Welcome to the Music Theory and Composition Area. This page will introduce you to the faculty and to our current undergraduate and graduate curricula. If you have any questions concerning courses, requirements, or degree programs in music theory and/or composition, please feel free to contact the Theory/Composition Area Coordinator.
The required undergraduate “core” curriculum in music includes 4-5 semesters of Music Theory and 4 semesters of Aural Skills. These core courses provide essential foundation knowledge, skills, and tools for all undergraduate musicians, regardless of specialization, concerning the basic principles of tonal harmony and musicianship, musical form, and 20th-century compositional and analytic techniques.
Our core music theory and aural skills courses meet three times weekly and involve reading, writing, performing, discussing, and listening to music—as well as regularly-assigned study and individual skill development outside of class. In addition, instructors and student assistants provide many hours of individual tutorial support as needed. The language and perspective gained through these integrated curricula enable students to better understand the music they read and hear, and to converse intelligently with other musicians—including their teachers, peers, and their own future students. You can read descriptions of these and other Music Theory area courses in the Undergraduate Catalog.
The required Master of Music “core” curriculum includes music theory, music history, research methods, and a final recital, thesis, composition, or project. We currently offer several course options that satisfy the music theory area requirement: Tonal Analytical Techniques, Post-Tonal Analytical Techniques, Music Theory Pedagogy, and the Seminar in Music Theory and Composition. You can read descriptions of these and other Music Theory area courses in the Graduate Catalog.
The composition major is Emphasis 3 of the Bachelor of Music degree program. In addition to the instrumental or vocal audition required by the School of Music, admission to this small and selective program requires submission of a composition portfolio (scores and cassette or CD recordings). For this purpose, we would like to see three recent compositions exhibiting variety in terms of both instrumentation and style.
The Master of Music degree program permits qualified graduate students to major in Music Theory and/or Composition under the Individualized Study option. An audition is not required, but a portfolio of compositions (scores and recordings) and/or scholarly theory writing must be submitted for review by the area faculty as part of the application.
On a space-available basis, undergraduate and graduate students who are not currently composition majors may also study composition for one or more semesters. While there are no specific prerequisites to this individualized study, preference will be given to undergraduate students who have successfully completed most of the undergraduate core theory and aural skills curriculum, and to graduate students who have completed the graduate theory review or demonstrated proficiency in theory preparation.
Portfolios may be mailed directly to the School of Music to the attention of the Theory/Composition Area Coordinator.
Our Music Theory and Composition faculty members are musicians whose scholarly and creative work has been published, performed, recorded, and presented internationally and throughout the USA. These professional activities enable us to provide our students with the benefits of our broad experience in both classroom and individualized instruction. We are all “lifelong learners” who value education and love to teach.