
Music
Smith’s Music Department is a lively center of musical activity with classroom courses that integrate the study of global musical genres and performance practices with critical questioning of music's complex role in society. Across offerings in composition, classical music, world music, music theory and popular music, courses emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to musical knowledge, with faculty working at the intersections of American studies, anthropology, dance studies, gender studies, and political theory.
Smith faculty offer performance courses in voice and a wide variety of instruments, and members of the department direct performance ensembles. The department boasts extraordinary practice facilities and a remarkable number of notable graduates who have led distinguished musical careers in performance, scholarship and the practical world of music.
Department Updates
Check out our Performance Calendar for upcoming events and concerts.
Requirements & Courses
Goals for Majors in Music
- Be able to read and to think conceptually and critically about a musical performance, a musical composition or score, a theoretical analysis, an historical inquiry, a cultural study, a musical institution.
- Have an understanding of the nature of an array of musical practices and of the nature of the various relationships among performance, improvisation, composition, and written and oral reflection about music.
- Have a vocabulary of specific pieces or repertories of music, a knowledge of the traditions from which they derive, and the ability to form analytical statements about them.
- Be able to do research in libraries, archives, private collection, oral histories, and online; to discriminate between serious and trivial sources of information; to cite sources with ethical appropriateness.
- Have the ability to write cogently and coherently about musical matters: performances, compositions, essays, books and films.
Music Major
Requirements
Ten semester courses and four performance credits
- Basis: MUS 102, MUS 110 and MUS 202
- Six courses above the 100 level. At least one must be taken in three of the following areas:
- History of western music
- World music
- MUS 101 may be included
- American music
- MUS 105 may be included
- Music theory and analysis
- Composition and digital music
- MUS 325 taken in the senior year
- Four credits in performance.
- Two semesters of lessons on an instrument or in voice, or
- Two semesters of conducting, or
- Four semesters of participation in an ensemble, which may be the same ensemble over four semesters or may consist of participation in multiple ensembles.
- Substitute courses may be counted toward the major on a case-by-case basis, with special department approval.
- With the approval of the department, students may substitute one 4-credit Special Studies, MUS 400, for one of the six additional classroom courses in the major.
- The S/U grading option is not allowed for courses counting towards the major, with the exception of ensembles that are mandatory S/U, applied to the performance requirement.
- Students may be exempted from courses required for the basis of the major as a result of Advanced Placement exams or departmental placement tests. Such exemption does not affect the number of courses required for the major.
Music Major with Focus in Performance
Majors who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to performance studies may, before March of their junior year, audition before a department committee for admission to the focus in performance, which consists of enrollment in MUS 940Y and the preparation of a full recital during the senior year.
Preparation for Graduate Study in Music
Students who are contemplating graduate work in any branch of music should consult an appropriate member of the department for advice in selecting suitable elective courses. Students interested in graduate work in music are urged to acquire some knowledge of German, French or Italian (for studies in the Western tradition) or of a relevant foreign language (for studies beyond the Western tradition).
Honors
Requirements
- GPA calculated through the end of the junior year
- 3.5 in courses in music through the end of the junior year
- 3.3 in courses outside music
- Fulfill the requirements of the major
- Thesis or composition: MUS 430D or MUS 431 (8 credits)
- Thesis in history or cultural studies will normally be a research paper of approximately 50 pages.
- Thesis in composition will normally be a work of substantial duration and scope in any genre.
- Oral examination on the subject of the thesis.
The final grade (highest honors, high honors, honors, pass) will be calculated as follows: thesis (60 percent); grades in music (20 percent); performance on the oral examination (20 percent).
Music Minor
Requirements
Six semester courses
- Basis: MUS 102, MUS 110 and MUS 202
- Three additional courses, at least two above the 100 level (excluding MUS 100fm
).
- Students may be exempted from courses required for the basis of the minor as a result of Advanced Placement exams or departmental placement tests. Such exemption does not affect the number of courses required for the minor.
- The S/U grading option is not allowed for courses counting toward the minor.
- Course Information
- Courses
- Crosslisted Courses
Course Information
Auditions are held for individual lessons, MUS 914Y, MUS 924Y, MUS 930Y and MUS 940Y, and for certain ensembles during the fall orientation period and the first days of each semester. Students are accepted on the basis of musicianship, competence and potential. With the exception of voice, some prior experience and the ability to read music is assumed. Should there be no Smith College faculty teaching a particular instrument, every effort is made to provide students with a qualified instructor.
Individual voice and instrument performance courses consist of weekly private lessons, with specific expectations determined by each instructor. Lessons require a yearlong commitment and are normally taken in addition to a regular course load. Two such courses may only be taken concurrently with departmental approval. (This restriction does not apply to enrollment in MUS 901 or MUS 903, or to participation in large ensembles for credit.)
