Learn more about majoring in music at Occidental. We'd also love for you to meet some of our majors!
Overview
Students majoring in Music must choose, at the time of declaring the major, one of the following focuses to pursue: Foundations of Music Creation, Instrumental Performance, Vocal Performance, or Music Studies. Students with no prior music theory experience must take , offered in the fall semester. Students with substantial experience in music theory should take the Music Theory Placement Exam to see if they can pass directly into , offered in the spring semester.
All Music majors must take the same eight required courses, in music theory, history, and culture. In addition to these courses, majors must take the courses required of their focus.
In addition, students who are pursuing the foundations of music creation focus may choose to add a concentration in composition or production. The composition or production concentration must be declared by October of the junior year to prepare for the practice-based component of the Senior Comprehensive project.
To declare the Music major with any focus, students must have completed with a grade of C or higher. In addition, to declare the music production concentration, students must have also completed with a grade of C or higher. Moreover, for production students, both and must be completed by the end of the sophomore year.
Students intending to study 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 their progress in the Music major. Students who study abroad in their junior years and are pursuing a vocal or instrumental performance focus will be accommodated with online MUSA lessons.
During the senior year, students undertake a senior comprehensive project appropriate to their focus, if applicable, their concentration.
To plan accurately, pay attention to those courses that have prerequisites. Go tofor further information. Because the catalog changes year to year, please note that your major requirements are determined by thecatalog of the academic year in which you declare the major. This is referred to as your “catalog year.” For example, if you declare the major in 2024-2025, that is your catalog year, and the Music major requirements for that academic year's catalog are the requirements you must fulfill in order to graduate.In order to declare the Music major, you must take MUSC 151Music Theory IIno later than the spring semester of your sophomore year and ideally the spring semester of your first year. Students must declare their Major focus when they declare the Music major.Students must receive a grade of C or above in each of MUSC 151, MUSC 251, and, if required of the concentration, MUSC 148 in order to graduate with a Music major.
To declare the Music major, you must do the following, in this order:
- Receive a grade of C or above in MUSC151 and, if you are pursuing a production concentration, MUSC 148 by the end of your sophomore year.
- Submit the.
- Meet with the Music Department Chair to discuss your responses to the questionnaire and to further plot your path through the major.
- Submit theMajor Declaration Formto the Registrar's Office.
NOTE: Students wanting to study abroad in the fall semester of their junior year must have declared the Music major before submitting their study abroad application, which is due in February of their sophomore year. Prior to submitting that application, they must determine with their Music advisor whether they can fulfill the major requirements in their proposed study abroad program. Students pursuing the Performance focus who wish to study abroad in the spring semester of their junior year must give their Junior Recital at the end of the fall semester of their junior year.
Music theory placement: Placement in Music Theory II(MUSC 151) is determined in one of two ways: by satisfactory performance on the Music Theory Placement Exam or by completing Materials of Music (MUSC 101) with a grade of "C" or higher. Students who do not place into Music Theory II(MUSC 151) will begin the course sequence with Materials of Music (MUSC 101).