Music
OFFICE: 111 Mandeville Center for the Arts
Web page: http://www.ucsd.edu/music
Professors
Courses
This department is dedicated to the development of musical intelligence
and capacity, centering its quest on the music of our own time. The
undergraduate programs intend to enhance the exercise and comprehension
of the music-making process. The graduate programs aim to educate practitioners
and researchers who can nourish the entire domain of music as well as
extend its boundaries.
Resources
Performance/Production Opportunities
Although performance students take lessons and give recitals within
the framework of their degree program, non-performance students are
also encouraged to participate in the performance life of the departmentin
ensembles, festivals, and collaborative ventures.
During the academic year, a diverse slate of more than 150 public concerts
is presented in well-equipped venues: Mandeville Center Auditorium (792
seats), Mandeville Recital Hall (150 seats), Erickson Hall (150 seats),
and Studio A (100 seats). These concerts provide students with both
performance experience and a forum for examining the music of diverse
eras and cultures. Substantial resources and staffing are dedicated
to producing the music of our time, including faculty and student works,
by new music ensembles, SONOR (faculty), experimental and improvisation
ensembles, and student performance collectives (New Music Forum, Performers
Forum, and CS/EP Forum).
Practice facilities include a complement of grand pianos, disclaviers
and uprights, an electronic keyboard lab, several harpsichords, a wide
array of percussion, a percussion studio, and a limited collection of
musical instruments for student checkout.
Ensembles in Residence
Concert Choir
Chamber Music
Ensembles
Chamber Singers
Ensemble Realization of Unconventionally Notated Scores
Gospel Choir
Improvisation Ensemble
Jazz Ensemble
La Jolla Symphony and Chorus
redfishbluefish
SONOR
Wind Ensemble
World Music (Sitar & Tabla)
Visiting Artists/Artists in Residence
Visiting artists and artists in residence play an integral part in
the research at UCSDs Department of Music. Outside artists collaborate
with faculty and students in Focus seminars, concerts, week-long festivals,
and colloquia, bringing an array of new creativity and ideas.
Music Technology Facilities
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/dept.music/musictech
The Department of Music maintains highly sophisticated, continuously
upgraded facilities for the support of graduate and undergraduate instruction.
Computer Music Instructional Laboratory (B-104) Mandeville
Center room B-104 was originally established in 1987 to support undergraduate
and graduate studies in computer music. B-104 is a 900-square-foot facility
with recessed storage and printing areas, machine isolation, acoustical
treatments, presentation console, ergonomic workstation components,
high- resolution data projection system, CD and DVD authoring, and integrated
digital and analog audio equipment for student access to audio processing,
duplicating, mixing and high-quality multi-channel audio monitoring.
A server is maintained with network connections, mass storage, and
archiving systems. Intel computer workstations run unique music software
packages developed at UCSD. The CARL package, by Professor F.R. Moore
and Gareth Loy, earned UCSD an international reputation for computer
music and was adopted for use in computer music facilities around the
world. Pd is a new real-time, interactive musical and graphics programming
environment written and under continuing development by Professor Miller
Puckette. Other audio and graphics editing and processing software packages
are also supported. Mobile systems optimized for live performance applications
are also maintained in B-104. The facility is configured and optimized
to support direct connection of musical instruments to computers for
prototyping of real-time interactive performance and compositional projects
using MAX/MSP/Jitter and Pd computer music software.
Digital Music Project Studio (B-108)Mandeville Center
room B-108 Digital Music Project Studio is a 900-square-foot facility,
including an isolation booth, absorption and diffusion treatments, data
connections and audio tie-lines to B-104 and Erickson Hall. This studio
houses Macintosh and Linux systems and many dedicated devices for music
production and recording, including a ProTools digital audio production
package with 8 channels of digital and analog i/o for precise digital
recording and editing. Recent upgrades include improved microphone preamps
and an array of new software packages including ProTools plugins and
spatialization tools. The studio features a Tascam 24-track hard disk
and digital multi-track recorders with synchronization and digital i/o,
a Yamaha 02R96 digital mixing console with all upgrades, Zsys digital
patchers, and sound-for-picture capabilities. The studio supports MIDI
for synthesis, processing, and control in music composition and performance,
and includes hardware and software for CD and DVD mastering.
Open Computing Laboratory (B-206)This facility occupies
1950 square feet, with audio and printer connections to B-104. All workstations
are networked and several stations are equipped with CD and DVD burning
equipment. B-206 was established in 1990 to support many facets of the
music department curriculum, and has been upgraded incrementally nearly
every year thereafter. It now comprises of 17 computer workstations
(13 iMacs, 3 desktop G4s, and an Intel), most with MIDI interfaces and
Yamaha SY22/33 synthesizer. Coda Finale, Max/MSP, Soundhack, Metasynth,
Pd, and IRCAM Forum are some of the packages supported in the lab. Large-format
music and text printing are supported. For instructional presentation,
the room features a high quality data projection and sound system. The
presentation station also features a PC workstation, a G4 Mac with stereo
ProTools editing, DAT, Bias Peak editor and SpectraFoo, signal display
software, and a CD burner.
Media NetworkingB-104, B-108, B-206, and most of UCSD
Department of Musics performance spaces and classroom spaces have
been upgraded for fast ethernet and media networking. Media networking
allows advanced students and researchers to stream digital
video and audio among diverse on-campus facilities and onto the Internet.
