About our department

Mission

The "Mission Statement" of the Musicology department includes the following language:

"The Division of Musicology will be a leader in developing links between musical insight, historical understanding, and musical practice, enabling students to achieve the highest levels of musicianship while preparing them for lifelong involvement in music and for careers as music professionals, educators, scholars, creative artists or active listeners and consumers." As teachers, researchers, authors, performers, and students of music ourselves, we believe deeply in the connections between music research and music performance, and in the links between music history and human culture. We think that understanding music history (and music theory and music pedagogy) can help us understand the music itself better. We seek to show these connections, so that you in turn can make those connections for students, friends, and audiences.

All Musicology classes will emphasize the following:

• Developing an understanding of music as an expression and in the context of cultural history, and expanding familiarity with a wide range of repertoires;
• Biography and cultural context: how and why composers and players made the choices they did;
• Style-analysis: looking at scores, listening to recordings, and understanding why they work the way they do;
• Enhancing abilities to read, write, listen, and speak critically and insightfully about music and music history;
• Preparation for graduate and/or professional work.