Curriculum

We offer students at Muhlenberg College the opportunity to focus on three concentrated areas of study: Performance, Music History, and Music Theory/Composition.  Each of the concentrations includes a shared group of required courses.  The required courses provide music majors with foundational skills, knowledge of the discipline of music, and introduce students to the process of analytical and creative thinking. The connections between Performance, Music Theory, and Music History are emphasized in all the core courses.

Music majors are encouraged to declare their concentration after they have successfully completed the Engaging with Music course sequence.  Once music majors have declared their concentrations, they complete ten course credits: the six required course credits, one course in Power Structures in Music, one course in Music Theory/Composition, one course in Music History, and one course that qualifies as their Culminating Undergraduate Experience (CUE).

Music majors pursue their own personal goals through the concentrations.  Courses such as the Composition Workshop, Global Pop, Women in Music, Counterpoint, Opera, History of Jazz, Electronic Music, Schubert/Schumann, World Music, and the Senior Seminar allow students to tailor their course work and develop to their own interests.  Our majors perform Senior Recitals, develop composition portfolios, write research papers, and make scholarly presentation at conferences.