Additionally, there is wireless connectivity at various campus locations.
http://www-crca.ucsd.edu
Concert and Recording Technology
http://www.ucsd.edu/music/cd
Students can check out recording and concert production equipment on
a daily basis. All faculty and most student concerts are recorded by
professional staff or their assistants, and qualified students can utilize
the departments extensive high tech resources for experimental
projects resulting in public performance and recordings of new works.
Our first annual 2-CD compilation, guided by faculty mentors, features
advanced graduate students who performed, composed, edited, and collaborated
to produce a snapshot of musical achievement that predicts distinguished
careers and new avenues of musical thought and practice.
Warren Studios
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/dept.music/musictech
The Warren Studios are state-of-the-art musical recording and faculty
research facilities. The studios were designed to serve the faculty
and advanced students of the music department, meeting the following
objectives:
- to serve as an unsurpassed facility for recording and mastering
of musical works
- to serve as a reference-critical listening space for the evaluation
of audio production and musical materials
- to support faculty research in psychoacoustics, computer music,
audio signal processing, and musical performance. These fully professional
studios support most formats of analog and digital audio, all phases
of tracking, mixing, and CD mastering, and feature sufficient infrastructure
to enable large video and film shoots with full synchronization.
Center for Research in Computing and the Arts (CRCA)
http://www-crca.ucsd.edu
The Center for Research in Computing and the Arts (CRCA) is an organized
research unit of UCSD. CRCA exists to foster collaborative working relationships
among artists, scientists, and technologists by identifying and promoting
projects in which common research interests may be advanced through
the application of computer-mediated strategies.
Computer music projects at CRCA cover a broad spectrum, from pure research
to technically advanced creative endeavors. Current research in spatialized
audio, computer music languages, interactive performance, and synthesis
techniques is conducted at CRCA.
CRCA offers a broad array of events in its facility, reflecting the
areas of research and artistic expression of our faculty, students,
associates, and visiting scholars. The centers event space offers
8-channel spatialized sound capabilities, seating for 75 to 100, projection
of computer and video sources, and audio playback from digital and analog
sources.
Music Library
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/music
The Music Library (located in Geisel Library) houses an extensive collection
of holdings in all areas of Western music, and possesses one of the
most exhaustive collections of twentieth-century music in this country.
In addition, the collection of materials in non-Western music is aggressively
being expanded. The Music Library has remote playback capability whose
purpose is to support the coursework and research of UCSD faculty and
students. The listener can directly control any of the cassette decks,
reel-to-reel tape decks, turntables, CD players, laser disc players,
VHS HiFi VCRs, and BETA HiFi VCRs. Ten of the remote control listening
stations are equipped with video monitors. The Auxiliary Studio and
Seminar Room are equipped with full remote control of any of the audio
or video equipment. The Music Librarys innovative Digital/Audio
Reserve Project (DARP) uses networked audio streaming to maximize student
access to listening assignments.
The Undergraduate Program
Undergraduate courses offered in the Department of Music satisfy a
wide range of interests for non-music majors as well as for students
majoring in music.
Students wishing to acquire a musical background to support further
study should take Music 1A-B-C, which develops skills musicians use
in the analysis and performance of music. Students interested in music
appreciation should choose from the following courses, which introduce
aspects of the rich heritage of music: Music 415. None of the
aforementioned courses have prerequisites. For students with prior musical
background who wish to continue in upper-division theory courses, Music
2A-B-C (in lieu of 1A-B-C) is essential.
Music Major Programs
The undergraduate program at UCSD offers a bachelor of arts degree
in music and in music humanities. The curriculum emphasizes the
development of musical listening and performance skills as applied to
both contemporary and traditional music.
The music major is intended for students who may choose to engage
in music as a profession. This major thus requires extensive development
of musical skills. A student without the appropriate level of those
skills upon entrance to UCSD must devote considerable time to attaining
them, either in lower-division courses or independent study. Students
can concentrate in composition, performance, literature, or technology.
The Department of Music is committed to creative music making; thus
all music majors are required to enroll in Music 95, 130, 131, or 134
ensemble performance for at least three quarters, with two quarters
of participation in a choral ensemble chosen from Music 95C, 95D, or
95K.
The music/humanities major is intended for students who wish
to pursue a broad liberal arts program that includes music as a central
element. This program emphasizes music history and literature, and allows
the individual student to select an area of interest for the major within
the broad field of the humanities.
Music Major Requirements
The lower-division prerequisites for the music major are Music 2A-B-C,
and Music 2AK-BK-CK. To continue within the major, all students must
pass Music 2C or an equivalent proficiency exam. Composition emphasis
students must take Music 33, Introduction to Composition, or take a
proficiency exam for the course. All required music major courses must
be taken for a letter grade, with the exception of Music 143, which
is taken on a Pass/No Pass basis. All courses to be counted toward satisfying
the major requirements must be passed with a grade of C or better.
To complete the music major the following courses are required:
- Music 101A-B-C.
- Music 102A-B-C.
- Music 120A-B-C.
- One quarter of Music 133 (normally taken in the winter quarter
of the junior or senior year).
- Music 111 or Music 114.