No more than 24 credits in performance, including participation in various large ensembles, may be counted toward the degree. All large ensembles are graded S/U only. For more detailed information on instrumental and voice lessons and a list of current faculty, visit the Music Department website.
All performance students are encouraged to study music in the classroom. Non-majors and non-minors should talk with their instructors about which courses best complement their interests.
All students are encouraged to join a choral ensemble. The dynamic Smith College Glee Club performs annually at Commencement and Family Weekends, Montage, Autumn Serenade, Christmas Vespers and at various college events including Opening Convocation, Otelia Cromwell Day and Rally Day. The Glee Club selects music from a diverse repertoire, including major works for treble voices, jazz, contemporary and folk music of the U.S. and from international traditions. Every spring, glee clubs from such universities as Harvard, Rutgers, Cornell, Michigan and Virginia come to campus to collaborate on a major work. Recent performances have included the Mozart Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem. Auditions for Glee Club are normally held during orientation and the first two weeks of classes in both semesters.
Members of the Glee Club are eligible to audition for the highly selective Smith College Chamber Singers. The internationally known Chamber Singers have performed widely since 1951. Touring every two years, the program provides financial assistance enabling all members to tour regardless of financial need. Auditions for Chamber Singers are held after Glee Club auditions have concluded.
Students who would like to try singing in a group setting for the first time should schedule an interview with the instructor of MUS 951
, a course that introduces students to the skills and concepts of group singing.
Courses
MUS 100fm Colloquium: Topics-Fundamentals of Music (4 Credits)
Colloquia are especially designed for those with no previous background in music. They emphasize class discussion and written work, which consists of either music or critical prose as appropriate to the topic. Open to all students, but particularly recommended for first-year students and sophomores. An introduction to music notation and to principles of musical organization, including scales, keys, rhythm and meter. Limited to beginners and those who did not place into MUS 110. Enrollment limited to 20. {A}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 101 World Music (4 Credits)
Music may not be a "universal language," but it is a universal phenomenon; every culture has something that we recognize as music. This course introduces you to a number of musical systems traditional, classical and popular--from around the world and uses case studies to explore the complex relationships between music and culture. By engaging with music analytically, as musicologists (paying attention to the sounds you hear) and ethnographically, as anthropologists (paying attention to the cultural context), you learn basic principles that enhance your understanding of music globally speaking. No prerequisites. {A}{S}
Fall, Spring, Alternate Years
MUS 102 Making Music History (4 Credits)
This class is an introduction to music history that combines a close study of music from the Western classical tradition with research methodology and an orientation to the discipline of musicology. Organized by genres and concepts, the class looks at classical music as both a repertoire and an object of cultural study. In addition to covering a range of works, we will address their production, performance and reception through a study of their social and political context, and raise questions of power, representation and patronage. We will also examine our own ideas about the role of the artist, what it means to be a musician and the social future of this music. Students will have the chance to do original research on a piece or topic of their choice and will get a foundation in the College’s scholarly resources, especially the holdings at Josten Library and Special Collections. {A}{H}
Fall
MUS 105 Roll Over Beethoven: A History of Rock (4 Credits)
This course provides a critical survey of rock music, tracing the music’s development from blues and blackface minstrelsy to heavy metal, grunge, and techno. Emphasis throughout is placed upon understanding musical developments in the context of American race and gender relations and the politics of youth cultures in the U.S. Topics to be covered include: Elvis Presley and American race relations; Jimi Hendrix and the blues; girl groups; the rise of arena rock; and the significance of the DJ in hip hop. Enrollment limited to 45. {A}{H}
Fall, Spring, Alternate Years
MUS 110 Analysis and Repertory I (4 Credits)
An introduction to formal analysis and tonal harmony and a study of pieces in the standard repertory. Regular exercises in harmony. Prerequisites: ability to read standard notation in treble and bass clefs, including key signatures and time signatures and the ability to name intervals. (A placement test is given before the fall semester for incoming students.) One 50-minute ear training section required per week, in addition to classroom meetings. Enrollment limited to 20. {A}
Fall
MUS 120 Music Decoded: What Do You Hear? (2 Credits)
The primary goal of this course is to deepen your understanding of the music you like, while forging connections to music that is unfamiliar to you, making you a more well-informed music consumer. Throughout the course, you hone active listening skills, helping you to identify technical components and to connect with the music on an emotional level. These skills help you describe more specifically what you hear, and decode increasingly complex music. Classes cover folk, popular, jazz, non-western classical and other styles. {A}
Spring
MUS 202 Thinking About Music (4 Credits)
This course explores different approaches to the study of music as a cultural phenomenon. We consider basic questions, such as: Why is music so often at the center of our most profound personal and social experiences? Why is music a fundamental means of connecting with our own lives, our communities and the wider world in which we live? Through in-depth reading and in-class discussion, we study the institutions of music (concerts, recording studios) and the varied practices of music making (classical, popular; amateur, professional) in order to construct a picture of the musical worlds around us and to understand what they tell us about the societies in which we live. {A}{S}
Spring
MUS 203 Music as Memorial and Monument (4 Credits)
