Music Major

The curriculum emphasizes the development of musical listening and performance skills as applied to both contemporary and traditional music. Students can concentrate in the areas of Composition, Performance, Literature, Technology or Jazz & the Music of the African Diaspora.

The major consists of nine lower-division and fifteen upper-division courses, plus the Department Seminar (Music 143), which must be taken each quarter that a student is a declared Music major. All courses, except 143, must be taken for a letter grade. All courses used for satisfying major requirements in Music must be passed with a grade of C or better.

Before declaring a music major, you should speak with the undergraduate advising staff in the Music Department to ensure you can finish the major within your years at UCSD. You can declare the major online; click on the Major and Minor link under Tools on My TritonLink.

Major Curriculum Requirements for Composition, Literature, Performance & Technology Emphases
(For Jazz curriculum, please scroll down)

Lower Division Requirements:

1. Lower Division
Music 2A-B-C  (Basic Musicianship)
Music 2AK-BK-CK (Basic Keyboard)

2. Performance ensemble requirement:
two quarters chosen from 95C (Concert Choir), 95D (Symphonic Chorus) or 95K (Chamber Singers)
one quarter chosen from Music 95B-W, 130, 131, or 134

Upper Division Requirements:

1. Music Theory Requirement
Music 101A-B-C (Music Theory and Practice I)
Music 102A-B-C (Music Theory and Practice II)

2. Music History and Literature
Music 120A-B-C (History of Music in Western Culture I, II, III)

3. Projects
Music 133 (New Music Performance)

4.  Music 143 (Departmental Seminar) every quarter

5. Choose one of the following:
Music 107 (Critical Studies Seminar)
Music 110 (Introduction to Ethnomusicology Seminar)
Music 116 (Popular Music Studies Seminar)
Music 150 (Jazz and the Music of the African Diaspora – Special Topics Seminar

6. Choose one course from:
Music 107 (Critical Studies Seminar
Music 110 (Introduction to Ethnomusicology Seminar)
Music 111 (World Music Traditions)
Music 112 (Topics in European Music Before 1750)
Music 113 (Topics in Classic, Romantic, and Modern Music)
Music 114 (Music of the 20th Century)
Music 115 (Women in Music)
Music 116 (Popular Music Studies Seminar)
Music 126 (Blues: An Oral Tradition)
Music 127A (Jazz Roots and Early Development)
Music 127B (Jazz Since 1946 : Freedom and Form)
Music 150 (Jazz and the Diaspora - Special Topics Seminar)

7. Area of emphasis

     Choose one of the following sequences:
         
          Composition: Music 103A-B-C (Composition Seminar)
        
          Literature:   Chose three courses from 107, 110 – 116, 126, 127A, 127B,
                                or 150, including at least one from 107, 110, 116, or 150
                                in addition to #5 above
          Performance:  Three quarters of
                                Music 132 (Pro-Seminar in Instrumental Instruction)
                                      or
                                Music 132V (Pro-Seminar in Music in Vocal Instruction)
                                                         
          Technology: Music 170 (Musical Acoustics)
                                Music 171 (Computer Music I)
                                Music 175 (Music Psychoacoustics)

 

 

Major Curriculum Requirements for Jazz and the Music of the African Diaspora Emphases

Lower Division Requirements:

1. Lower Division
Music 2A-B-C  (Basic Musicianship)
Music 2AK-BK-JK (Jazz Keyboard)

2. Performance Ensemble requirement:
one quarter from 95C (Concert Choir), 95D (Symphonic Chorus), 95G (Gospel Choir), or 95K (Chamber Singers)
two quarters of Music 95JC (Jazz Chamber Ensembles) or Music 131 (Advanced Improvisation Performance)


Upper Division Requirements:

1. Music Theory Requirement
Music 101A-B and Music 104 (Transcription and Analysis)
Music 137 A-B-C (Jazz Theory and Improvisation)

2. Music History and Literature
Music 120A-B-C (History of Western Culture I, II, III)

3. Projects
Music 133 (New Music Performance)

4. Music 143 (Departmental Seminar) every quarter

5.Music 150 (Jazz and the Music of the African Diaspora: Special Topics Seminar)

6. Choose one course from:
Music 151 (Race, Culture, and Social Change)
Music 152 (Hip Hop: The Politics of Culture)
Music 153 (African Americans and the Mass Media)
Music 154 (Black Music/Black Texts)

7. Area of emphasis
   
    Select two courses from:
Music 105 (Jazz Composition and Analysis)
Music 126 (Blues: An Oral Tradition)
Music 127A (Jazz Roots and Early Development)
Music 127B (Jazz Since 1946: Freedom and Form)   

Select one course from:
Music 107 (Critical Studies)
Music 110 (Doing Ethnomusicology)
Music 111 (World Music Traditions)
Music 114 (Music of the Twentieth Century)
Music 115 (Women in Music)
Music 116 (Popular Music Studies Seminar)
Music 150 (Jazz and the Diaspora – Special Topics Seminar) [in addition to #5 above]

 

 

 

HONORS IN MUSIC

Students wishing to pursue Honors in Music must obtain a faculty sponsor and complete an application for department honors in the spring quarter of their junior year. In addition to the application, Composition, Literature, and Technology emphasis students must submit a portfolio of works, and Performance emphasis students must audition. A GPA of 3.6 in the major, and overall GPA of 3.0 is required to apply for honors. Students may choose one area of emphasis for honors:

Composition	Music 103D-E-F, Seminar in Composition (three quarters)
Literature	Music 199, Independent Study (three quarters)
Performance	Music 132R, Recital Preparation (three quarters)
Technology	Music 176, Music Technology Seminar (three quarters) or Music 199, Independent Study (three quarters)
Jazz	Music 137 D-E-F, Honors Seminar in Jazz Studies I, II, III

Admittance into the honors curriculum does not guarantee that a student will receive honors. Honors will be determined in the spring quarter of the senior year by a Faculty Honors Committee reviewing the student’s overall academic achievement and recital or project.

If you intend to apply for honors, please refer to the UCSD General Catalog for more specific information.