Bachelor of Music
The undergraduate curriculum provides extensive training in students’ majors, comprehensive instruction in Music Theory and Music History, and an introduction to Liberal Arts disciplines.
Degree programs may be pursued in the following majors:
- Bassoon
- Clarinet
- Composition
- Contemporary Musical Arts
- Double Bass
- Euphonium
- Flute
- Guitar
- Harp
- Horn
- Jazz Studies - Concentration in Composition
- Jazz Studies - Concentration in Performance
- Music History
- Music Theory
- Oboe
- Percussion
- Piano
- Saxophone
- Trombone
- Trumpet
- Tuba
- Viola
- Violin
- Violoncello
- Vocal Performance
In addition to degree programs, undergraduates may also pursue a minor in Liberal Arts or Music Theory, or a concentration in Music Technology or Teaching Artistry and Music Education. (See Minors & Concentrations for more information).
Definition of an NEC-Educated Person (Bachelor’s Degree Level)
NEC’s Bachelor of Music curriculum is designed with the expectation that an NEC-educated person will be a musician with artistic integrity, an active lifelong learner in both musical and academic disciplines, and a responsible citizen.
A person graduating with a bachelor’s degree from NEC demonstrates significant achievement of professional competence in the chosen musical discipline-through the acquired body of knowledge and skills in performance, musicianship, history, theoretical analysis, composition, and repertoire-and displays an ability to interpret music with a sense of individual expression, enriched by both traditional and innovative approaches to musical training. An NEC-educated musician demonstrates knowledge of fundamental concepts of music theory, and a basic familiarity with historical developments in Western music, including a more thorough understanding of at least one specific period or idiom. The NEC-educated person will be able to use technology and the tools of scholarly research effectively to further their musical education, work, and exploration.
The NEC-educated person has developed college-level skills in analytical reading, critical thinking, academic writing, and oral presentation and discussion; can work both independently and in collaboration with others; and has a basic proficiency with technology and information resources. An NEC-educated person has cultivated a broader intellectual perspective by choosing from elective offerings in history, politics, economics, literature, cultural studies, philosophy, mathematics, science, languages, music education, and the creative arts. In doing so, students explore and deepen their creativity, and examine and reflect on the social, political, and cultural issues that affect their lives as students, musicians, and participants in the global community. The NEC-educated person has developed the professional skills necessary to pursue a career in music or in other fields.
An NEC-educated person is an active lifelong learner in both musical and academic disciplines, and a responsible citizen. As such, the NEC-educated person develops the skills to be a proponent for the role of music and musicians in society; is committed to outreach and community service through music; and supports the creation and growth of music and other arts organizations.
The NEC-educated person has an awareness of current events, both locally and globally; has an awareness of and respect for other cultures; is able to develop and express independent views; and is able to engage in respectful conversations or debate while honoring diverse perspectives.
Understanding that learning is a process of discovery, NEC students graduating with a bachelor’s degree will be able to apply their acquired knowledge, under- standing, and skills beyond their undergraduate education, enabling them to continue critical studies, explore ideas and contemporary issues, deepen their creative work, and commit themselves to vital roles in their communities.
General Education
As part of their NEC education, students pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree fulfill a 40-credit General Education (GE) requirement that embodies our institutional definition of “an educated person and prepares students for the world in which they will live.”
In addition to training in their applied field of study, the GE component of the NEC curriculum ensures that the NEC-educated person will cultivate a “broader intellectual perspective” on their work as a performing artist by enriching their study with courses on an array of musical and non-musical topics. “In doing so, students explore and deepen their creativity, and examine and reflect on the social, political, and cultural issues that affect their lives as students, musicians, and participants in the global community.”
While our curriculum as a whole focuses on the training of musicians, the emphasis within our GE curriculum focuses on the training of persons who will become musicians.
A course eligible for general education credit shall focus on the learning outcomes articulated below:
- Students cultivate skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing aimed at fostering their ability to communicate effectively in varied media with musicians and non-musicians on both musical and non-musical topics.
- Students develop an intellectual perspective on a given topic that allows them to situate the discussion of said topic within musical and non-musical contexts. Any musical contexts shall be informed by cross-disciplinary engagement with literary, social, political, historical, technological, and cultural contexts (among others).
- “Transferability” of skills developed is centered in the course and students acquire concrete examples of how their work in a given class can apply to, inform, and stimulate their work in other areas of inquiry.
- Assessment in the course shall afford students the opportunity to reflect on their experience in a medium other than live performance or composition. Any work focused on the analysis of a musical score must include a written and/or spoken component that invites the student to consider appropriate contextual frames for this work. In addition, any analytical writing shall encourage students to uphold the same standards of clarity and organization that they would bring to any type of expository writing.
Special Note on Courses Enrolling both Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Graduate-level courses in which undergraduates can enroll (or courses open to both undergraduate and graduate students) must fulfill the institutional expectations for general education courses in terms of the learning outcomes as outlined above. Syllabi for such courses must be clear in articulating how courses that have been designed to achieve graduate-level outcomes can also enable students to achieve the general education outcomes as identified above.