Music has long played an important role in both memorialization and monumentalization. In this class, we use music as a lens through which to consider the agendas and values behind public displays of memory, history, and political strength. We will study music written to commemorate victims of war, state violence, and illness, from requiems to 9/11 memorial works. We will also consider how composers, performers, and listeners have participated in monumentalizing historical or political occasions, from composer anniversary celebrations to national anthems. {A}{H}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 205mp Colloquium: Topics in Popular Music-Metal and Punk: Rock History Out Loud (4 Credits)
Heavy metal and punk rock have arguably been the definitive rock-and-roll styles of the post-1970 rock era. In this course, we explore metal and punk as interrelated musical genres, following their history and development and examining a range of social and musical issues along the way. Of particular importance will be the following: How and when did metal and punk emerge? What defines the two genres musically? What defines them socially? Taken together, how do they represent the changing status of rock music as a cultural and commercial form since 1970? Course limited to 20 students. {A}{H}{S}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 205pp Colloquium: Topics in Popular Music-Producing Popular Music: The American Music Industry (4 Credits)
During the past three decades, the music industry has undergone substantial, even radical changes. This class will focus on recent developments in the music industry, while reflecting on larger issues that have informed the making and selling of music. Among the primary questions we will consider are: how have new technologies affected the ways in which music is created, bought and sold? What relationship exists between "live" and "recorded" music in the way the music industry operates? How do legal definitions and struggles over intellectual property shape the practices of musicians and music corporations? What does it mean to work in the music industry, and to what extent should the creative labor of musicians be considered similar to or different from other types of labor? Enrollment limited to 20. {A}{S}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 210 Analysis and Repertory II (4 Credits)
A continuation of MUS 110. One 50-minute musicianship section required per week, in addition to classroom meetings. Prerequisite: MUS 110 or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 18. {A}
Spring
MUS 217 Colloquium: Feminism and Music Theory (4 Credits)
In this course, students evaluate the assumptions and foundations of Western music theory, primarily under the critical guidance of feminist theory. Tonal theory is often a routine part of undergraduate music study. What are the goals and criteria of this kind of analysis? While critically examining Western music theory’s intellectual values, students develop approaches to analysis that are responsive, in a variety of ways, to queer, feminist and antiracist thought. Through readings and listening assignments, students consider various challenges to the fiction of objectivity in music analysis, including embodiment, subjecthood and identity, and the mediating force of language and concepts. Prerequisites: MUS 110. Enrollment limited to 18. (E) {A}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 220pb Topics in World Music-The Power of Black Music (4 Credits)
The course focuses on the musics of Africa and the African diaspora through the lens of ethnomusicology. Concentrating on selected countries, including Benin, Brazil, Cuba, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United States, it examines the musical performance of gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality and the role of music in social and political movements. The course examines the global dimensions and resonances of Africanist musical aesthetics as enabled historically and sustained through ongoing transatlantic exchanges between Africa and the African diaspora. The course also explores the issues of representation and identity in iconic works like Black Is King & Lemonade by Beyoncé. Other topics include the adaptation of hip-hop in Africa and the phenomenal popularity of West African Afrobeats in the United States and globally. Workshops conducted by visiting professional musicians and discussions on the instructor's ethnographic research in West Africa, Brazil, Cuba, and the United States. Enrollment limited to 40. {A}{S}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 222 World Music Theories (4 Credits)
Each musical tradition is best explained and understood by its own system of theory. This course introduces four musical traditions and their corresponding theories: Tuvan Throat Singing, Dagomba Dance Drumming, Javanese Gamelan and Hindustani classical music. Topics include theory fundamentals, listening methods, compositional approaches and aesthetics. Learning about these traditions will open doors to new modes of listening and to hearing familiar music in a brand new way. (E)
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 231 Colloquium: From Goat Songs To Flash Mobs: Music and Theater (4 Credits)
Music and theatre are both time-based arts that involve bodies in motion in front of an audience. Though they may be considered separate disciplines, the full extent of what they share often makes them wonderfully indistinguishable. This course probes the intersections of music and theatre through a survey of genres, works, artists, and practitioners. While material covered will include clearly relevant genres such as musicals and opera, the focus will be on more difficult to categorize topics such as performance art, immersive theatre, and experimental music, in an open-minded examination of what makes this alliance so compelling. Enrollment limited to 20. {A}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 233 Intro to Composition (4 Credits)
Basic techniques of composition, including melody, simple two-part writing and instrumentation. Analysis of representative literature. No previous composition experience required. Prerequisite: MUS 110 or permission of the instructor. {A}
Fall
MUS 241 Diction for Singers (2 Credits)
In this course, we will learn to use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as an efficient tool to approach accuracy in lyric diction. Choral and solo singers must frequently perform music in languages that they do not speak, and therefore often struggle to sing with accurate pronunciation. IPA is a set of orthographic characters, almost entirely based on the Roman alphabet, that standardizes phonetics across most major languages. Corequisite: MUS 952, MUS 953 or individual voice performance lessons. Enrollment limited to 20.
