Music Composition - Mus.B. Degree
Department of Music Studies
Office:Mason Hall
(716) 673-3151
Dr. James Davis, Chair of Music Studies
Dr. Rob Deemer, Program Coordinator
Email: james.davis@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
NOTE:
- MUS 125 and MUS 126 (instead of MUS 105 and MUS 106 for students approved to take the Extended Applied Lessons;
- MUS 117 & 118: waived for students whose principal instrument is piano;
- MUS 120: each semester of private applied lessons (4 for general composition, 8 for extended lessons)
Composition Core:
Two of the following
| MUSC 410 | Digital Music Seminar: Scoring for Video Games | 3 |
| MUSC 411 | Digital Music Seminar:Scoring for Film and Video | 3 |
| MUSC 412 | Digital Music Seminar: Digital Orchestration | 3 |
| MUSC 413 | Digital Music Seminar: Sound Design | 3 |
| MUSC 420 | Composition for Electronic Media I: Analog | 3 |
| MUSC 421 | Composition for Electronic Media II: Digital | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 50 |
Applied Lessons/Ensembles:
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):
| MUS 200 | Recital Seminar | 0 |
| MUS 205 | Applied Music Major | 1 |
| MUS 206 | Applied Music Major | 1 |
| | Ensembles, by advisement (including 1 choral ens.) 5 crs. | 5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 7 |
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.
NOTE:
Students who take Extended Applied Lessons will not be required to take the following courses: MUSC 201, MUS 403, MUSC 410, MUSC 411, MUSC 412, MUSC 413. They will be required to take either MUSC 420 or MUSC 421, but not both. In addition, instrumental majors will not be required to take 2 semesters of choral ensembles as they will already be required to take ensembles every semester on their instrument.
Additional/different requirements if oboe or bassoon is the principal instrument:
| MUS 107 | Double Reed Class I | 0.5 |
| MUS 108 | Double Reed Class II | 0.5 |
| MUS 205 | Applied Music Major | 1 |
| MUS 206 | Applied Music Major | 1 |
| MUS 200 | Recital Seminar | 0 |
| | Ensembles, by advisement | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 7.0 |
Additional/different 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 |
| MUS 205 | Applied Music Major | 1 |
| MUS 206 | Applied Music Major | 1 |
| MUS 200 | Recital Seminar | 0 |
| | Ensembles, by advisement | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8.5 |
Note:
- MUS 033 Opera Production Practicum one semester is required during the first year
Additional/different 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 |
Credit Hours Totals
- Applied Lessons, not oboe, bassoon, or voice: 99 credit hours
- Applied Lessons, oboe, or bassoon: 99 credit hours
- Applied Lessons, voice: 97.5 credit hours
- Extended Applied Lessons, not oboe, bassoon, voice or piano: 97 credit hours
- Extended Applied Lessons, oboe or bassoon: 98 credit hours
- Extended Applied Lessons, voice: 99 credit hours
- Extended Applied Lessons, piano: 98 credit hours
Total Credit Hours: 97-99
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.