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Music Composition
SHAPE YOUR SOUND, SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Music in Composition develop a set of essential skills that prepare them to become independent music creators and thinkers. They are introduced to a wide array of compositional styles, techniques, and practices鈥攊ncluding multimedia creative activities and improvisation鈥攖hat broaden their aesthetic horizons. Many students in this major go on to pursue graduate studies in composition at prestigious institutions or compose professionally.
The Composition Studio is a vibrant and highly active community within the 91原创 School of Music. Many composition students remain active as performers, frequently presenting their own works or those of their peers. They also have access to the School of Music鈥檚 ensembles and productions. The studio hosts students with diverse musical interests, which is reflected in the wide range of works they compose each semester. Over the course of their studies at 91原创, students engage with a variety of compositional styles, techniques, and philosophies, encouraging ongoing artistic growth and evolution.
Interdisciplinary collaboration and experimentation are central to composition studies at 91原创. Close connections with the theory, musicology, and performance areas contribute to a well-rounded academic experience, allowing composition students to enrich their creative work with scholarly research and performance practice.
This academic experience is further enhanced by New Music Delaware, a faculty-led initiative in new music that has, for 40 years, been dedicated to performing and promoting the works of living composers.
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RELATED MAJORS
AREAS OF ST91原创Y
- Music Theory
- Aural Skills
- Music History
- Private Weekly Composition Lessons
- Private Weekly Instrumental or Vocal Lessons
- Ensembles
- Advanced Study in Orchestration, Music Analysis, Harmony and Recording Techniques
CAREER OPTIONS
- Vocational Composition and Arranging
- Collegiate-Level Teaching
- Music Engraver
- Songwriter
- Sound Mastering and Recording
- Sound Design
- Technical Music Assistant
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
- Music Composition
- Music Production
- Arranging and Scoring
- Music Theory
- Music Business
- Composition
- Music Education
- Music Therapy
What鈥檚 special about this program?
The music composition major can be personalized to fit the academic and professional pursuits of each student, individualized to incorporate minors, Honors Degrees, Degrees with Distinction, service learning, study abroad and research. We maintain a low student-to-faculty ratio and small classes, providing access to a passionate, invested and highly accomplished faculty comprised of professionally active performers, composers, educators, theorists and musicologists. The study of music at Delaware is enriched by nearly 300 performances each year by faculty, students, ensembles and guest artists. Additionally, the vast musical resources of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and New York City are easily accessible to our majors.
Get Involved
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (Xi Mu Chapter)
Sigma Alpha Iota (Eto Rho Chapter)
National Association for Music Education (NAfME)
American Choral Directors Association (ACDA)
The Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI)
American String Teachers Association (ASTA)
The Jazz Educators and Performers Association (JEPA)
Music Management Student Assoc (MMSA)
College Music Society (91原创 Student Chapter)
Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic
American Musicological Society, Mid-Atlantic Chapter
A cappella and other musical groups
Nationally Connected Organizations
Ensemble Opportunities
Sample curriculum
| FALL | SPRING |
|---|---|
| ENGL 110 - First-Year Writing | Mathematics Requirement* |
| MUSC 151 - Private Study for Bachelor of Music I | MUSC 152 - Private Study for Bachelor of Music II |
| MUSC 175 - Class Piano: Elementary I | MUSC 176 - Class Piano: Elementary II |
| MUSC 184 - Music Fundamentals: Theory and Fluency | MUSC 186 - Aural Skills II |
| MUSC 185 - Aural Skills I | MUSC 195 - Foundations of Music Theory |
| MUSC 231 - Orchestration | Breadth Requirement (2/8) |
| MUSC 298 - Beginning Music Composition听(1/4) | MUSC 298 - Beginning Music Composition听(2/4) |
| Breadth Requirement (1/8)听 | Ensemble Elective (2/8)*听 |
| Ensemble Elective (1/8)* | 听 |
| First Year Seminar听 | 听 |
| Credits: 17 | Credits: 16 |
| FALL | SPRING |
|---|---|
| MUSC 196 - Musical Objects: Analysis and Application | MUSC 212 - Narratives of Western Classical Music |
| MUSC 211 - Music, History, and Ideas | MUSC 252 - Private Study for Bachelor of Music IV |
| MUSC 251 - Private Study for Bachelor of Music III | MUSC 276 - Class Piano: Intermediate II |
| MUSC 275 - Class Piano: Intermediate I | MUSC 286 - Aural Skills IV |
| MUSC 285 - Aural Skills III | MUSC 295 - Chromatic Harmony and Modulation |
| MUSC 298 - Beginning Music Composition听(3/4)听 | MUSC 298 - Beginning Music Composition听(4/4) |
| Ensemble Elective (3/8)* | Ensemble Elective (4/8)*听 |
| Foreign Language Elective (1/2)* | Foreign Language Elective (2/2)* |
| Credits: 17 | Credits: 17 |
| FALL | SPRING |
|---|---|
| MUSC 296 - Post-tonal Music: Theory and Analysis | Breadth Requirement (4/8) |
| Music History Period Course* | Breadth Requirement (5/8) |
| MUSC 335 - Basic Conducting | MUSC 352 - Private Study for Music Education VI |
| MUSC 351 - Private Study for Music Education V | MUSC 420 - Private Study for Advanced Composition听(2/3) |
| MUSC 392 - Contrapuntal Writing听or听MUSC 393 - Keyboard Harmony | MUSC 411 - Topics in Music History听** |
| MUSC 420 - Private Study for Advanced Composition听(1/3) | Ensemble Elective (6/8)* |
| Ensemble Elective (5/8)* | 听 |
| Breadth Requirement (3/8) | 听 |
| Credits: 18 | Credits: 15 |
| FALL | SPRING |
|---|---|
| MUSC 392 - Contrapuntal Writing听or听MUSC 393 - Keyboard Harmony | MUSC 205 - Music of the World听听 |
| MUSC 407 - Contemporary Music Literature | MUSC 401 - Senior Recital |
| MUSC 420 - Private Study for Advanced Composition听(3/3) | MUSC 423 - Private Study Capstone for Advanced Composition听(DLE and Capstone) |
| MUSC 484 - Recording and Media Techniques | MUSC 495 - Analysis and Interpretation |
| MUSC433 - Contemporary Music Ensemble | 听 |
| Ensemble Elective (7/8)* | Ensemble Elective (8/8)* |
| Breadth Requirement (6/8) | Breadth Requirement (7/8) |
| 听 | Breadth Requirement (8/8) |
| 听 | 听 |
| Credits: 15 | Credits: 16 |