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 249/ REL 249 Colloquium: Islamic Popular Music (4 Credits)
Offered as MUS 249 and REL 249. Music is a complex issue in many Islamic societies. There are tensions between those who believe that music has no place in Islam and try to prohibit it, those for whom it is a central component of mystical devotion, and those who tolerate it, albeit within well-defined parameters. The debate intensifies in the case of popular music, a core part of the self-identification of young people everywhere. Despite this, there is an amazing variety of vibrant popular music throughout the Islamic world. This course explores the religious debates over music and the rich musical tradition (including religious music) in Islam. Enrollment limited to 35. {A}{H}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 251 History of Opera (4 Credits)
This course offers an introduction to opera from the 16th to the 21st centuries, with an emphasis on gender performance, virtuosity, and the unique history of opera performance at Smith College. Earlier works include Monteverdi’s Orfeo, Handel’s Rodelinda, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, and Verdi’s Aida, while more modern and contemporary operas include Strauss’s Salome and Kaija Saariaho’s L’Amour du Loin. {A}{H}
Fall, Spring, Alternate Years
MUS 258/ ANT 258 Performing Culture (4 Credits)
Offered as MUS 258 and ANT 258. This course analyzes cultural performances as sites for the expression and formation of social identity. Students study various performance genres such as rituals, festivals, parades, cultural shows, music, dance and theater. Topics include expressive culture as resistance; debates around authenticity and heritage; the performance of race, class and ethnic identities; the construction of national identity; and the effects of globalization on indigenous performances. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}{S}
Fall, Spring, Alternate Years
MUS 260 The Music of J.S. Bach (4 Credits)
This course is an introduction to the music, life, and legacy of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach, whose music inspired generations of composers and performers across genres. In addition to studying some of his works in depth and his biography, we will explore the cultural and historical context in which he worked, raising questions about performance, instruments, religious life, and patronage. We also look at his influence on music in the nineteenth century, the controversies around his St. John Passion in the twentieth, and his legacy in the twenty-first century. {A}{H}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 262 Experimental Music (4 Credits)
What counts as music? Who decides? Can anyone make music? This course raises these and other questions by focusing on experimental music. We explore the history and practice of experimental music, focusing on text, graphic, and other forms of notation. We also look at the history of experimental music in performance, and make our own in-class performances of several key pieces. Through our reading and practice, we ask questions about musical authority, skill, and even failure, and the role of institutions in shaping our musical ideas. {A}{H}
Spring
MUS 321 Seminar: Songwriting (4 Credits)
This seminar is a practicum on songwriting. Through weekly creative assignments, in-class workshops, and listening, you will develop and strengthen your skills as a musician, performer, and lyricist. By the end of the course, you will have tried your hand at several songwriting and compositional techniques, and will have created and finalized work to be presented on a final concert. Prerequisites: MUS 110 or equivalent. Students should have a basic working knowledge of music notation and theory, including harmonic analysis. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required. Juniors and Seniors only. {A}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 325 Seminar: Writing About Music (4 Credits)
In this seminar, we consider various kinds of writing--from daily journalism and popular criticism to academic monographs and scholarly essays--that concern the broad history of music. Via regular writing assignments and group discussions of substance and style, students have opportunities to improve the mechanics, tone and range of their written prose. Required of senior majors; open to others with instructor permission. Enrollment limited to 12. Juniors and seniors only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Spring
MUS 330 Seminar: Music and Democracy (4 Credits)
How have social justice movements used music to mobilize people to fight for equality and rights? How have anti-democratic movements used music for reactionary ends? What is the role of music in sustaining—or eroding—democracies? This class examines a range of U.S. and global case studies, including Black Lives Matter, the abortion wars, global protest movements, and music and urban redevelopment. Through the study of national anthems, resistance songs like “Fight the Power,” and by examining the sounds of protest itself, students practice critical listening and reflect on how sound and music can press for social change--for better or worse. Students look at the role of music in democratic processes, the importance of music for belonging and citizenship, and whether and how music itself is significant to political participation. Prerequisites: MUS 102 or 202. Enrollment limited to 12. Juniors and seniors only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 341 Seminar in Composition (4 Credits)
Prerequisite: a course in composition. May be repeated for credit. Enrollment limited to 12. Juniors and seniors only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Spring
MUS 345 Intro to Electro-Acoustic Music (4 Credits)
Introduction to musique concrète, analog synthesis, digital synthesis and sampling through practical work, assigned reading and listening. Enrollment limited to 8. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall
MUS 400 Special Studies (1-4 Credits)
In the history of Western music, world music, American music, composition and digital music, or music theory and analysis. For juniors and seniors, by permission of the department.
