The Loading... is a liberal arts degree, and like all liberal arts degrees, is designed to ensure students have a broad-base of knowledge to complement the deeper mastery in the major area (music in this case). The liberal arts foster the flexibility needed to adapt to our rapidly changing society by developing skills in observation, analysis, communication, research, and judgment that are applicable in any situation.
Compared to the Bachelor of Music degrees the Crane School of Music offers, the elective components of the B.A. in Music degree are fairly large. Students have 10 credits of free music electives, 6 credits of upper-division music history or theory courses, and at least 32 credits of free non-music electives. All students must also complete a Capstone Project which should reflect the focus of their degree, and can be in one of many formats, such as a performance or lecture/recital, a written or presentation-based research project, an internship, and so on.
With all of the options these electives provide, students should consider organizing these electives so that they leave SUNY Potsdam with the knowledge and skills they wish to have. Below are some ideas we have put together to help students begin to think about these elective hours. In most cases, the suggestions below combine courses in music with a related area outside of music. These are not degree tracks, so feel free to take from them what you wish - hopefully these suggestions will spur other ideas for this flexible degree, and, if so, we hope you will share them with us.
Music courses: the Loading... (12 credits)
Courses outside of music: the Loading... (22 credits)
Course work for students interested in a Masters Degree in Music Therapy. Note that any undergraduate degree in music is appropriate in order to apply for entry to a Masters in Music Therapy degree program.
Music Courses: either the Loading... or select courses from the following:
MUCE 345 Introduction to Music Therapy (3 cr)
MUCE 445 Special Education Music (3 cr)
MUCE 447 Strategies for Teaching Music in the Self-Contained Special Ed Classroom (3 cr)
MUCE 446 Practicum in Special Music Education (1 or 2 cr)
MUCE 448 Psychology of Music (3 cr)
Courses outside of music: the Loading... (22 credits) or the Loading... (18-22 credits)
Music Courses:
This is a variation on the Loading... degree plan.
MUCR 410 Music Bibliography (1 cr)
A course in Vernacular Music (3 cr) from this list:
MUCH 340 Music of the Beatles
MUCH 337 European Folk Music
MUCH 338 Music in America
MUCH 440 Historical Development of Jazz
MUCH 441 American Musical
A course in Ethnomusicology (3 cr) from this list:
MUCH 360 World Music Cultures
MUCH 460 Introduction to Ethnomusicology
MUCH 461 Gender and Music in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Two courses in Western Music History (6 cr) from this list:
MUCH 302 Music of Baroque
MUCH 405 The German Lied
MUCH 423 Music of the Viennese Classicists
MUCH 424 Music of the Nineteenth Century
MUCH 431 J. S. Bach
MUCH 433 Rhetoric and Music
MUCH 434 Renaissance Culture and Music
MUCH 439 The Concerto
MUCH 455 Ludwig van Beethoven
MUCH 470 Post-Romantic Music: 1870-1914
A music theory course (upper division) (3 cr) - any MUCT 3XX or 4XX course
Courses outside of music: the Loading... (18-20 credits) or the Loading... (18 credits)
This is a variation on the Loading... degree plan.
Music Courses:
MUCR 410 Music Bibliography (1 cr)
Courses in Ethnomusicology (9 cr)
MUCH 360 World Music Cultures
MUCH 460 Introduction to Ethnomusicology
MUCH 461 Gender and Music in Cross-Cultural Perspective
A music history and/or music theory course (upper division) (3 or 6 cr) - any MUCT/MUCH 3XX or 4XX course
Courses outside of music: the Loading... (18-21 credits)
Music courses: the Loading... (23 credits)
Courses outside of music:
For the Business of Music minor, three business courses (from a list of 11) are required. If students want more business courses, they could opt to take additional courses in this area, including the option to complete a Loading... (18 credits).
Or students could choose other options depending on their interests. For example, for students interested in production and design in the performing arts, the Loading... (20-22 credits) might be a good option.
Music courses: the Loading... (19 credits)
Courses outside music: no particular suggestions.
Music courses: Select from appropriate combination from the Music courses below:
Composition course:
MUCT 301 Composition I (3 cr)
One or more course(s) in Vernacular Music:
MUCH 340 Music of the Beatles
MUCH 338 Music in America
MUCH 440 Historical Development of Jazz
MUCH 441 American Musical
MUCT 330 Jazz Theory and Arranging
MUCT 335 Jazz Improvisation I
MUCT 424 Advanced Jazz Improvisation
One or two courses in Recording Technology:
MUAI 431 Recording and Production Techniques (3 cr)*
MUAI 432 Advanced Recording and Production Techniques (3 cr)*
Or choose one of these minors or concentrations, or take some coursework in these programs:
The Loading... (23 credits)
The Loading... (21 credits)
The Loading... (11-12 credits)
The Loading... (12 credits)
Courses outside of music: Loading... (18-19 credits), perhaps with an emphasis on Poetry Writing
or
COMP 202 Introduction to Creative Writing (4 cr)
COMP 303 Poetry Workshop I (4 cr)
COMP 413 Poetry Workshop II (4 cr)
and
ACCT 201 Principles of Accounting I (3 cr)
MKTG 301 Principles of Marketing (3 cr)
Or other coursework in business
*Normally these music business courses are only available to Music Business majors and minors, so B.A. students would need permission to take them.