majors meeting certain criteria.) These fees are added to the student's tuition when registration is confirmed at the end of the Add/Drop Period. (See the Financial Operations website for current fee amounts.) Performance Studies fees are non-refundable.
Scholarships may be available from the Department of Music to offset the cost of lessons. Scholarship applications can be submitted through the Gateway Student Forms menu and must be received by noon on the first Wednesday of each semester.
Suggested curricular flow through the major
The music major has three possible tracks/emphases:
- Music and Sound Studies
- Music Performance
- Music Composition and Theory
Students interested in majoring in music are advised to contact Professor Gray (Department Chair). More information on the music core curriculum and course requirements for specific tracks can be found on the departmental website.
Music Theory Placement Exam
Any student who is interested in taking music theory courses (MUAC 115, 125, and 126) is strongly encouraged to take the online placement exam. The placement exam can be found on the student to-do list in Navigate. It is not necessary to take the entire test but only the parts covering materials with which they have experience.
The music theory placement exam is also offered at Music Information Night (the second night of classes). Questions regarding the music theory placement exam should be directed to music@dickinson.edu.
YEARS ONE and TWO
MUAC 100 or 101 or 102
MUAC 115 or 125 or 126 (depending on music theory placement exam)
MUAC 131 or MUAC 231 -- 0.5 credits each
MUAC 133 -- 0.5 credits
MUPS 113 & MUPS 114 -- 0.5 or 1 credit each
MUAC 209
MUAC 245 & 246 (composition/theory and performance emphases) *recommended for Year Two
MUAC 231, 232, & 233 (composition/theory emphasis) -- 0.5 credits each
MUPS 223 & MUPS 224 (performance emphasis)
Music Elective (206, 210, 211, 212, 221, 245, 246, etc.)
Approved Ensembles
YEAR THREE
MUAC 3xx
Music Elective
MUAC 331, 332, 333, 335 -- 0.5 credits each (composition/theory emphasis)
MUPS 323 & 324 (performance emphasis)
MUAC 3xx (music and sound studies emphasis)
MUAC 345 (composition/theory emphasis)
Approved Ensembles
YEAR FOUR
MUAC 401 (all emphases) (note: a MUAC 3xx is pre-requisite for 401)
MUAC 3xx (music and sound studies emphasis)
MUAC 435 (composition emphasis)
MUAC 493 (theory emphasis)
MUPS 423 & 424 (performance emphasis)
Approved Ensembles
Minor
Any six full credits in music, one of which must be a MUAC course.
Co-curricular activities/programs
The Music Society
The Dickinson Music Society is open to all students interested in participating in and enriching campus musical culture. The Club sponsors many activities, including post-concert receptions, regular meetings with guest artists and lecturers, and field trips to off-campus concerts and lectures.
The Music Society is also the sponsor for the student-led outreach initiative Composed - a group of Dickinson students who transport the love of music into the community via local elementary schools and community agencies. Community students learn the basics of playing guitars, keyboards, or ukuleles, and how to write songs.
Additional Remarks
Recent Graduates
Recent graduates of the department include a Fulbright Fellowship winner; others are attending or have attended graduate school in music-related fields at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, University of California - Los Angeles, the Pennsylvania State University, the Royal Academy of Music (London), the University of Michigan, Indiana University, Rutgers, Catholic University, Temple University, New York University, Boston Conservatory, Boston University; Berklee School of Music (Valencia & Boston), Ameican University, Longy School of Music, and University of Southern Carolina.
Graduates of the department are represented in the fields of music performance (the Philadelphia Orchestra), film & video game music, arts administration (the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, BMI), musicological research (RILM), music publishing (G. Schirmer), music therapy, academia, and are teaching privately and in public schools. Dickinson music alumni teach at Concordia College, University of Texas, Arlington, and Princeton University.