Music

The Major Program

A core curriculum is common for the first two years, with students pursuing a more focused course of study in the junior and senior years. For the senior capstone experience, all students complete a senior project in one of three formats: recital performance, composition, and/or music research. Declaring a music major by the sophomore year is strongly advised.

All majors and prospective majors are reviewed by the music faculty at the end of the fall semester of the sophomore year. Most students should be near the completion of core requirements at this time. Transfer students and those who decide to declare a music major after the sophomore year must consult the department chair.

The review involves a short performance in the student’s primary area of studio instruction, work samples in his or her primary area of interest (for students interested in composition, musicology, or ethnomusicology), and an interview about intended areas of focus in the junior and senior years. In this formal advising opportunity, the entire music faculty is available to help each student plan to fulfill upper-division degree requirements and complete the senior project.

A satisfactory sophomore review results in faculty approval of upper-division status as a music major and is a prerequisite for MUS 490 Senior Project.

Junior music majors must schedule a junior meeting with their advisor to complete the Junior Music Advising Form detailing their plans for and progress toward their senior project. Further advising for a student’s senior project is done individually to match students’ aims with departmental and national standards.

Enrollment in MUS 490 Senior Project requires completion of at least one semester of 300-level study in the chosen area of study. Majors are also required to complete the piano proficiency sequence before enrolling in MUS 490.

Major Requirements

Please click here to view the course catalog and course descriptions.  

All students intending to major in music must first complete (or have waived by examination) MUS 100 and MUS 150.  Credit earned in these courses does not apply toward the major, which requires a minimum of 45 semester credits, distributed as follows:

• Music theory and composition:

  MUS 200	Music Theory II
  MUS 250	Music Theory III

• Music history and literature:

  MUS 162	History of Western Music I
  MUS 163	History of Western Music II

• Four semester credits of a single instrument or voice lessons. Declared majors must enroll in on-campus studio instruction every semester.

• Six semester credits of ensemble chosen from the following list. At least four of the six credits must be from orchestra, wind symphony, or choirs. 

  MUP 111	Orchestra
  MUP 112	Wind Symphony
  MUP 113	Jazz Combos
  MUP 115	Voces Auream Treble Chorus
  MUP 116	Community Chorale
  MUP 117	Cappella Nova
  MUP 118	Opera/Musical Theatre Workshop
  MUP 121	Beginning Gamelan Class
  MUP 125	African Mbira Class
  MUP 135	Percussion Ensemble
  MUP 136	Beginning West African Rhythms Class
  MUP 138	Beginning African Marimba Class
  MUP 214	Guitar Ensemble
  MUP 215	Chamber Music: Classical
  MUP 293	Accompanying

• Four semester credits of world music chosen from the following:

  MUS 106

  Workshops in World Music

• Eight semester credits of upper-division theory or composition chosen from the following:

  MUS 300	Music Theory IV: Contemporary
  MUS 316	Jazz Theory
  MUS 333	Seminar in Electronic Music
  MUS 341	Orchestration
  MUS 342	Counterpoint
  MUS 346	Conducting
  MUS 347	Advanced Conducting

• Four semester credits of upper-division music history or ethnomusicology chosen from:

  MUS 301	Portland Music Scenes
  MUS 307	Topics in Music
  MUS 308	Topics in Music, Comparative and North American
  MUS 361	Writing About Music

  Four semester credits of applied piano lessons:

• MUP 141	Piano Proficiency I
  MUP 142	Piano Proficiency II
  MUP 143	Piano Proficiency III
  MUP 144	Piano Proficiency IV

• Two semester credits in MUS 490.

 

The Minor Program

Students who wish a basic but thorough introduction to the field of music may choose to minor in music. Minors pursue basic coursework in a variety of aspects of music study, history, theory, and performance.

Minor Requirements

A minimum of 23 semester credits, distributed as follows:

Departmental Honors

To qualify for honors, music majors must have a departmental GPA of 3.500 or higher. They must also produce an exceptional senior project.  All eligible senior music majors are reviewed for possible honors by the faculty, who evaluate the quality of their academic coursework and their senior project.  Students must have completed at least two semesters of coursework at Lewis & Clark before being considered eligible for honors.