Fall, Spring
MUS 430D Honors Project (4 Credits)
Fall, Spring, Annually
MUS 431 Honors Project (8 Credits)
Fall
MUS 901 Chamber Music Ensembles (1 Credit)
Exploration and coaching of varied repertory for duos and small ensembles. May be repeated for credit. Open to instrumental students. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 903 Conducting (2 Credits)
Introduction to the art of conducting. This course examines philosophical and practical aspects of the modern conductor’s role. Topics include a musical gestural vocabulary, baton technique and score study/internalization of the printed page. Prior music performance experience and study of Western music theory is highly recommended; instructor permission required. May be repeated for credit. {A}
Fall, Spring, Alternate Years
MUS 906 Class Piano (2 Credits)
This course is an introduction to basic keyboard skills for beginner pianists. Students will develop technique and music-reading skills through solo repertoire and ensemble playing. Applied music theory topics such as major/minor scales, keyboard harmony and improvisation will also be explored. Repeatable for credit. Prerequisite: MUS 100. Enrollment limited to 8. Instructor permission required.
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 914Y First Year Performance (2 Credits)
This is a full-year course. Prerequisite: MUS 100 or equivalent. Credits: 4, at the completion of two semesters. Department application required. {A}
Fall, Spring, Annually
MUS 924Y Second Year Performance (2 Credits)
This is a full-year course. Prerequisite: MUS 914Y. Credits: 4, at the completion of two semesters. Department application required. {A}
Fall, Spring, Annually
MUS 930Y Advance Performance (2 Credits)
Prerequisite: MUS 924Y. This is a full-year course. Credits: 4, at the completion of two semesters. Department application require. {A}
Fall, Spring, Annually
MUS 940Y Emphasis in Performance (4 Credits)
Reserved for seniors who have been approved for the Music Major with an Emphasis in Performance. Two hours of performance lessons per week during the senior year. Credits: 8, at the completion of two semesters. No early registration. Audition required. {A}
Fall, Spring, Annually
MUS 951 Introduction to Singing (1 Credit)
This class is designed for students with little to no musical experience. In this course, students develop a sustainable singing technique, expand their range and learn the basics of reading sheet music. Repertoire is selected based on student abilities and interests, and has in the past included vocal jazz, classical choral pieces and folksongs. Interested students should email the instructor with a description of your musical interests and experience (if any). May be repeated once for credit. S/U only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 952 Smith College Glee Club (1 Credit)
Formed in 1885, the Smith College Glee Club performs annually at Commencement and Christmas Vespers, on Family Weekend, for Autumn Serenade and at college events including Opening Convocation and Rally Day. The Glee Club selects music from a diverse repertoire, including major works for treble voices, jazz, contemporary, folk music of the U.S. and from international traditions. Guest choirs from such universities as Harvard, Rutgers, Cornell, Michigan and Virginia regularly come to campus to collaborate on a major work. Auditions for Glee Club are normally held during orientation and in the first two weeks of classes in both semesters. S/U only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 953 Smith College Chamber Singers (1 Credit)
Members of the Glee Club are eligible to audition for the highly selective Smith College Chamber Singers. The internationally known Chamber Singers have performed throughout the world since 1951. Touring normally every two years, the program provides financial assistance enabling all members to travel regardless of financial need. Auditions for Chamber Singers are held during orientation, in the first two weeks of classes in the fall semester and, occasionally, before the spring semester. S/U only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 954 Smith College Orchestra (1 Credit)
A symphony orchestra open to Smith and Five College students. The orchestra gives at least one concert each semester and performs at annual events such as Family Weekend and Christmas vespers. S/U only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 955 Smith College Javanese Gamelan Ensemble (1 Credit)
One concert per semester. Open (subject to space) to Smith and Five College students, faculty and staff. No prior experience necessary. S/U only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 956 Smith College Jazz Ensemble (1 Credit)
The jazz ensemble performs at least one concert per semester. Favoring traditional big band instrumentation and performing a variety of jazz styles, the ensemble is open to Smith and Five College students, faculty and staff (space permitting) with all levels of music training. Prior jazz experience is recommended but not required. S/U only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 957 Smith College Wind Ensemble (1 Credit)
At least one concert per semester. Open to Smith and Five College students, faculty and staff with prior instrumental experience. S/U only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 958 Smith College Celtic Music Ensemble: The Wailing Banshees (1 Credit)
At least one concert per semester. Open by audition or permission of the director to Smith and Five College students, faculty and staff. S/U only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 959 Handbell Choir (1 Credit)
