Don Wright Faculty of Music
| Music followed a unique path in its affiliation with Western, evolving into a Faculty in 1968. Today, it is one of the top schools of musical excellence in Canada.The journey began in 1903 with the formation of the Conservatory of London. In 1919, the Institute of Musical Art opened to teach “the art and science of music, voice, culture, and expression.” The institute operated under the auspices of the University of Toronto and Toronto Conservatory. Summer classes in music were offered by Western in 1934; in that same year, the Institute was incorporated as the Western Ontario Conservatory of Music. The Sunday Nine O’Clock Series was launched the following year, generating interest in music education at the university. In 1938, the principal of the four-year-old Western Ontario Conservatory of Music was appointed Director of Music for the University. When the McIntosh Gallery opened in 1942, the conservatory offices were moved into the building. During the 1943-44 academic year, 12 students were allowed to take a music course for academic credit. The Music Teacher’s College was set up in 1945 and three levels of instruction were established: the Department of Music in University College; Music Teachers’ College at the collegiate level; ad secondary level instruction at the Western Conservatory. |
| Undergraduate | ||
| Bachelor of Music | In the Bachelor of Music (Honours) programs, a specific area of study is normally selected towards the end of the first year, when the student has had the opportunity to assess particular strengths and interests. It is also possible to continue in a general Bachelor of Music program without selecting a specific concentration. | |
| Bachelor of Arts | If you apply to the Bachelor of Arts (Honours Specialization in Music, Major in Music, Minor in Music) an audition is not required, since performance ability is not an essential criteria for admission. | |
| Popular Music Studies | The BA (Major in Popular Music Studies) is a module unique to Western that engages students with the interdisciplinary nature of the study of popular music. | |
| Music Administrative Studies | The Bachelor of Arts, Specialization in Music Administrative Studies (MAS) program is jointly offered by the Department of Music Research and Composition and the Management and Organizational Studies (MOS) program of the Faculty of Social Science. Studio lessons are not a part of this program, but may be elected for an additional fee. | |
| Music Recording Arts | The Music Recording Arts (MRA) program is a 5 year, compressed, collaborative program offered by the Don Wright Faculty of Music and Fanshawe College. Students in their second year of the general Bachelor of Music program are eligible to apply for the Music Recording Arts program. Successful graduates of the program will receive a Bachelor of Music (BMus) degree from Western and a two-year Ontario College Diploma in Music Industry Arts (MIA) from Fanshawe College. | |
| Combined Program Options | ||
| Combined Business Degree | These combined programs are five-year compressed, collaborative programs leading to a general Bachelor of Music (Honours), Bachelor of Arts (Honours Specialization in Music), or Bachelor of Arts (Major in Music) and a BA in Honours Business Administration (HBA). | |
| Music Recording Arts | The Music Recording Arts (MRA) program is a 5 year, compressed, collaborative program offered by the Don Wright Faculty of Music and Fanshawe College. Students in their second year of the general Bachelor of Music program are eligible to apply for the Music Recording Arts program. Successful graduates of the program will receive a Bachelor of Music (BMus) degree from Western and a two-year Ontario College Diploma in Music Industry Arts (MIA) from Fanshawe College. | |
| Performance Diplomas | The One-Year Artist Diploma program is offered to students who have previously completed a Bachelor of Music degree or its equivalent. Applicants must also demonstrate a performance level of at least a Conservatory Associate standard, and show evidence of exceptional performance ability. New applicants to the One-Year Artist Diploma program who are new to Western University should contact the Recruitment Officer, Sasha Gorbasew, agorbase@uwo.ca before applying. 2. The Music Performance Diploma is a three-year program designed for students who are also concurrently enrolled in a non-music degree. The program is flexible and permits students to focus exclusively on music study. It offers weekly one-hour lessons. Although diploma holders represent performers of high artistic achievement, graduate schools generally require an academic degree as well. New applicants to the Music Performance Diploma program who are new to Western University should contact the Recruitment Officer, Sasha Gorbasew, agorbase@uwo.ca before applying. Students already at Western should contact Diane Mills, pdmills@uwo.ca during the Intent to Register period. | |
| Concurrent Degrees | It is possible to combine the study of Music with another non-music subject. Students who are registered in Bachelor of Music can apply for permission to register concurrently in another Bachelor degree (ie. to focus on the study of a non-Music subject). It would take 5-6 years to complete both degrees with some overloading as well as taking summer courses. Tuition fees applicable to the professional degree would be paid for the years while in school completing these degrees. | |
| Graduate | ||
| Composition | Western’s graduate programs in composition offer exceptional artistic and academic experiences. Students receive studio instruction from our distinguished faculty, who are committed to providing a stimulating, creative environment in which young composers develop their individual voices and pursue their creative goals. Students receive and create for themselves opportunities for performances of their original compositions, and are encouraged to explore a variety of artistic media and styles. In addition to communicating through original composition, students also discover opportunities to refine their written and oral communication skills in a supportive intellectual environment. | |
| Music Theory | Western’s graduate programs in music theory offer an outstanding academic experience in which students are encouraged to follow their musical and intellectual inclinations while also acquiring a foundation in recognized subfields of the discipline (such as transformational theory, Schenkerian theory, pedagogy of music theory, sonata theory, transformational theory, and history of theory). This dual approach offers a perspective that balances tradition and innovation, and exposes students to a variety of musical repertoire, theoretical systems, approaches to analytical methodology, and critical thinking. | |
| Performance | Western’s graduate programs in performance offer exceptional artistic and academic experiences. Students receive studio instruction from distinguished performers, who are committed to teaching the highest standards of artistic expression through musical performance. Students are exposed to a wide variety of musical genres and styles through experience in solo performance, master classes, chamber music, opera, orchestra, and other types of collaborative music opportunities, in a stimulating intellectual and artistic environment. | |
| Western’s graduate programs in musicology offer both an outstanding academic experience and opportunities to pursue innovative research across a wide range of subject areas. Our faculty’s expertise extends chronologically from the early part of the last millennium to the art music and popular music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Thanks to the variety of approaches and areas of expertise of our musicology faculty members, students receive a solid grounding in research methodologies, repertoires, and time periods and in critical thinking. Our Faculty’s campus connections with scholars in programs such as Medieval Studies, American Studies, Media Studies, Women’s Studies, and Philosophy mean that students are encouraged to engage in interdisciplinary scholarship, where appropriate, and are able easily to access a yet broader array of scholarly expertise beyond the Faculty of Music. | |
| Music Education | Western’s graduate programs in music education offer exceptional learning and academic experiences. Thanks to the multiple areas of expertise of our diverse music education faculty, students receive opportunities for expert research supervision in many areas of study in the field of music education. Students are also encouraged to explore interdisciplinary pursuits and engage in related fields such as sociology, philosophy, psychology and neuroscience, policy, culture, gender, race, media studies, and educational leadership. | |
| Music Cognition Collaborative | The Collaborative Graduate Specialization in Music Cognition at Western University offers exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary coursework, lab-based research training, and rigorous musical engagement. This specialization can be added to graduate degrees in Music, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Audiology. Students are mentored by faculty members from the Don Wright Faculty of Music, the Brain and Mind Institute, and the National Centre for Audiology. |
Administrative links
Fee and funding under graduate
International students