- One of the following sequences: Music 103A- B-C (composition),
three courses (in addition to Music 111 or 114) from the series Music
111115, 126, and 127A-B (literature), Music 170/171/175 (technology),
or three quarters of Music 132 (performance).
- One additional course to be selected from Music 111115, 126,
and 127A-B.
- Three quarters of Music 95, 130, 131, or 134. (two from 95C, 95D,
or 95K).
- Music 143 every quarter.
Music/Humanities Major Requirements
The prerequisite for the music/humanities major is Music 1A-B-C (or
2A-B-C, if qualified). To complete the major the following courses are
required:
- Music 120A-B-C.
- Three courses chosen from Music 111115, 126, and 127A-B.
- Six upper-division courses, selected from the humanities or the
fine arts, that form a coherent program of study relevant to the chosen
upper-division music courses.
- Three quarters of Music 95, 130, 131, or 134 (two from 95C, 95D,
or 95K).
- Music 143 every quarter.
Students interested in this major should confer with the music/humanities
faculty adviser to work out a course of study, which must be submitted
at the beginning of the junior year for the advisers written approval.
Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM) Major
Major Requirements
Twenty courses are required in the computing and the arts major for
the attainment of the Bachelor of Arts degree. A minimum of twelve of
these courses must be upper division.
All courses taken to satisfy major requirements must be taken for a
letter grade, and only grades of C or better will be accepted
in the major.
The Undergraduate Program
The Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts program in the Music and
Visual Arts departments draws upon, and aims to bring together, ideas
and paradigms from computer science, art, and cultural theory. It also
takes for granted that the computer has become a metamedium and that
artists working with computers are expected to combine different media
forms in their works. All of this makes the program unique among other
currently existing computer art or design programs which, on the one
hand, usually focus on the use of computers for a particular media (for
instance, specializing in computer animation, or computer music, or
computer design for print) and, on the other hand, does not enter into
a serious dialog with the current research in computer science, only
teaching the students off-the-shelf software.
The program also recognizes that creating sophisticated artistic works
with computers requires a new model of the creative process, one that
combines traditional artistic procedures with the experimental research
characteristic of the sciences. All in all, it aims to train a new type
of cultural producer, who is familiar with music technology, who is
equally proficient with computer programming and artistic skills, who
is always ready to learn new technologies, and who is comfortable interacting
with scientists and computer industry resources.
The goals of the program are:
- to prepare the next generation of artists who will be functioning
in a computer- mediated culture
- to give students necessary technical, theoretical, and historical
backgrounds so they can contribute to the development of new aesthetics
for computer media
- to prepare students to mediate between the worlds of computer science
and technology, the arts, and the culture at large by being equally
proficient with computing and cultural concepts
- to give students sufficient understanding of the trajectories of
development in computing so they can anticipate and work with the
emerging trends, rather than being locked in particular software currently
available on the market.
Admission to the ICAM Major
Student interest in the Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts Major
(ICAM) has been strong. Because the department has limited resources
to accommodate student demand, it is necessary to limit admission to
these majors to the most highly qualified students. Any student admitted
to UCSD beginning in fall 2002 who wishes to declare an ICAM major will
be admitted to the pre-major rather than being directly admitted to
the major.
ICAM Pre-Major
Students designated as pre-majors in ICAM must complete the following
eight required lower-division courses within six quarters (by the end
of their sophomore years):
MUS 4, Introduction to Western Music
VIS 1, Introduction to Art-Making
ICAM 40/VIS 40, Introduction to Computing in the Arts
MATH 20A, Calculus for Science and Engineering*
MATH 20B, Calculus for Science and Engineering*
CSE 11, Introduction to Computer Science: JAVA*
and one from
MUS 1A, Musical Literacy
MUS 2A, Basic Musicianship
MUS 5, Introduction to Music Making
and one from
MUS 6, Electronic Music
MUS 7, Music, Science, and Computers
MUS 14, Contemporary Music
* MATH 20A and MATH 20B is an accelerated calculus course for science
and engineering. MATH 10A-B-C covers similar material in a non-accelerated
format, and can be substituted. CSE 11 is an accelerated course in the
JAVA programming language. CSE 8A and CSE 8B, which cover the same material
in a non-accelerated format, may be substituted.
Applying to the Major
Upon completion of all required lower-division courses, pre-majors
who seek entrance to the ICAM major must formally apply at the Music
Department Undergraduate Program Office. Admission will be based on
the following criteria:
- Performance in the lower-division courses as measured by a GPA of
3.0 or higher, determined by the department on an annual basis.
- Submission to the department of a portfolio of work demonstrating
superior progress as a pre-major. The portfolio will consist of at
least two projects that the student has produced in ICAM 40/VIS 40,
in another digital arts class, or independently, that in the faculty's
judgment demonstrate that the student possesses the artistic ability
and technical skills to perform at a high level in upper-division
courses in the majors. Pre-majors should consult the undergraduate
adviser in music as to the form in which projects should be submitted
(disk, slides, tapes, etc.). For ICAM-music students the portfolio
may consist of CDs, DVDs, videotapes, audio tapes, Web sites, performances
and performace reviews, ICAM 40 projects, media works created independently
or collaboratively with other students, media works created independently
or during internships or employment, written personal statements regarding
career goals; written recommendations from ICAM faculty, software
design, and implementation projects.