The choir performs at the Family Weekend Montage concert, the annual Advent Dinner for the Roman Catholic community, Christmas Vespers and the second semester Spring Ring. In addition, the choir occasionally performs in off-campus community concerts. S/U only. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 960 Chinese Music Ensemble (1 Credit)
This course introduces students to the modern Chinese ensemble and a variety of Chinese music styles. The course is designed to be hands-on and experiential, encouraging students to explore the basic ideas of Chinese music and culture through rehearsals, practices, and performances. At least one concert per semester. Open by audition. S/U only. Enrollment limited to 18. Instructor permission required. {A}
Fall, Spring
MUS 961 Electric Guitar Lab/Ensemble (1 Credit)
Designed for beginner and near beginner students interested in the electric guitar. S/U only. Enrollment limited to 8. Instructor permission required. (E)
Fall, Spring, Annually
MUS 962 Five College Collegium (1 Credit)
The Five College Collegium is the flagship ensemble of the Five College Early Music Program. The ensemble is made up of experienced singers and instrumentalists from the Five College Consortium, and prepares four large scale projects in the course of the academic year for public performance. The Collegium rotates its rehearsal residency among the schools in the Five College system, and focuses on repertoire from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. Whenever possible, the Collegium invites professional musicians as guests to work with the ensemble on material that is relevant to the current project. S/U only. Enrollment limited to 25.
Spring
Crosslisted Courses
AMS 220dm Colloquium: Topics in American Studies-Dance, Music, Sex, Romance (4 Credits)
Since the 1950s rock ’n’ roll and other forms of youth-oriented popular music in the U.S. have embodied rebellion. Yet the rebellion that rock and other popular music styles like rap have offered has often been more available to men than women. Similarly, the sexual liberation associated with popular music in the rock and rap eras has been far more open to “straight” desires over “queer.” This course examines how popular music from the 1950s to the present has been shaped by gender and sexuality, and the extent to which the music and its associated cultural practices have allowed artists and audiences to challenge gender and sexual norms, or alternately have served to reinforce those norms albeit with loud guitars and a heavy beat. Enrollment limited to 20. {A}{H}
Fall, Spring, Variable
ANT 258/ MUS 258 Performing Culture (4 Credits)
Offered as MUS 258 and ANT 258. This course analyzes cultural performances as sites for the expression and formation of social identity. Students study various performance genres such as rituals, festivals, parades, cultural shows, music, dance and theater. Topics include expressive culture as resistance; debates around authenticity and heritage; the performance of race, class and ethnic identities; the construction of national identity; and the effects of globalization on indigenous performances. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}{S}
Fall, Spring, Alternate Years
FYS 100 My Music: Writing Musical Lives (4 Credits)
This first-year seminar begins with an exploration of our own musical lives. What does the particular constellation of material that we call "My Music" tell us about who we are, where we come from, and how we relate to the world? After analyzing and comparing musical lives within the class, students will read selected case studies and collaboratively design a musical biography project. Each student will curate one person’s musical life story, gathering data through one-on-one interviews, weaving together their interlocutor’s words with their own interpretations, and ultimately reflecting on what they have learned from the experience. Enrollment limited to 16 first-years. WI
Fall, Spring, Variable
MUS 231 Colloquium: From Goat Songs To Flash Mobs: Music and Theater (4 Credits)
Music and theatre are both time-based arts that involve bodies in motion in front of an audience. Though they may be considered separate disciplines, the full extent of what they share often makes them wonderfully indistinguishable. This course probes the intersections of music and theatre through a survey of genres, works, artists, and practitioners. While material covered will include clearly relevant genres such as musicals and opera, the focus will be on more difficult to categorize topics such as performance art, immersive theatre, and experimental music, in an open-minded examination of what makes this alliance so compelling. Enrollment limited to 20. {A}
Fall, Spring, Variable
Performance Study
The music department offers a range of performance courses: individual lessons (MUS 914Y, 924Y, 930Y and 940Y); chamber music coaching (MUS 901); conducting (MUS 903); and large ensembles (MUS 951 and above).
Individual voice and instrument performance courses consist of weekly private lessons, with specific expectations determined by each instructor. Lessons require a yearlong commitment and are normally taken in addition to a regular course load. Two such courses may be taken concurrently by petition only for students who have declared the music major or minor. Petitions are due to the music department by the last day of the pre-registration period.
Admission to individual lessons, chamber music, and some ensembles is determined by audition during fall semester orientation period and the first days of the semester. Students are accepted on the basis of musicianship, competence and potential. With the exception of voice, some prior experience is assumed. Information and sign-up sheets for auditions may be found at the Music Department office.
