MAJOR
All students pursuing a Music major must complete the following courses:
Required Courses:
| MUSC 151 | Theory and Practice of Music I | 4 units |
| MUSC 250 | Theory and Practice of Music II | 4 units |
| MUSC 490 | Senior Seminar | 4 units |
In addition to these 12 units required of all Music majors, students majoring in Music must pursue one of the following tracks: Music Production, Music Composition, Instrumental Performance, Vocal Performance, Ethnomusicology/Popular Music, Musicology, or Music Theory & Analysis.
Music Production
Music business instruction will be provided through academic advising, internships, and our music production guest speaker series.
| MUSC 148 | Introduction to Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) | 4 units |
| MUSC 248 | Advanced Production: Sampling and Synthesis | 4 units |
| MUSC 249 | Recording Techniques | 4 units |
| MUSC 348 | Mixing and Mastering | 4 units |
| MUSC 351 | Theory and Practice of Music III | 4 units |
| MUSC 263 | Western Music and Culture in the 20th Century | 4 units |
| | One 4-unit production elective (two, if they pass out of MUSC 148) | |
| | One MUSC 200-level or above popular or non-Western music course | 4 units |
| | Two semesters of piano study (if new to the piano, the first semester will be MUSA 102, for which declared majors will receive funding) | 2 units |
| | Two units of ensemble participation (MUSC 120-130) | 2 units |
Students may pass out of MUSC 148 after receiving the permission of the instructor of the course. If they do so, they must take an additional production elective.
Music Composition
| MUSC 148 | Introduction to Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) | 4 units |
| | Four semesters of MUSC 257 | 16 units |
| MUSC 261 | Western Music and Culture: 1600-1789 | 4 units |
| MUSC 272 | Instrumental Conducting | 2 units |
| MUSC 351 | Theory and Practice of Music III | 4 units |
| | One MUSC 200-level or above popular or non-Western music course (must satisfy Second-Stage Writing) | 4 units |
| | Two semesters of ensemble participation (MUSC 120-130) | 2-4 units |
Instrumental Performance
| MUSC 114 | Introduction to the Orchestra | 4 units |
| MUSC 261 | Western Music and Culture: 1600-1789 | 4 units |
| MUSC 272 | Instrumental Conducting | 2 units |
| MUSC 351 | Theory and Practice of Music III | 4 units |
| | One MUSC 200-level or above popular or non-Western music course (must satisfy Second-Stage Writing) | 4 units |
| | Four semesters of private lessons on one's principal instrument (MUSA 200-level course and above) | 4 units |
| | Four semesters of ensemble participation (MUSC 120-130) | 4-8 units |
Vocal Performance
| MUSC 115 | Topics in Vocal Music | 4 units |
| MUSC 261 | Western Music and Culture: 1600-1789 | 4 units |
| MUSC 273 | Choral Conducting | 2 units |
| MUSC 351 | Theory and Practice of Music III | 4 units |
| | One MUSC 200-level or above popular or non-Western music course (must satisfy Second-Stage Writing) | 4 units |
| | Four semesters of private lessons on one's principal instrument (MUSA 200-level course and above) | 4 units |
| | Four semesters of ensemble participation (MUSC 120-130) | 4-8 units |
Ethnomusicology or Popular Music
| | Four MUSC 200-level or above popular or non-Western music courses (one must satisfy Second-Stage Writing) | 16 units |
| | Two 100-level popular or non-Western music courses | 8 units |
| MUSC 261 | Western Music and Culture: 1600-1789 | 4 units |
| MUSC 263 | Western Music and Culture in the 20th Century | 4 units |
| | Two semesters of participation in MUSC 123, MUSC 124, or MUSC 127 | 2 units |
| | Two semesters of private lessons (a MUSA 200-level course) | 2 units |
Musicology
| MUSC 114 | Introduction to the Orchestra | 4 units |
| MUSC 115 | Topics in Vocal Music | 4 units |
| MUSC 261 | Western Music and Culture: 1600-1789 | 4 units |
| MUSC 263 | Western Music and Culture in the 20th Century | 4 units |
| MUSC 351 | Theory and Practice of Music III | 4 units |
| | Two MUSC 200- or 300-level history or culture electives chosen in consultation with one's Music major advisor, one of which must be a popular or non-Western music course | 8 units |
| | Two semesters of ensemble participation (MUSC 120-130) | 2-4 units |