Transfer Students
Beginning in fall 2002, transfer students who wish to declare an ICAM
major are subject to the majors admissions policies: that is,
they will be admitted initially as pre-majors, apply to the major on
the same basis as other students, and be subject to the same requirements
with respect to lower-division courses, grade-point average, and portfolio
evaluation. Transfers entering with 36 or more quarter units must apply
for admission to the major no later than their third quarter of study
at UCSD. At the time of admission to the pre-major, transfer students
transcripts will be evaluated by the departments to determine what courses
completed elsewhere, if any, may be petitioned as equivalent to required
courses. Students should be prepared to provide course descriptions
and other materials that may be required to determine the content of
such courses.
Continuing Students (Students admitted prior to fall 2002)
Any student admitted to UCSD before fall 2002 may declare an ICAM major
by completing a Change of Major form at the undergraduate advisers
office and attending an orientation meeting.
Policies Relating to the ICAM Major
Satisfactory Progress
Any ICAM major whose GPA in courses required for the major drops below
2.0 will be placed on probationary status the following quarter. If,
during that probationary quarter, the GPA does not move back to up 2.0
or better, he or she will be dropped from the major.
Prerequisites
Students are required to complete all prerequisites prior to enrolling
in any course required for the major. Exceptions must be negotiated
with the instructor of the course in question, in consultation with
the department undergraduate adviser.
Limitations to Enrollment by Non-Majors
A department stamp is required for all upper-division courses in computing
in the arts. Because ICAM is an impacted major, first preference in
enrollment in upper-division computing in the arts will be given to
ICAM majors and to music majors with a technology concentration. Second
preference will be given to other visual arts and music majors. Other
students will be admitted to these courses only if space is available.
Lower-Division
(Eight courses required.)
MUS 4, Introduction to Western Music
VIS 1, Introduction to Art-Making
ICAM 40/VIS 40, Introduction to Computing in the Arts
MATH 20A, Calculus for Science and Engineering*
MATH 20B, Calculus for Science and Engineering*
CSE 11, Introduction to Computer Science: JAVA*
and one from
MUS 1A, Musical Literacy
MUS 2A, Basic Musicianship
MUS 5, Introduction to Music Making
and one from
MUS 6, Electronic Music
MUS 7, Music, Science, and Computers
MUS 14, Contemporary Music
* MATH 20A and MATH 20B is an accelerated calculus course for science
and engineering. MATH 10A-B-C covers similar material in a non-accelerated
format, and can be substituted. CSE 11 is an accelerated course in the
JAVA programming language. CSE 8A and CSE 8B, which cover the same material
in a non-accelerated format, may be substituted.
Upper-Division
(twelve courses required)
Survey (one course required)
ICAM 110. Computing in the Arts: Current Practice
Foundation (three courses required)
ICAM 101/VIS 140. Digital Imaging: Image and Interactivity
ICAM 102/VIS 145A. Digital Media I: Time, Movement, Sound
ICAM 103/MUS 170. Musical Acoustics
Advanced (four courses required)
ICAM 120. Virtual Environments
ICAM 130/VIS 149 Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics
MUS 171. Computer Music I
MUS 172. Computer Music II
MUS 173. Audio Production: Mixing and Editing
MUS 174A and 174B. Audio and MIDI Studio Techniques
MUS 175. Musical Psychoacoustics
MUS 176. Music Technology Seminar
VIS 109 . Advanced Projects in Media
VIS 131. Special Projects in Media
VIS 132. Installation Production and Studio
VIS 141A. Computer Programming for the Arts I
VIS 141B. Computer Programming for the Arts II
VIS 145B. Digital Media II
VIS 147A. Electronic Technologies for Art I
VIS 147B. Electronic Technologies for Art II
VIS 174. Media Sketchbook
Theory and History (two courses required)
ICAM 150/VIS 159. History of Art and Technology
and one of:
MUS 111. World Music Traditions
MUS 114. Music of the Twentieth Century
VIS 123CN. Early Print Culture: The First Media Revolution
VIS 125E. History of Performance
VIS 150 . History and Art of the Silent Cinema
VIS 151. History of the Experimental Film
VIS 152. Film in Social Context
VIS 153. The Genre Series
VIS 154. Hard Look at the Movies
VIS 155. The Director Series
VIS 157 . Video History and Criticism
VIS 158. Histories of Photography
Senior Project (two courses required)
ICAM 160A/B. Senior Project in Computer Arts
All Computing and the Arts (ICAM) course descriptions are listed at
the end of the lower- and upper-division sections under Courses.
Not all courses are offered each year.
Honors
1. To be admitted into the honors program a student must have the following:
- Excellence in a specific subject matter (performance, composition,
literature, technology, or music/humanities) and faculty support.
- Performers must have previously performed on Performers Forum and
enrolled in Chamber Music, Music 130. (Vocalists can seek an exception.)
Other students must have completed all Music 95 requirements prior
to entering the honors program.
- A GPA in the Department of Music of 3.6; an overall GPA of 3.0
All of the requirements below must be completed before the last day
of instruction in the spring quarter prior to the academic year in which
the student proposes to pursue an honors curriculum.
- Performance students must present a piece before the performance
faculty that demonstrates their technical and musical abilities. In
addition, students must provide a proposed program for an honors recital.