When no instructor for a particular instrument is available at Smith College, every effort is made to provide students with qualified instructors from the Five College community. Such arrangements may require Smith students to travel to other campuses within the Five College system. Students wishing to study performance with Five College faculty must obtain departmental approval.
All performance students are encouraged to study music in the classroom. Non-majors and non-minors should talk with their instructors about which courses best complement their interests.
No more than 24 credits in performance may be counted toward graduation. This includes participation in the various large ensembles described below.
All large ensembles are graded on an S/U basis.
Individual performance lessons carry the following numbering sequence and credits:
MUS 914Y First year of study
This is a full-year course. {8} {A} Credits: 2. Normally offered each academic year
MUS 924Y Second year of study
This is a full-year course. Prerequisite: MUS 914Y. {8} {A} Credits: 2. Normally offered each academic year
MUS 930Y Third and fourth years of study
Prerequisite: MUS 924Y. This is a full-year course. {8} {A} Credits: 2. Normally offered each academic year
MUS 940Y Concentration in Performance
Reserved for seniors who have been approved for Concentration in Performance. Two hours of performance lessons per week during the senior year. {8} {A} Credits: 4. Normally offered each academic year
MUS 901 Chamber Music
Weekly group meetings for exploration and coaching of varied repertory for duos and small ensembles. Open to instrumental students by permission of instructors. May be repeated for credit. {8} {A} Credits: 1. Normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 903 Conducting
Introduction to the art of conducting. This course examines philosophical and practical aspects of the modern conductor’s role. Topics include a musical gestural vocabulary, baton technique and score study/internalization of the printed page. Prior music performance experience and study of Western music theory is highly recommended; instructor permission required. May be repeated for credit. {8} {A} Credits: 2. Normally offered in alternate years
All students are encouraged to join a choral ensemble. The dynamic Smith College Glee Club performs annually at Commencement and Family Weekends, Montage, Autumn Serenade, Christmas Vespers, and at various college events including Opening Convocation, Otelia Cromwell Day and Rally Day. The Glee Club selects music from a diverse repertoire, including major works for treble voices, jazz, contemporary, and folk music of the U.S. and from international traditions. Every spring, glee clubs from such universities as Harvard, Rutgers, Cornell, Michigan and Virginia come to campus to collaborate on a major work. Recent performances have included the Mozart Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem. Auditions for Glee Club are normally held during orientation and the first two weeks of classes in both semesters.
Members of the Glee Club are eligible to audition for the highly selective Smith College Chamber Singers. The internationally known Chamber Singers have performed widely since 1951. Touring every two years, the program provides financial assistance enabling all members to tour regardless of financial need. Auditions for Chamber Singers are held after Glee Club auditions have concluded.
Students who would like to try singing in a choir for the first time should schedule an interview with the instructor of Introduction to Choral Singing, a course that introduces students to the world of choral music.
Introduction to Choral Singing, Glee Club and Chamber Singers meet on Mondays and/or Wednesdays in the late afternoon.
MUS 951 Introduction to Choral Singing
{8} {A} Credits: 1; normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 952 Smith College Glee Club
{8} {A} Credits: 1; normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 953 Smith College Chamber Singers
{8} {A} Credits: 1; normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 954 Smith College Orchestra
A symphony orchestra open to Smith and Five College students, and members of the community. The orchestra gives at least one concert each semester and performs at annual events such as Family Weekend and Christmas vespers. Rehearsals on Tuesday evenings. {8} {A} Credits: 1; normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 955 Smith College Javanese Gamelan Ensemble
One rehearsal per week; one concert per semester. Open (subject to space) to Smith and Five College students, faculty and staff. No prior experience necessary. Rehearsals on Wednesday evenings. {8} {A} Credits: 1; normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 956 Smith College Jazz Ensemble
The jazz ensemble rehearses once per week on Wednesday evenings 7–9 p.m. in Earle Recital Hall, and performs at least one concert per semester. Favoring traditional big band instrumentation, and performing a variety of jazz styles, the ensemble is open to Smith and Five College students, as well as and members of the community (space permitting, and by permission of the instructor) with all levels of music training. Prior jazz experience is recommended but not required. {8} {A} Credits: 1; normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 957 Smith College Wind Ensemble
One rehearsal per week; at least one concert per semester. Open to Smith and Five College students, faculty, staff and members of the community with prior instrumental experience. Rehearsals on Monday evenings.{8} {A} Credits: 1; normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 958 Smith College Irish Music Ensemble: The Wailing Banshees
One rehearsal per week; at least one concert per semester. Open by audition or permission of the director to Smith and Five College students, faculty and staff, and members of the community. {8} {A} Credits: 1; normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 959 Handbell Choir
The choir rehearses twice weekly and performs at the Family Weekend Montage concert, the annual Advent Dinner for the Roman Catholic community, Christmas Vespers and the second semester Spring Ring. In addition, the choir occasionally performs in off-campus community concerts. Rehearsals are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5 p.m. in the John M. Greene Hall Handbell Room. {8} {A} Credits: 1; normally offered both fall and spring semesters
MUS 960 Chinese Music Ensemble
This course introduces students to the modern Chinese ensemble and a variety of Chinese music styles. The course is designed to be hands-on and experiential, encouraging students to explore the basic ideas of Chinese music and culture through weekly rehearsals, practices, and performances. One rehearsal per week; at least one concert per semester. Open by audition or permission of the director. S/U only. Limited to 18. {A}
MUS 961 Electric Guitar Lab/Ensemble
Designed for beginner and near beginner students interested in the electric guitar. Enrollment limited to 8. Instructor permission required.
