“You’re a music major? What instrument do you play?” This is the most common question that Stern College music majors face, and it represents one of the biggest misconceptions about the major.
While accumulating “performance credits” is a piece of the major, it is a small percentage of the total credit count that every music major must take in order to leave with a bachelor’s degree in music.
In other universities that have more students and thus a more desired music degree, there is the ability to hire more professors and offer very specific concentrations. While this is an excellent resource in a conservatory setting—where students want to continue on to Masters degrees in music composition and the like—in a setting like Stern College, and YU as a whole, this is impractical.
Majoring in music at Stern is different than majoring in music at other universities, because at Stern, students take a wide array of classes on music-related topics, such as music history, composition, music theory, harmony, and performance. A student who graduates from Stern with a B.A. in music has developed a deep understanding for all aspects of music, and in turn, the resources to continue into any professional field, not necessarily music-centric.
At Stern, a student majoring in music must also take a number of music theory courses. This starts with the “beginner course” Music Fundamentals, which covers key information and aspects of rhythm, as well as other foundational material music majors must learn. From there, students take more advanced courses like Diatonic Harmony I and II, and Chromatic Harmony, where one learns everything from “counterpoint” composition to “chord building,” from progression to modulation. The core of the major is found in the theoretical knowledge of music, rather than conservatory-style instrumental knowledge. To some, this would seem backwards: however, accumulating theoretical knowledge is the cornerstone of music studies, since it allows for the continual expansion of music education.
The major also requires students to take Ear Training, a course in which students spend most of the class period “speaking rhythms,” “identifying intervals,” and “sight-singing” melodies. Students must also take Composition, a course that requires each student to compose her own pieces, analyses of music history, and eventually culminates in student performances.
Though it is one of the smallest majors credit-wise, topping off at thirty total credits, music is not necessarily an “easy” major. A music major can expect to spend countless hours every week on her homework, only to come into class and be told they have twelve mistakes within six bars of music.
Luckily, there is a large value placed on the effort a student puts into her work, rather than exact results. This expectation creates a learning environment in which students are not simply copying answers they already know to be correct, or ripping out their hair when something is not perfect. Rather, it is an environment in which students can truly try their best while feeling heard, knowing that the professors will continue explaining concepts until the students fully understand.
The amount of knowledge gained by a music student is optimized by the fact that the major is very small, making class sizes extremely intimate, sometimes even offering one-on-one lectures, a real privilege as a college-level student. There is rarely a class from which a student leaves feeling lost; if a student is confused, the class discusses the questions together, rather than assuming the problem will be solved alone.
Recent Stern graduate and music major, Talia Molotsky says that one of her favorite parts about the major was the small classes and “the faculty’s open minded nature,” touching upon the liberal (literally, open-minded) professor approach to classroom dialogue that exists. Molotsky added that “the close-knit style of the major” creates a culture of respect, communal understanding, and intellectual challenge. Because the ratio of students to professors is almost one-to-one, Molotsky was able to request a “Music Pedagogy” course, designed to teach Stern students how to instruct vocal music lessons, something that deeply interests her, but had never been offered at Stern before.
Instead of offering only required courses or textbook-based learning, though that does jive with certain learning styles, the music department assures that courses will personally interest students, a goal that is taken very seriously by staff and students alike.
Another aspect of the major that music students value is the professors. It is not hard to find a comment thread on the Facebook group Stern: In The Know throughout which students will argue which music professor is the best, all fighting for their favorites with comments like “Young for music!” “Dorn forever,” or “GLASER GLASER GLASER.” The faculty is clearly well-liked.
The three incredible and impressively qualified professors, all with very different musical styles, interests, and personal approaches, guarantee that each music major can find at least one professor with whom she will genuinely connect.
Dr. Glaser, the head of the department, has his doctorate in music composition and has an affinity for history. Professor Dorn specializes in music theory, while Professor Young is a performer. The variety creates a rich repertoire of knowledge.
One of the main stigmas surrounding the music major manifests in the second most common question music majors get: “What are you going to do with it?” This is a question always asked from an angle of skepticism, if not premature judgement. Almost all music majors at Stern end up going into a field unrelated to music, though all graduates of the program use what they learned in their careers. As Molotsky says, “It was exciting to realize just how much music is based on mathematics.” Majoring in music is similar to majoring in physics. It isn’t about memorizing information so that you can retain it for an exam; rather, one learns concepts that expand her way of thinking and then allow her to apply them in real situations. The music classes at Stern force students to look at the world in different ways than they are used to, improving critical-thinking skills in all walks of life. Music builds an analytical, intellectual, and artistic foundation for a student’s future.