- Composition students must have a composition performed on the New
Music Forum series. Either the students principal instructor
must attend this performance or a tape of this performance must be
provided for faculty review. In addition, students must provide a
proposed portfolio of original scores for an honors recital.
- Literature students who have (1) presented historically- or musicologically-oriented
research papers at campus venues featuring undergraduate research,
or (2) been involved in the faculty mentor program, or (3) participated
in the presentation of the winter opera with the accompanying symposium,
may submit a portfolio of papers to the Critical Studies/Experimental
Practices (CSEP) faculty. In addition, students must propose a fifty
minute lecture for the Department Seminar (Music 143).
- Music science and technology students must present a portfolio
of projects to the music technology faculty and propose a fifty-minute
lecture/demonstration for the Department Seminar (Music 143).
2. Once admitted to the honors program:
- Students must be supervised by a faculty adviser throughout the
honors program.
- Composition students admitted to the honors program will enroll
in twelve units of the Composition Honors course (Music 103D-E-F).
Performance students will enroll in twelve units of Music 132R (after
at least three quarters of Music 132). Technology students will enroll
in twelve units of Music 176 or 199; Music literature and music humanities
students will enroll in twelve units of Music 199, 150, or 107.
3. To receive honors:
- A student must publicly demonstrate an appropriate level of excellence,
an acceptable GPA, and suitable participation in department presentations
and seminars, as determined by the students honors committee.
Please Note: Being admitted to the honors curriculum does not
guarantee that a student will receive honors.
For further information on the Department of Music Honors Program and
to obtain an application form, students should make an appointment with
the undergraduate staff adviser.
Transfer Students
Students who plan to transfer into the music major should have strong
skills in basic musicianship. For those planning to emphasize performance,
solid proficiency on the instrument is required. A general course in
the history of music is recommended. All transfer students must pass
a proficiency examination in Music 2C (Basic Musicianship) and Music
2CK (Basic Keyboard). To verify the acceptability of transfer music
courses, students must make an appointment with the undergraduate staff
adviser.
Minor Programs
Please obtain a Department of Music brochure of approved minors from
the undergraduate office. Students must seek advice and obtain approval
from the undergraduate adviser prior to embarking upon a minor program.
The music minor for students entering UCSD in and after winter quarter
1998 consists of:
- two lower-division music courses except performance ensembles (Music
95A Music 95W) and lessons (Music 32)
- five upper-division music courses
Students who entered UCSD before winter 1998 may select either the
new minor or one of the music minors offered at the time of their entry
into the university.
A minor with an emphasis in ICAM consists of seven specific courses,
of which at least five must be upper division. Prospective minors should
consult with the respective departmental adviser for a complete list
of appropriate classes acceptable for the minor.
Advising Office
Undergraduate Staff Adviser
Eileen Voreades, Room 110 Mandeville Center, (858) 534-8226
evoreades@ucsd.edu
The Graduate Program
UCSD offers the master of arts and doctor of philosophy in music as
well as a doctor of musical arts. Areas of emphasis for the M.A. include
Composition, Computer Music, Critical Studies/ Experimental Practices
(CS/EP), and Performance. For the Ph.D., areas of emphasis
offered are Composition, Computer Music, and Critical Studies/Experimental
Practices. The doctoral of musical arts has an emphasis in Contemporary
Music Performance.
Composition
The Composition Program is committed to nourishing the individual gifts
and capacities of student composers in a diverse and active environment,
with an emphasis on intensive personal interaction between faculty and
student.
An incoming member in the M.A. or Ph.D. program begins with a year-long
seminar (taught by a different faculty composer each quarter) and continues
with individual studies thereafter. At the close of the first year fall
quarter and again after the following spring quarter, the entire composition
community gathers for a day-long jury. Each seminar member
is allotted a block of time during which the composition that has just
been completed is performed and recorded in a carefully rehearsed presentation.
There is a detailed discussion of each work by the faculty composers,
and the student has opportunity to comment, explain, and pose questions.
Following the performance and discussions of this day, the composition
faculty meets to assess the students work collectively and to
offer any guidance deemed necessary. This process is at the root of
the uniqueness of the UCSD program, and manifests the range, seriousness,
and vitality with which compositional issues are explored here.
After completing three quarters of seminar and two juries, students
come to know something about the ideas and perspectives of each faculty
composer; the faculty, in turn, is aware of each students objectives
and needs. At this point, an individual mentor is agreed upon and this
relationship becomes the center of the students continuing work
as the degree is completed. There is also a biweekly Focus on Composition
Seminar at which faculty, students and selected visitors present work
of interest (compositional, analytical, technological, and even whimsical).
The seminars serve to foster mutual awareness within the student composer
group. Collegial relationships develop which lead not only to friendships
but also to further creative outlets in cooperative projects, including
the student-run Composers Forums, performance collectives, and
recital projects. UCSD performersfaculty and studentare
all committed to the playing of new music, and frequent composer/performer
collaborations are a vital aspect of life in the Department of Music.
