Music Composition - Mus.B. Degree
School of Music
Office:Mason Hall
(716) 673-3151
Dr. James Davis, Interim Chair of Music Studies
Dr. Rob Deemer, Program Coordinator
Email: deemer@fredonia.edu
Website: https://www.fredonia.edu/academics/colleges-schools/school-music/program/music-composition
The program explores artistic concepts and pragmatic tools that are necessary to explore career paths in music composition.
Major Requirements
Musicianship Core
The musicianship core is the set of required studies common to all music degree programs (Bachelor of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy, Bachelor of Science in Music with an emphasis in Sound Recording Technology, all programs of the Bachelor of Music).
NOTE:
- MUS 125 and MUS 126 (instead of MUS 105 and MUS 106 for students approved to take the Extended Applied Lessons;
- MUS 118: waived for students whose principal instrument is piano;
- MUS 120: each semester of private applied lessons;
- MUS 107 and MUS 108 are required of all freshmen oboe and bassoon majors.
Plus the following:
NOTE:
- 8 semesters of 1-credit ensemble, of which at least two will be choral (8 credits total)
- MUS 404 is not required for voice and piano students taking Extended Applied Lessons (see below).
Applied Lessons:
Composition majors have a minimum requirement of 30-minute applied lessons on their primary instrument for four semesters. They may choose to apply to take eight semesters of hour-long applied lessons (see Extended Applied Lessons below) and give an instrumental or voice recital (with studio instructor permission):
Additional requirements if principal instrument is not voice or piano
One of the following courses:
| MUS 437 | Digital Music Seminar: Scoring for Video Games | 3 |
| MUS 438 | Digital Music Seminar:Scoring for Film and Video | 3 |
| MUS 442 | Digital Music Seminar: Digital Orchestration | 3 |
| MUS 443 | Digital Music Seminar: Sound Design | 3 |
Plus one of the following:
| MUS 440 | Composition for Electronic Media: Analog | 3 |
| MUS 441 | Composition for Electronic Media: Digital | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Additional requirements if voice is principal instrument
| MUS 033 | Opera Prod Practicum | 0.5 |
| MUS 137 | Diction for Singers-English | 0.5 |
| MUS 138 | Diction for Singers-Italian | 0.5 |
| MUS 139 | Diction for Singers-German | 0.5 |
| MUS 140 | Diction for Singers-French | 0.5 |
One of the following courses:
| MUS 437 | Digital Music Seminar: Scoring for Video Games | 3 |
| MUS 438 | Digital Music Seminar:Scoring for Film and Video | 3 |
| MUS 442 | Digital Music Seminar: Digital Orchestration | 3 |
| MUS 443 | Digital Music Seminar: Sound Design | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 5.5 |
NOTE:
- MUS 033: one semester required during the first year.
Additional requirements if piano is principal instrument
| MUS 201 | Collaborative Piano Skills and Repertoire I | 2 |
| MUS 202 | Collaborative Piano Skills and Repertoire II | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 4 |
Extended Applied Lessons
Students may choose to take four years of hour-long applied lessons and give an instrumental or voice recital (with studio instructor permission). This should be done no later than the end of the first year or study.
Additional requirements if voice is principal instrument
| MUS 033 | Opera Prod Practicum | 0.5 |
| MUS 137 | Diction for Singers-English | 0.5 |
| MUS 138 | Diction for Singers-Italian | 0.5 |
| MUS 139 | Diction for Singers-German | 0.5 |
| MUS 140 | Diction for Singers-French | 0.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 2.5 |
NOTE:
- MUS 033: one semester required during the first year; Voice students who take Extended Applied Lessons will not be required to take MUS 404 Choral Scoring & Arranging.
Additional requirements if piano is principal instrument
| MUS 201 | Collaborative Piano Skills and Repertoire I | 2 |
| MUS 202 | Collaborative Piano Skills and Repertoire II | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 4 |
NOTE:
- Piano students who take Extended Applied Lessons will not be required to take MUS 404 Choral Scoring & Arranging.
Credit Hours Totals
- Applied Lessons, not voice or piano: 92 credit hours
- Applied Lessons, voice: 91.5 credit hours
- Applied Lessons, piano: 90 credit hours
- Extended Applied Lessons, not voice or piano: 94 credit hours
- Extended Applied Lessons, voice: 94.5 credit hours
- Extended Applied Lessons, piano: 96 credit hours
Total Credit Hours: 90-96
Statement on Ensembles:
No undergraduate student will be allowed to enroll in more than two 1-credit ensembles in a given semester. Undergraduate students enroll in up to four curricular ensembles (1-credit and ½-credit) in a semester. Any student may be asked to be in more than one 1-credit ensemble in a semester, but they cannot be required to do so. This does not pertain to the choral requirements for instrumental Music Education majors, as that is a requirement of the major.
Each undergraduate student pursuing the MusB-Composition degree program is required to audition for and enroll in a 1-credit ensemble each semester.
All students required to enroll in a 1-credit ensemble will do so on the instrument correlating to the primary studio assignment unless specifically exempted by the administration of the School of Music.
Exemption from any ensemble policy requires agreement between the ensemble director(s) and the studio instructor, and may be appealed to the department chair.