Vanderbilt Blair School of Music
| The talented musicians we attract want conservatory-quality music training with excellent teachers, frequent performance opportunities, and great facilities. They want to participate in their school’s top ensembles, so we deliberately limit our admissions numbers. Because we are selective, our students study and perform with musicians who are equally dedicated. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4:1 provides numerous opportunities to get to know and to work closely with the world-class musicians on our faculty. |
Degree
| COMPOSITION |
| The composition major emphasizes creation and analysis of music in an ever-evolving culture, encouraging students to develop a deep knowledge of self while fostering a greater understanding of the musical world around them. Students focus on repertoire and craft, primarily in (but not limited to) the art music field, and may then employ those skills and techniques to explore other areas of interest, such as film scoring, jazz composition, musical theater composition, electroacoustic music, computer composition, and experimental music of various kinds. |
| INTEGRATED STUDIES |
| The integrated studies major attracts students who are strong performers and composers, but are also interested in other facets of music. Students in this major declare a primary performance area or composition, and in addition to these primary area requirements, they must choose a concentration in another musical area. Some examples of music concentrations are: composition, musicology, ethnomusicology, pedagogy, music theory, jazz, multiple winds, collaborative arts, or an individually designed area. This program provides a solid foundation in the study of music and liberal arts, as well as the opportunity to develop and refine a second discipline in music. |
| JAZZ STUDIES |
| The Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies major combines performance, composition, improvisation, musicianship, analysis, music technology, and entrepreneurship to prepare diverse and agile musicians for a wide range of careers. The major also offers specialized courses and ensembles focusing on global music. Students have the opportunity to focus on American and non-Western music traditions while also developing the core fundamentals of Western music common to all Blair majors.Graduates of the program will be well-equipped for the diverse demands placed on the professional musician in the 21st century. Alumni may go on to become studio musicians, touring musicians, music merchant experts, producers, publishers, composers/arrangers for film and television, studio engineers and technicians, or entrepreneurs. |
| BACHELOR OF MUSICAL ARTS |
| The bachelor of musical arts degree gives excellent performers and composers the flexibility to combine in-depth music study with a second focus in another field. The degree, which is available in any orchestral instrument, piano, saxophone, euphonium, voice and composition, includes a broad foundation in the art of music, in addition to a self-designed area of interdisciplinary studies or a specific field outside of music (for example: pre-med, music and the mind, art history, computer science, etc.) This major is ideal for a student who has a strong interest in two fields and/or combining two areas of study into an individually-designed interdisciplinary area. Students interested in musical arts apply with the same materials and standards as performance applicants. |
| FIVE-YEAR BACHELOR OF MUSIC/MASTER OF EDUCATION |
| This program combines Blair’s strengths with those of the Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Based on the integrated studies major, the program provides for teacher licensure in instrumental or vocal/general music. Students who meet all requirements will earn the B.Mus. degree in four years and the M.Ed. from Peabody College in an additional calendar year, June through May. Application to Peabody College for the M.Ed. program is made during the student’s senior year at Blair.The curriculum includes a strong emphasis on music performance; a solid foundation in music literature, theory and the liberal arts; undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and education and three practica. Student teaching includes at least fifteen weeks of teaching in field placements. Students also gain experience in the pre-college ensembles at Blair. |
| 3+2 BACHELOR OF MUSICAL ARTS/MBA BLAIR-TO-OWEN PROGRAM |
| The five-year joint program between the Blair School of Music and the Owen Graduate School of Management allows a small cohort of particularly motivated musical arts degree students to overlap their undergraduate coursework with work toward the MBA, facilitating the earning of both the undergraduate and graduate degrees in five years (ten semesters). By combining three and one-half years in Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music with one and one-half years of study in the Owen School, students may obtain both the B.Mus.Arts degree and the MBA in five years. The baccalaureate from the Blair School is awarded at the end of the fourth year, and the MBA is awarded from the Owen School after the fifth year. |
| LIBERAL ARTS CORE |
| The liberal arts core affords music students the opportunity to develop a broad-based understanding of intellectual endeavors and methods in a variety of disciplines, to explore the interconnectedness of music, arts and other humanistic pursuits, and to articulate their thinking in clear and effective language. |
| SECOND MAJORS |
| Blair majors have the flexibility to complete a second major or minor in another undergraduate school at Vanderbilt (and this is a requirement for Bachelor of Musical Arts students.) All Vanderbilt students with two majors receive only one degree; for Blair students this is the Bachelor of Music degree or a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree. Because this is not a dual-degree program, it is completed in four years. Please note that computer science and engineering science are the only second majors available to Blair students in the School of Engineering. Most students who wish to study engineering and music choose to enroll in the School of Engineering as their home school and in Blair as a second major or minor. For complete information on second majors and the pre-med track, please consult the Undergraduate Catalog and the Blair Student Handbook. |
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