Computer Music
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/dept.music/musictech/
The Computer Music Program emphasizes research in new techniques for
electronic music composition and performance, catalyzed through an active
concert program of new works by students, faculty, and visitors. Areas
of research include:
- new audio synthesis techniques
- audio signal processing
- psychoacoustics
- live improvisation with and by computers
- integrating audio and video
- electronic spatialization of sounds
- techniques for live electronic music performance
- computer music software and HCL design
- audio analysis and fixture detection
The Computer Music Program encourages work which overlaps with the
other programs of study: composition, performance, and critical studies/experimental
practices. Analyzing and performing electronic music repertoire as well
as writing new music involving electronics are encouraged.
The computer music areas first year is centered on a yearlongbackbone
course covering the essentials of the computer music field. This material
divides naturally into three portions (audio signal processing, compositional
algorithms, and musical cognition).
In their second year, students work individually with faculty members
to deepen their mastery of their subject areas of concentration. For
example, a student wishing to focus on signal processing aspects might
study techniques for digital audio analysis and resynthesis, drawing
on the current research literature.
Also during these first two years Ph.D. students take seminars on music
analysis, composition, and performance practice. After having taken
a critical mass of such subjects students enter a qualifying examination
preparation period, and, once successful, they start their dissertation
research.
UCSDs Center for Research in Computing and the Arts (http://crca.ucsd.edu)
offers an ideal research environment for graduate students in this area.
The music department also provides extensive laboratory and computing
support for computer music.
Critical Studies/ Experimental Practices
The Program in Critical Studies/Experimental Practices (CS/EP) explores
what music is about over the widest possible range of traditions and
possibilities. An exploration of experimental, Western, and nonwestern
music-making is combined with the critical examination of music and
musical ideas within human societies.
This interactive environment encourages a cross-fertilization between
diverse musical forms and the theoretical and critical discourses that
surround them, often drawing in those who may not fit conventional categories
of composer or performer, or those whose work
is not constrained by traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Thinking about music requires both analytic engagement with real music
and the creative investigation of ideas relevant to its nature, creation,
production, and reception. Core seminars explore multiple ways of thinking
about music, including critical, cognitive, and intercultural approaches
as well as traditional syntactical analysis. Recent seminars have included
crossculturalism in music, psychoacoustics, film and popular music,
multimedia aesthetics, methodologies for improvisation, representations
of sexuality and gender in music, ethics, music and theater, and contemporary
theories of narrativity in music. Students are encouraged to share their
scholarly, musical, and intermedia work in quarterly CS/EP forums.
Music-making in CS/EP encompasses both compositional and performance
activities. Experimental performance workshops incorporate improvisation
and such diverse elements as new technologies, video, dance, visual,
and theatrical components to make music in a multiplicity of ways.
Student-generated projects and workshops are also an important component
of the UCSD Graduate Program in CS/EP. Individual student interests
and initiatives are welcomed by the faculty, who are expert in such
diverse fields as cognitive psychology, computer-aided improvisation,
ethnomusicology, historical development of Western music, and contemporary
critical thought.
Performance
Fostering the creative, intelligent, and passionate performance of
contemporary music is the mission of the Performance Program of the
Department of Music. As once stated by founding faculty composer Robert
Erickson, we at UCSD are a community of musicians.
The performance of contemporary music is viewed as a creative act which
balances expertise and exploration. Within this context, performers
act and interact in a communal environment, working with faculty and
student composers, collaborating in music technology, researching instrument
design, improvising, and experimenting in performance practice, among
many other pursuits.
Graduate performance students pursue either a master of arts or a doctor
of musical arts degree in contemporary performance. The course of study
for both programs involves the completion of required graduate seminars
and intensive study with a mentoring faculty member. Students are encouraged
to adopt a vigorous, exploratory orientation in their private study.
Final degree requirements include a recital, or in the case of the DMA,
two recitals and the presentation of personal performance research.
The work of graduate performance students forms an integral component
of a rich musical environment which produces an astonishing quantity
and variety of performances. Students may perform in SONOR (the universitys
contemporary music ensemble) or in SIRIUS, (the graduate student contemporary
music group). The Performance Forum, a student-initiated concert series,
provides an opportunity for students to present a wide variety of concerts
of improvised music, world music, and music with technology. A strong,
collaborative spirit between the Performance and Composition programs
also yields many new works each year performed on New Music Forum concerts
series.
Graduate Admissions
Students are admitted to begin in fall quarter only. The deadline for
submission of ALL application materials is January 12. Failure to meet
this deadline jeopardizes admission and financial support.
Step 1 Preliminary Application
The application process begins at the Department of Music Web site
http://www.ucsd.edu/ music with a preliminary application. We encourage
all applicants to apply online as early as September.
Step 2 Portfolio
Music applicants must submit a portfolio consisting of the following
by January 12 to: UCSD, Department of Music, MC 0326, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Please include your most recent works as well as twentieth-century pieces,
when possible.
- For all applicants, a repertory list of works (solo and chamber)
performed or composed during the past few years and a sample of printed
concert programs in which you have participated, either as performer,
composer, or collaborator.
- For all applicants, a minimum of two papers illustrating
writing ability in any of the following areas: musical analysis, criticism,
aesthetics, music theory, or music technology.
in addition
- For composition applicants ONLY, a minimum of three scores
of instrumental works with taped examples of the works being performed
(These may include, but should not be exclusively, electroacoustic
works.)
- For computer music and CS/EP applicants ONLY, appropriate
documentation (e.g., papers, performances, intermedia works, computer
programs, etc.) of prior work.
