Are you:

  • Passionate about the study of all people’s musics whether traditional, popular, folk, or western art music?
  • Interested in exploring the intimate relationship between music and culture?
  • Curious about how to integrate the study and practice of diverse forms of music with theories and methodologies from the humanities and social sciences?

Students developing plans incorporating this platform will:

  • Take courses focusing on the cultural contexts of music;
  • Gain exposure to the theory and history of western music theory and performance;
  • Perform in an ensemble for non-music majors to gain practical experience of jazz or global musical forms;
  • Learn research methods necessary to studying music in a social/cultural context.

Options for plans based on this platform include exploring:

  • The affective and technical dimensions of music and sound (through courses in psychology and physics); OR
  • The connections between the political, social, and historical contexts of music and sound in a particular part of the world (through courses in politics, anthropology, and history, as well as foreign language study); OR
  • The intersections of gender, ethnicity, identity, and musical expression (through courses in women’s and gender studies, sociology, culture, race and ethnicity). 

Senior projects might include

  • Research on the interdisciplinary topic that has been the focus of their plan; OR
  • A hands-on project around the performance of music in culture, documenting its creation, process and reception; OR
  • Fieldwork projects in the area of applied ethnomusicology such as working with educational groups bringing world music to children.

Students will use plans in this area to be prepared for careers in education, the arts, and international organizations.