Learning Goals in the Music Studies Major

The flexible nature of the major in Music Studies gives students the ability to personalize their course of study as they undertake a balanced approach to the varied disciplines of music, including performance, ethnomusicology, cultural studies, histories of music, theories of music, technology, and composition. Students work with advisers to create a coherent and meaningful major that is designed to build their skills as musicians while they pursue their individual interests.

In the course of study at Connecticut College, Music Studies majors will:

• Develop a personal vehicle of expression through performance and the act of creating original music
• Understand musics in their cultural and historical contexts
• Engage with music by building foundational skills and applying a range of theoretical lenses to diverse repertoires
• Analyze varied musical practices through fieldwork methodologies
• Acquire critical perspectives that span constructed stylistic boundaries and classifications
• Prepare for a lifelong relationship with music