- For performance applicants ONLY, tapes or CD demonstrating
the level of vocal and/ or instrumental performance. In person auditions
are desirable when possible, but not required.
Step 3 UCSD Application for Graduate Admission
All sections of the official UCSD Application for Graduate Admission
with the $60 non-refundable fee must be submitted by January 12. We
encourage all applicants to apply online. Applications must include
all supporting documents:
- statement of purpose
- three letters of recommendation
- official transcripts
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) required for all applicants.
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) required for all
applicants whose country of citizenship does not have English as its
primary language. Minimum score is 550 (or 213 for the computer-based
exam).
Advisory Examinations
After completion of an advisory examination during Welcome Week, each
new student will meet with the departmental M.A. or Ph.D. adviser. Students
found to be deficient in any areas covered on the advisory examination
(dictation, sight reading, keyboard proficiency, history, and literature)
will be advised to remedy deficiencies during their first year.
Core Graduate Curriculum
All graduate students are required to take Music 201 (Projects in New
Music Performance) as outlined under each area, Music 210 (Musical Analysis),
Music 228 (Conducting)optional for CS/EP students, and Music 291
(Problems and Methods of Music Research and Performance). Students who
completed Music 210, 228, and 291 during their masters degree
program at UCSD, do not need to retake those courses for their doctoral
curriculum.
To assure that all requirements are being adequately met, all graduate
students must make an appointment with the graduate staff adviser for
a degree check no later than the winter quarter of the second year.
Masters Degree Program
The master of arts in music degree includes areas of emphasis in
Composition, Computer Music, Critical Studies/Experimental Practices
(CS/EP), and Performance. The degree requires completion
of at least thirty-six quarter units of graduate courses (courses numbered
201299), including six units of Music 500 (Apprentice Teaching
in Music) and six units of Music 299 (Advanced Research Projects and
Independent Study) bearing directly on completion of the masters
thesis. Masters students are expected to complete all requirements
for the degree in six quarters of residence.
Course Requirements
In addition to the core graduate curriculum, all masters degree
students are required to complete requirements in their area of emphasis:
Composition
- Music 201 (A, B, C, D, E, or F)must take at least two times.
- Music 203ABCsuccessful completion of the jury process is
necessary to get a passing grade in the corresponding seminar.
- Music 203Dafter successful completion of 203C, students must
enroll in Music 203D (with their committee chair) every quarter until
graduation.
- Music 204every quarter until graduation.
- Music 206 or 207a combination of any two courses.
Computer Music
- Music 201 (A, B, C, D, E, or F)must take at least two times.
- Music 270A-B-Cmust take within the first year of the program.
- Music 270Drequired every quarter of the second year.
- Music 206, 207, and/or 267a combination of any two courses.
Critical Studies/Experimental Practices
- Music 201 (A, B, C, D, E, or F)must take at least two times.
- Music 205every quarter until graduation.
- Music 206 or 207a combination of any two courses.
- Music 208A-B-Cmust take within the first year of the program.
- Music 208Done time during the second year.
Performance
- Music 201(A, B, C, D, E, or F) or 202every quarter until
graduation.
- Music 206 or 207a combination of any two courses.
- Music 232every quarter until graduation.
- Music 245every quarter in residence.
Masters Degree Completion Requirements
A folio of three research papers in professional format (normally
to be written in connection with the courses the student will be taking)
must be accepted by the students committee prior to approval of
the thesis.
MA candidates will present a thesis consisting of the following
under the supervision of the students committee chair in Music
299:
- Candidates emphasizing Composition will prepare a folio
of three chamber compositions together with tape recordings of at
least two of them.
- Candidates emphasizing Computer Music will write a research
paper (thesis) and present a lecture-performance in which the scientific,
technological, and musical aspects of an original computer music composition
are documented, played, and discussed.
- Candidates emphasizing Critical Studies/ Experimental Practices
will write an extended research paper (thesis) on a topic chosen with
their committee chair.
- Candidates emphasizing Performance will present a recital
supported by lecture-quality notes. The program must be approved by
the students committee chair.
All of the above masters requirements must have final approval
from the students individual committee upon completion.
Doctoral Degree Program
Students of superior musical competence may pursue a program with emphasis
in Composition, Computer Music, or Critical Studies/ Experimental
Practices (CS/EP) leading to the Ph.D. or doctor of musical arts
(D.M.A.) degree in Contemporary Music Performance.
All doctoral students within the Department of Music must complete
the Core Graduate Curriculum (outlined in the section above the Masters
Degree Program) plus additional core requirements for the Ph.D. Or D.A.M.
program. These additional core requirements are:
- Successful completion of an M.A. degree, including requirements equivalent
to those described above for the M.A. in music. UCSD M.A. students who
apply to the Ph.D./D.A.M. program must complete all departmental requirements,
obtain OGSR approval, and file the M.A. degree at Geisel Library before
enrolling in any Ph.D./D.A.M. level courses.
- The Department of Music strongly recommends that entering students
have acquired a reading ability in at least one of the standard reference
foreign languages (French, German, Italian, or Spanish) in addition
to their native language.
- All Ph.D./D.A.M. students are required to complete six units of credit
in Music 500 (Apprentice Teaching) unless the student has completed
this requirement in UCSDs masters degree program.