Faculty
Please contact Anna Goudreau with questions about instruments not listed here, or to reach any of these instructors.
- Phil Acimovic: Javanese Gamelan Ensemble
- Claire Arenius: drums
- Anthony Berner: violin
- Hannah Berube: clarinet
- Matthew Cory: electric and upright bass
- Laurie Ellington: voice
- Justina Golden: voice
- Ronald Gorevic: viola
- Donna Gouger: trumpet
- Charles Huang: oboe
- Bruce Krasin: saxophone
- Yang Liu: piano
- Joy Lu: Chinese Music Ensemble
- Meghan MacFadden: Wind Ensemble
- Felix Margolin: piano
- Scott Pemrick: trombone
- Thomas Pousont: organ
- Gabe Ramey: bassoon
- Ellen Redman: flute, piccolo, Irish flute, Wailing Banshees
- Joseph Ricker: classical guitar, electric guitar, guitar, Electric Guitar Lab/Ensemble
- Alice Robbins: gamba, cello
- Genevieve Rose: Jazz Ensemble
- Emily Samuels: recorder
- Gary Sienkiewicz: tuba
- Sheffra Spiridopoulos: French horn
- Felice Swados: harp
- Timothy Van Egmond: dulcimer
- John Van Eps: drums, marimba
- Sarah Vincelett Dredge: voice
- Anna Goudreau
Administrative Assistant - Shelley Latham
SmithArts Marketing and Communications Manager - Jaz Tupelo Dand
Concert Events Specialist
- Raphael Atlas, Professor Emeritus of Music
- Peter Bloom, Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor Emeritus of Humanities and Professor Emeritus of Music
- Jane Bryden, Iva Dee Hiatt Professor Emerita of Music
- Ken Fearn, Professor Emeritus of Music
- Monica Jakuc Leverett, Elsie Irwin Sweeney Professor Emerita of Music
- Grant Moss, Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Music and Organist to the College
- Richard Sherr, Caroline L. Wall ’27 Professor Emeritus of Music
- Ruth Solie, Sophia Smith Professor Emerita of Music
- Karen Smith Emerson, Elsie Irwin Sweeney Professor Emerita of Music
- Donald Wheelock, Irwin and Pauline Alper Glass Professor Emeritus of Music
- William Wittig, Professor Emeritus of Music
Five College Music
Facilities
The Department’s instrument resources include excellent performance pianos and keyboard instruments: two Steinway “D”s, a Hamburg Steinway “C,” three harpsichords and three pipe organs (in the Helen Hills Hills Chapel and John M. Greene Hall) are regularly used for teaching and performance. The department’s fortepiano was built in 1985 by Robert E. Smith after a design by Conrad Graf.
The Department also has various woodwind, brass, and stringed instruments available for student use.
The Digital Music Lab is home to thirteen workstations with 88-key weighted keyboards. The DML computers hold many exciting music software programs, including music notation software (Sibelius, Noteflight), Digital Audio Workstations (Reaper, Audacity), and other programs (Max MSP, SPEAR). Students who would like to request access to the Digitial Music Lab should email Anna Goudreau at agoudreau@smith.edu.
Opportunities & Resources
About the Department
The Smith College Music Department is busy making music throughout New England and the world. Below are some live recordings or CD selections of our faculty members and students.
Overture from Candide, Leonard Bernstein Smith College Orchestra
“O Sailor” from Here Be Sirens, Kate Soper Gelsey Bell, Kate Soper, Brett Umlauf, sopranos
Ave Regina Caelorum, Joseph Reinberger Smith College Glee Club
The Cup of Tea/The Old Copperplate/Star of Munster, traditional Wailing Banshees, Ellen Redman, director
'O Fortuna' from Carmina Burana, Carl Orff Smith College Glee Club and Orchestra with The Yale and WPI Glee Clubs
This Little Light of Mine, arr. Jerry Noble Smith College Glee Club and Chorus