Music

Music courses are designed to develop an understanding and appreciation of music as an art, and to prepare the student for composing, teaching, performing, and advanced work in music. Students majoring in music may specialize their studies in curricular tracks including Composition, History, Jazz, Performance, and Theory, or pursue studies that balance these areas with the Standard track. A student who enters Whitman without any prior college-level preparation in music will have to complete 36 credits to fulfill the requirements for each of the tracks. Proficiency in piano is required of all students majoring in music. On declaration of a music major, a student has two options. If the student has previous piano experience and is not a piano major, they may take the piano proficiency exam. The details of this exam are available from the head of the piano area at the request of the student. If the student is not able to pass or opts not to take the exam, they must take piano until able to pass the exam. Learning Goals: Upon graduation, a student will be able to:  demonstrate thorough foundation in theoretical constructs and analysis of music.  identify central stylistic hallmarks and societal contexts of a history of Western music.  demonstrate technical proficiency and artistry with primary instrument or voice, as appropriate for the declared track.  demonstrate piano proficiency.  speak and write critically about an aesthetic and analytic understanding of music in a way that responds to diverse perspectives and viewpoints. Distribution: Courses in music apply to the fine arts distribution area, with the following exceptions: Cultural pluralism or fine arts: Music 115, 129, 160, 258, 354, 360. Humanities or fine arts: Music 297, 298, 299. Quantitative analysis and fine arts: Music 426