| | Two semesters of private lessons (MUSA courses) | 2 units |
Music Theory and Analysis
| MUSC 113 | Learning to Compose | 4 units |
| MUSC 261 | Western Music and Culture: 1600-1789 | 4 units |
| MUSC 263 | Western Music and Culture in the 20th Century | 4 units |
| MUSC 351 | Theory and Practice of Music III | 4 units |
| | One MUSC 200- or 300-level analysis-rich course that fulfills the second-stage writing requirement | 4 units |
| | Two semesters of MUSC 350 | 4 units |
| | Two semesters of ensemble participation (MUSC 120-130) | 2-4 units |
| | Two semesters of private lessons (MUSA courses) | 2 units |
SECOND-STAGE WRITING REQUIREMENT
Students majoring in Music will satisfy the second-stage component of Occidental College's college-wide writing requirement by successfully completing a writing-intensive 200-level course in the sophomore or junior year with a grade of B- or better. The writing-intensive courses that qualify are indicated in their course description. These courses will adopt the First-Stage Writing Proficiency Requirement's 1-6 rubric to proficiency in writing music scholarship. A grade of B- or better in these courses thus means that students will have received the rubric rating of 4 or above. Students receiving a C+ or lower will have to take another Music course that satisfies this requirement. If the student fails to pass this requirement after taking this second course, the student will have to take and pass WRD 201 in order to satisfy this requirement for graduation.
COMPREHENSIVE REQUIREMENT
Senior music majors complete a senior project related to the student's area of interest. All senior projects involve both a written and an oral component. The written component (thesis draft; or analytic, final draft of argument-driven essay plus recital program notes) must be completed by the end of MUSC 490, which is offered in the fall semester. Each component is graded High Pass (HP), Pass (P), or Fail (F). A final grade of Pass with Distinction (PD) on the senior comprehensive will be awarded if all components (written, oral, and performance, if applicable) are graded High Pass.
In the Fall semester of their junior year, students submit a proposal for their senior project to the Music Department faculty for approval. Students pursuing tracks in Ethnomusicology/Popular Music, Musicology, or Music Theory & Analysis will propose a senior thesis of 6500 words or more in length (excluding footnotes and bibliography). Students with a particular interest in composition will prepare a portfolio of original compositions, including both acoustic and electro-acoustic music, some of which will be presented in a composition recital during the senior year. Composers will write an argument-driven analytic paper of 2500 words or more in length, focusing on the work of a composer whose work has influenced their styles. Students with a demonstrated ability in performance will propose a junior and a senior recital, and will write an argument-driven analytic paper of 2500 words or more in length on a piece or pieces of music on the senior recital. Students pursuing music production will complete a project designed with their advisor and in consultation with the Music faculty, and will write an argument-driven analytic paper of 2500 words or more in length on an aspect of production relevant to their project.
All seniors will present their work in a public forum during the spring semester. If the Music faculty determines that the senior has not sufficiently prepared to complete the project in time, the senior must take a written examination in lieu of the recital or thesis submission/presentation in order to fulfill the senior comprehensive requirement. The faculty will supply questions drawn from the material of that senior’s course of music study at Occidental.
HONORS
Students who have achieved at least a 3.25 average in their Music courses and have demonstrated exceptional potential in their Music subfield of study (one of the tracks listed above) may apply for the Honors Program at the end of their junior year. For information about the Honors Program, students should consult their Music Department faculty adviser. See the Honors Program for additional information.