Music
Overview
Students majoring in Music must choose one of the following concentrations to pursue: music production; composition; instrumental performance; vocal performance; ethnomusicology or popular music; musicology; or music theory and analysis. Students considering any of these tracks should begin by taking the appropriate entry-level music theory course in their first year. All concentrations require music theory, and many Music courses (including all the production courses) have a music theory prerequisite. Students with no prior music theory experience must take MUSC 101, offered in the fall semester. Students with some experience in music theory should take the Music Theory Placement Exam to see if they can pass into MUSC 151, offered in the spring semester.
All students wishing to declare the Music major must have completed MUSC 151 with a grade of B-minus or higher. Students wishing to declare the Music Production concentration must also have completed MUSC 148 with a grade of B-minus or higher. Both courses must be completed by the end of the sophomore year.
Students considering studying abroad in their junior year must begin the music theory sequence in their first year and should only consider study abroad programs that can advance them in their particular Music major concentration. We offer one minor concentration, in Ethnomusicology and Popular Music.
Major Requirements
MAJOR
All students pursuing a Music major must complete the following courses:
Required Courses:
| MUSC 151 | Music Theory II | 4 units |
| MUSC 201 | The Ethics and Aesthetics of Sampling | 4 units |
| MUSC 251 | Music Theory III | 4 units |
| MUSC 261 | Western Music and Culture: 1580-1829 | 4 units |
| MUSC 263 | Western Music and Culture: 1830 to the Present | 4 units |
| MUSC 490 | Senior Seminar | 4 units |
Required Concentration
In addition to these 24 units required of all Music majors, students majoring in Music must pursue one of the following concentrations:
Music Production
Music Composition
Instrumental Performance
Vocal Performance
Ethnomusicology or Popular Music
Musicology
Music Theory & Analysis
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 MUSC 201, MUSC 261, or MUSC 263 in the sophomore or junior year with a grade of B- or higher. Students receiving a C+ or lower will have to take another Music course that satisfies this requirement. Music majors who do not complete the Second-Stage Writing Requirement through the standard course-based mechanism will need to submit a satisfactory writing portfolio (consisting of 4000 to 5000 words) from 200-level Music courses to the Department Chair prior to the end of their Senior Fall semester.
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 final draft of argument-driven analytic paper 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. Music's "Senior Comprehensive Project" page provides details about the project proposal and the requirements of individual concentrations.
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.
College Honors
Students who have achieved at least a 3.25 average in their Music courses and have demonstrated exceptional potential in their Music concentration of study (one of the concentrations 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.
Minor Requirements
Ethnomusicology and Popular Music
Students must complete a total of 20 units.
| MUSC 151 | Music Theory II | 4 units |
| MUSC 201 | The Ethics and Aesthetics of Sampling | 4 units |
One 100-level elective, selected from the courses below.
Two 200- or 300-level electives, selected from the courses below.
| MUSC 280 | Introduction to Ethnomusicology | 4 units |
| MUSC 283 | Music of Los Angeles | 4 units |
| MUSC 284/LLAS 284 | Sonic Latinidad: Latino/a music in the United States | 4 units |
| MUSC 285 | Topics in the Critical Study of Music | 4 units |
| MUSC 286 | Music and Politics of the United States-Mexico Border | 4 units |
| MUSC 385 | Advanced Topics in the Critical Study of Music | 4 units |
| MUSC 386 | Performance and Politics of the United States-Mexico Border | 4 units |
Music Theory Placement
All Music students will begin their Music Theory and Musicianship study in one of two ways: by taking MUSC 101 (no prior experience with music fundamentals), or MUSC 151.
Awards
The Elinor Remick Warren Award is presented each spring to the student who has written the most outstanding piece of music, in a Music course, that academic year.
The Peters Prize is awarded to the "Music major who, in the opinion of the faculty, had done the most during the year to advance the ideals and the prestige of music on the campus."
Transfer Credit Policies
The Music Department policy on transfer credit conforms to College policy. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.
Courses
MUSC - Music Courses
MUSA - Music Applied Study
Faculty
Regular Faculty
David Kasunic, chair
Associate Professor
B.A., Amherst College; M.F.A., Ph.D., Princeton University
Shanna Lorenz
Associate Professor
B.A., Reed College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D., New York University
Adam Schoenberg
Associate Professor
B.M., Oberlin Conservatory of Music; M.M., D.M.A., The Juilliard School
On Special Appointment
Joe Addington
Non-Tenure Track Afro-Cuban Drumming Instructor
Director of the Afro-Cuban Drumming Ensemble
Stephen Cabell
Non-Tenure Track Instructor
B.M., The Curtis Institute; M.M., The Juilliard School
David Claude McKenna
Non-Tenure Track Instructor
B.A., M.A., San Francisco State University
Max Foreman
Andrew G. Mellon Professor of the Practice in Music
B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz; M.F.A., California Institute of the Arts
Edmond Johnson
Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor
Director of Advising
B.A., Lawrence University; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Chris Kim
Choi Family Director of Instrumental Music
B.M., Northwestern University; M.M., University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Desiree La Vertu
Director of Choral and Vocal Activities
B.Mus., California State University, Fullerton; M.M. University of Nevada, Reno
Dina Ormenyi
Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor
Piano Instructor
G. Simeon Pillich
Non-Tenure Track Professor
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Jonathan Richards
Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor
Director of the Occidental Jazz Ensemble
B.A., University of Southern California; M.F.A., California Institute of the Arts