- After completing the qualifying examination, all students must
remain in residence for at least three quarters, during which time
they must enroll in twelve units of Music 299 (Advanced Research Projects
and Independent Study) with their committee chair or members every
quarter.
Course Requirements
In addition to the core graduate and Ph.D./D.A.M. curriculum, doctoral students
(according to their area of emphasis) must complete the following courses
prior to the qualifying examination:
Composition
- Music 201 (A, B, C, D, E, or F)must take at least two times.
- Music 203A-B-Csuccessful completion of the jury process is
necessary to get a passing grade in the corresponding seminar. Continuing
students from the UCSD Composition M.A. program may be excused from
Music 203B-C by successfully completing Music 203A at the Ph.D. level.
- Music 203Dafter successful completion of 203C, students must
enroll in Music 203D (with their committee chair) every quarter in
residence.
- Music 204every quarter in residence.
- Music 206 or 207a combination of any three courses.
- Music 209must be taken at least three times.
- Music 298must complete at least six units.
Computer Music
- Music 201 (A, B, C, D, E, or F)must take at least two times.
- Music 270A-B-C. Ph.D. Students who have already completed 270A-B-C
as part of their masters may substitute 12 units taken from Music
206, 207, 209, and/or 267.
- Music 270Dafter successful completion of 270C, students must
enroll in Music 270D (with their committee chair) every quarter in
residence.
- Music 206, 207, 209, and/or 267a combination of any six courses.
Critical Studies/Experimental Practices
- Music 201 (A, B, C, D, E, or F)must take at least two times.
- Music 205every quarter in residence.
- Music 206 or 207a combination of any three courses. Ph.D.
Students in the CS/EP
program emphasizing computer music may replace two 206/207 requirements
with two 267 seminars.
- Music 208A-B-Cmust take within the first year of the program
unless previously taken as a UCSD M.A. student.
- Music 208Drequired at least three times during the Ph.D.
Program
- Music 209must be taken at least three times.
- Music 298must complete at least six units.
Performance
- Music 201(A, B, C, D, E, or F) or 202every quarter until completion
of qualifying examination.
- Music 206/207/209as approved by D.A.M. adviser, a combination
of any six seminars related to the primary and secondary area of specialization.
Music 296 may be substituted for up to four seminars with permission
of D.A.M. adviser.
- Music 232every quarter until completion of qualifying examination.
- Music 245every quarter in residence.
- Music 250must be taken at least three times.
- Music 298must complete at least six units.
Qualifying Examination/Advancement to Candidacy
Requirements prior to taking the qualifying examination:
- Completion of all Ph.D./D.A.M. required course work.
- For Ph.D. Students, one research paper judged to be of publishable
quality must be completed prior to qualifying examinations. The subject
of the publishable paper will be developed during the students
first two years and must be approved by the students Ph.D. committee
chair.
- For Composition students, in addition to the publishable paper,
a folio of not fewer than three compositions (not previously accepted
for an M.A. degree) must be completed prior to qualifying examinations.
- For D.A.M. students, one major recital; plus either (a) an abstract
of the thesis or research project which will be given to the Doctoral
Committee at the qualifying examination; or (b) a substantial portion
of the works from the students first two major recitals
will be presented at the qualifying examination.
The qualifying examination for all doctoral students will consist of
the following:
- A written and oral defense of three questions provided by the Doctoral
Committee pertaining to appropriate areas of specialization.
Ph.D./D.M.A. Degree Completion Requirements
- For Composition students, completion of a major composition
project.
- For CS/EP and Computer Music students, completion
of an acceptable dissertation.
- For D.A.M. students, completion of a second major recital plus
one of the following: (a) thesis or research project; or (b) a concert
that is innovative in design and/or content, and which is supported
by a document containing extensive stylistic or analytical discussion
of the program; or (c) a lecture/concert pertaining to innovative
and/or original material, with appropriate documentation as determined
by the committee, or (d) two approved chamber music concerts with
appropriate documentation as determined by the committee.
- A final public defense of the composition/ dissertation/recitals.
Materials previously submitted for other degrees are not acceptable
for submission for the Ph.D./D.A.M. degree.
Time Limit Policy for the Doctoral Degree
Normative Time Limits
4 years:
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Students entering the Ph.D./D.A.M. program with a masters
degree from another institution.
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6 years:
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Students continuing into the Ph.D./D.A.M. program with a masters
degree from UCSD. Time limit is calculated from the beginning
of the M.A. program (i.e., 2 years for M.A. program plus 4 years normative
time for Ph.D./D.A.M.).
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Support Time Limits
6 years:
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Students entering the Ph.D./D.A.M. program with a masters
degree from another institution.
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7 years:
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Students continuing into the Ph.D./D.A.M. program with a masters
degree from UCSD. Time limit is calculated from the beginning
of the M.A. program
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Total Registered Time Limits
6 years:
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Students entering the Ph.D./D.A.M. program with a masters
degree from another institution.
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8 years:
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Students continuing into the Ph.D./D.A.M. program with a masters
degree from UCSD. Time limit is calculated from the beginning
of the M.A. program
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Students who have not completed all Ph.D. requirements within the maximum
total registered time will no longer be permitted to register for classes.
Advising Office
Graduate Staff Adviser
Lori Bantz, Room 109, Mandeville Center, (858) 534-3279
lbantz@ucsd.edu
Music
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