Music Major

Major Requirements

A major will consist of 40 semester hours in classroom courses, plus studio instruction, ensemble participation and piano for proficiency, and completion of a senior capstone.

Music majors whose primary advisor is not a music faculty member should establish an informal advisor in music; the complexity of major requirements necessitates regular review of one’s progress toward the major.

A MAJOR IN MUSIC MUST INCLUDE:

•  MUSI 113 , MUSI 114 , MUSI 213 , and MUSI 314 . Both MUSI 113  and MUSI 114  should be taken during the first year if possible, and no later than the second year, since these courses are prerequisites for most of the other required music courses. (Students who place out of MUSI 113  may take another approved Music course in its place.)
•  MUSI 342  and MUSI 343   (Note: these courses are most appropriately taken after completion of MUSI 113  and MUSI 114 )
• One approved course in the historical and/or theoretical study of music that lies outside of the Western art music and Jazz traditions. Examples include Chinese Music, African Music, World Music Theory and Analysis, and Ethnomusicology
• Approved electives for at least 12 additional credits (up to 4 credits may be the senior capstone).
• All music courses count towards the Music major/minor with the following exceptions:
  1.
  MUSI 110
    (Music Appreciation) DOES NOT count towards the Music major or minor
  2. 
  MUSI 111
    (World Music), while not considered the most appropriate course for Music majors/minors, may count towards the major/minor with approval of the Department Chair.
• Studio instruction on the primary instrument or in voice during each semester of residence as a major, including a performance review on the primary instrument at the each of every semester. This also includes participation in one Thursday Noon Recital per academic year during their first and second years at Macalester, which is not necessarily the same as the first two years of their time as Music majors, and participation in one Thursday Noon recital per semester during their third and fourth years. If a major is declared as a junior, the student will be required to do one Thursday Noon performance per semester from that time forward.
• Ensemble performance during each semester of residence as a major, with at least 4 semesters in one of the following: Orchestra, Mac Jazz Band, Concert Choir, Macalester Chorale, or African Music Ensemble
• A senior capstone project in music
• Fulfillment of the Piano for Proficiency requirement

SENIOR CAPSTONE REQUIREMENT (THE SENIOR RECITAL)

The senior recital is the standard event to satisfy the capstone requirement in music for graduation. At the beginning of fall semester of senior year, students will be assigned a faculty “capstone advisor” (not necessarily their academic advisor) who will oversee the entire recital process. Students must make arrangements to meet with their capstone advisor regularly over the course of the semester in which the recital is scheduled to monitor and offer feedback on the student’s progress toward the capstone.

Students will devise an appropriate recital program in conjunction with their studio instructor and capstone advisor. Recitals should be 50 to 70 minutes in length, including breaks between pieces. Intermissions are situation- and instrument-specific and need to be requested from and granted by the studio instructor/department faculty. Students should keep set changes to a minimum. Students are expected to treat the recital as a formal event and present it with an attitude of professionalism. Recitals must be thoughtfully put together and cohesive. Students should consult with their studio instructor and capstone advisor to achieve these goals.

Students must complete a recital hearing in the concert hall between one month and two weeks prior to the scheduled recital. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure all participants in the recital (accompanist, etc.), capstone advisor, and if possible, also the studio instructor, are available to attend the hearing. The capstone advisor and one additional faculty member (to be assigned) must be present at the recital hearing. We will ask to see a copy of the printed program, and then we will choose a portion of the program for the student to perform. If we approve of the program and level of performance, the recital will go on as scheduled. If either the program or level of performance is inadequate, we may ask the student to make specific changes to your program and/or require them to reschedule the recital for a later date (even if that means rescheduling for the following semester) and give the student specific instructions about areas for improvement.

Recitals should showcase the senior’s individual skills above anyone else’s. Students need not perform an entire solo concert (collaborative performances and small ensemble are often appropriate, depending on the style of music the student performs), but each piece on the program should feature the senior’s playing in a significant way. If students take the senior capstone for academic credit (up to 4 credit hours), the recital will be graded based on the quality of performance, the quality of the program, and the student’s ability to meet deadlines and expectations. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate with their capstone advisor to learn their expectations for grading the recital. Any student who wishes to take the capstone for academic credit should register for MUSI 488 - Senior Project.

The recital is the standard endeavor undertaken for the capstone, and as such, is encouraged, since all music majors will have been heavily involved with performance throughout their time in the department. Occasionally a student will elect an alternate project in lieu of a recital, subject to approval. In this case, the student needs to accomplish a project of similar scope and scale, designed in consultation with the capstone advisor and approved by the department. Typically, this could mean writing a substantial research paper and giving a public lecture-recital or a public lecture based on that work. Topics for such projects must be developed by the end of the junior year. Research and writing will take place during the fall and winter of the senior year, with revisions and public presentation taking place in the spring. The capstone advisor will establish specific timelines, expectations, and evaluative criteria for non-recital capstones on a case-by-case basis.

Following the completion of the senior project, the student will meet again with the capstone advisor for an exit review, which will include discussion of the public performance, the student’s achievements within the department, and their future directions.