The music department's curriculum and major program will be significantly revamped for the 2009-2010 academic year, department chair Theodore Levin announced on Jan. 27. The changes, which include new requirements for music majors, a renumbered course list and the introduction of several new classes, are the result of a year-long planning process that involved input from both faculty members and students.
"The new music major is much more flexible," Levin said. "The problem was that the faculty's enthusiasm for helping students learn about the ever-expanding variety of music in the world had led to an ever-increasing number of course requirements."
To fulfill the major requirements under the new curriculum, students will need to take 10 to 11 courses total, as opposed to the previously required 15 to 17 classes, Levin said. Courses of study will begin with the new prerequisite, Music 20, "Introduction to Music Theory." Under the previous major requirements, Music 5, "Harmony and Theory I," served as the prerequisite.
Students must also complete the new core curriculum composed of Music 21, 22 and 23, titled "Melody and Rhythm," "Harmony and Rhythm" and "Timbre and Form," respectively.
Candidates for the major will then be expected to complete sevenadditional courses in the department to form their areas of concentration, Levin said. Students can choose from several topics, including theory and composition, as well as music history and criticism.
At least five of these classes must be intermediate or upper-level courses numbered above 24. Students will be able to select from several new classes that cover a range of new topics including improvisation and the relationship between music and other academic fields, Levin said.
"We're all excited about the new courses, in particular the core sequence for the major that takes students through a diverse musical repertoire from the perspective of melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre and form," Levin said.
In keeping with the old requirements, each student must demonstrate proficiency on a piano keyboard by taking a keyboard skills class or a proficiency test. Majors must also take at least one class that focuses on non-western music, another holdover from the old program.
The old major required students to take three prerequisites, followed by Music 20, 21 and 22, which focus on music theory. Additionally, all majors also had to enroll in Music 31, 32 and 33, music history and literature classes that each present music from a specific historic era. Music 40, "Ethnomusicology," was also required, leaving students only three courses with which to establish a concentration area.
"Rather than strive for comprehensiveness, the new major focuses more on providing students the tools they need to approach music as performers, creators, critics and researchers," Levin said. "We're aiming for a major program that's both flexible and rigorous, and that prepares students for what they might reasonably be expected to know as 21st-century musicians and music specialists."
According to Levin, the music department has also added or renumbered several introductory courses "to create a simpler and more coherent presentation of the entire curriculum" and to make them appear more accessible to non-majors. "Opera," previously labeledMusic 37 depite not requiring anyprerequisites, is now Music 11. Popular introductory courses like "History of Jazz" and "Music and Technology" will continue to be offered.
Faculty and student reactions to the changes have been "extremely positive" so far, Levin said.
"I had high hopes for the new curriculum, and it surpassed them," music major William Raymer '09 said. "The size of the major -- only 12 classes including prerequisites and performance requirements -- is far more manageable. The theory courses include a much-needed drill component and address a wider set of skills that will be useful in understanding new music and non-western art music, and students are given much greater freedom in choosing electives."
Though the new requirements will not apply to the Class of 2009, members of other classes will be able to use the courses they have already completed under the old curriculum for the new major.
"Current majors and minors in the classes of 2010 and later will receive 'transfer' credit toward the new major and minor for all music courses they've taken to date," Levin said. "We're working individually with each major and minor to effect this."
The proposed changes to the music department's curriculum have already been approved by the humanities faculty divisional council, Levin said.
The department is now awaiting the Committee on Instruction's approval of the distributive requirements fulfilled by each course. Levin expects that the committee will approve the proposals following their meeting later this week.
