Undergraduate Concentration Guide

Concentration Curriculum

The concentration in Music equips students with a critical and practical understanding of music by exploring a wide variety of musical styles, genres, and traditions. Department of Music courses offer a solid foundation in music theory, analysis, composition, and criticism, and provide an opportunity to develop acute listening skills through various cultural and historical contexts. The concentration in Music is centered on an academic focus that supports the intellectual development of musicians while also offering creative programs in music performance, composition, and improvisation.

A wide range of introductory and advanced courses are available in music theory, composition, historical musicology, creative practice and ethnomusicology. These courses reflect the specialties of our academic faculty; diaspora studies and migration, opera, jazz and contemporary music, music and politics, early music and historically informed performance, musical theater, music and media, improvisation, hip-hop, music in film, American and European modernism, music and ecology, music and language, new music of the 21st century, and the musical traditions of Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Students are encouraged to participate in faculty-led ensembles including orchestra, chorus, jazz, and contemporary ensembles. Chamber music courses focus on small-ensemble repertoire and performance practice through faculty-led coaching and recitals.

Under advisement from the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), students identify their own path of study through the concentration, creating a mix of courses that best reflect their musical interests and aspirations. Students may enter the concentration from any course offered by the Department of Music.

The heart of the concentration is MUSIC 97 Sophomore Tutorial, a semester-long course that introduces students from all musical backgrounds to the study of music. This required course examines select musical repertoires drawn from diverse cultures and historical periods and introduces a wide range of methodologies. Due to its foundational role, it is recommended that MUSIC 97 be fulfilled as early in the concentration as possible, ideally at the time of concentration declaration and before the completion of a student’s sophomore year.

After completing MUSIC 97, students continue with electives that invite engagement with the arts at a deeper level, drawing on courses from a variety of areas of focus. MUSIC 97 provides a shared point of departure for course work in our three primary course categories:

• History, Culture, Society
• Music Theory
• Creating Music

To foster breadth and depth in musical study, the concentration in Music requires that the student complete at least one upper-level (100+) course in each of the three categories listed above.

The department welcomes double and joint concentrations from all participating departments. Students who wish to pursue a joint concentration should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) prior to concentration declaration to explore how best to pursue their course interests in music, to review the role of primary vs. allied concentration, to consider a thesis topic inclusive of both concentrations, and to review thesis timelines and guidelines. Joint concentrators are required to fulfill a reduced number of course requirements, as outlined below, including the completion of a senior thesis based on a topic that engages both concentrations.

Courses taken outside the Department of Music will be considered for concentration credit at the discretion of the DUS. Courses proposed for transfer must not compete with course offerings available in the Harvard Department of Music. Students should schedule an advising session with the DUS to confirm course eligibility prior to petitioning for transfer credit. Students who have taken courses through Harvard’s cross-registration programs may be eligible to apply credits from cross-registered courses toward their concentration or Secondary fields of study at Harvard, at the discretion of the DUS. Courses must be taken for letter grade to count towards concentration category requirements. Courses taken pass/fail will count towards elective credit only, and only at the discretion of the DUS. If permitted, students may not count more than 2 courses pass/fail or SAT/UNS towards a concentration. For more information about cross-registration, please visit the Harvard College Student Handbook.

Students participating in the dual programs of study with New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) and Berklee College of Music may transfer 16 credits (four courses) to Harvard, with a maximum of 8 credits towards a concentration in Music. To submit courses for approval, students must complete Harvard’s Proposal Form for Dual Programs of Study out of Residence. This petition must be signed by the student’s advisor at either NEC or Berklee, the Harvard Department of Music Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS,) and the student’s Harvard Resident Dean. Students must provide a course description and syllabus for each proposed course. Courses for transfer credit will be approved at the discretion of the Harvard Department of Music DUS.  

Music as a Secondary Field

The Secondary Field in Music equips students with a practical and critical understanding of music by exploring a wide variety of musical styles, genres, and traditions. A wide range of courses are available in music theory, composition, historical musicology, and ethnomusicology, as well as creatively focused courses that offer opportunities for music performance, composition, and improvisation. These courses reflect the specialties of our academic faculty; diaspora studies and migration, opera, jazz, music and politics, early music, musical theater, music and media, improvisation, hip-hop, music in film, American and European modernism, music and ecology, music and language, new music of the 21st century, and the musical traditions of Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Department of Music courses provide an academic focus that supports the intellectual development of musicians, while also incorporating creative opportunities for music performance, composition, and improvisation. Students are free to explore the field by selecting a variety of courses that best reflect their interests and aptitudes.

5 Required Courses (20 credits) 

Any five courses selected from among the courses offered in Music (including General Education courses and First-Year Seminars), with the requirements noted below: 

• At least one course is required from each of the three course categories (12 credits)
  • History, Society, Culture
  • Music Theory
  • Creating Music

• Electives: Two courses (8 credits)
  • All Department of Music courses satisfy concentration elective requirements. In addition:
    • One First-Year Seminar taught by Department of Music faculty can count.
    • Gen Ed courses taught by a Department of Music faculty member can count.
    • Multiple introductory-level courses will be eligible only by approval from the DUS.
      
• Courses counting for Secondary credit may not normally be taken pass/fail, other than one First-Year Seminar (graded SAT/UNSAT).

• Harvard courses taught outside the Department of Music, taken abroad, or in Harvard’s Summer School may count towards a Secondary but require approval from the DUS.
  
• Students participating in the dual programs of study with Berklee College of Music or New England Conservatory should contact the DUS regarding the possibility of transfer credits satisfying the requirements for a Secondary.

Advising Resources and Expectations

Advising in the Department of Music is carried out by the DUS with support from the UPC. The DUS has overall responsibility for the academic progress of undergraduates and is available by appointment to review programs of study. Students interested in declaring a Secondary in Music are required to schedule an advising appointment with either the DUS or the UPC prior to declaring a concentration or secondary in Music in my.harvard. Students should work with advising resources to develop a strategy for fulfillment of academic requirements.