The curriculum of Lang College's Music program provides undergraduate students with a broad yet focused range of intellectual perspectives and practical skills that go beyond the assumptions of a traditional conservatory curriculum, training them in the kinds of knowledge and the practical abilities that reflect the new and evolving challenges of careers in music today.
Disciplinary knowledge from the fields of musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory remains a crucial foundation for this program, but interdisciplinary approaches are equally important as students learn to apply their knowledge and skills within and across other artistic disciplines (such as theater or dance) and other liberal arts disciplines (such as history, literature, or philosophy). Hands-on practice and creative process are also emphasized, so that students learn to engage with musical thinking as well as music-making in inventive ways.
The curriculum of the Music concentration is structured around three focus areas:
- Courses on popular and global music exploring both mainstream and alternative genres, international repertoires and musical practices, as well as the musical life of immigrant and diasporic communities within New York City. Sample courses: Hip Hop, Punk and Noise, How Race Defines American Music, Music in Jewish Life, Music in the Islamic World
- Courses in music technology and new media focusing on the digital production and distribution of music as well as the uses of music in film, video, and other media. Sample courses: Introduction to Music Technology, Music and Digital Media, Prospects of Recording, Music in Film, Intermedia
- Courses in music history, theory, and criticism, including music philosophy and aesthetics, the poetics of music, the study of music in its social and cultural contexts, and interdisciplinary connections linking music and the other arts. Sample courses: Romanticism in Music and Literature, Poetics of Song, Visual Music, History and Culture of the Piano, Musical Borrowing from Plainchant to Sampling
Most courses in the Music curriculum are suitable for students of all levels of musical training and experience, and many courses do not require the ability to read traditional music notation. Prerequisites (such as Fundamentals of Western Music, or Global Perspectives on Music) are noted in individual course descriptions.
Lang students can also enroll in other music courses, performance ensembles, and private lessons through Mannes College The New School for Music; The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music; and Parsons The New School for Design. For students interested in study abroad, Lang College occasionally offers a summer course, "Music in Berlin," in collaboration with the FUBIS program at the Free University in Berlin.
CONCENTRATING IN MUSIC
The Music concentration within the Arts major requires twelve courses—plus the Senior Capstone—as follows:
- Two courses in Western Music, including "Fundamentals of Western Music"
- Two courses in World or non-Western Music, including "Global Perspectives on Music"
- Four additional Music courses identified by the subject code LMUS
- ULEC 2320: Aesthetics, or another designated aesthetics course
- Three additional Integrative Arts courses identified by the subject code LINA (LAIC before Fall 2010)
- Senior Capstone project, either the Senior Seminar or an Individual or Collaborative Independent Project
ARTS IN CONTEXT
Students interested in studying music may also choose the Arts in Context concentration, where they combine the study of music with any liberal arts area. For example, students can study music criticism and journalism by taking courses through Literary Studies and Writing, while other majors and minors (such as Psychology, Urban Studies, and Social Inquiry) also provide wider contexts for music studies. See the Arts in Context pages for further information about this option.
MINORING IN MUSIC
Students majoring in a different program at Lang College may choose the Music minor, which requires the following six courses:
- Two Integrative courses identified by the subject code LINA (LAIC before Fall 2010); ULEC 2320: Aesthetics may count as one of these courses
- Four music courses identified by the subject code LMUS, including at least one introductory, two intermediate, and one advanced course
Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses required for the area of study.
Students should refer to the current applicable Lang College catalog for the Bachelor of Arts degree completion requirements, and confirm their progress in satisfying those requirements with their academic advisor each semester.
