Music Research and Composition
Mission Statement
The Department of Music Research and
Composition supports a rigorous and expansive program in the study and creation of
music within the disciplines of musicology, music theory,
popular music studies, and composition. We are collectively committed to educational, scholarly, and artistic excellence in our research and creative activites.
Our department offers a wide range
of undergraduate degrees including a Bachelor of Music with Honours in Music
History, Music Theory, and Composition, a Bachelor of Musical Arts (optionally
with Honours in Music), and Bachelor of Arts degree with a Major in Popular Music Studies, a Specialization in Music Administrative Studies,
or an Honours Specialization in Music, as well as a Major or Minor in Music. Our programs feature:
- Our Musicology and Music Theory Faculty, comprised of leading experts in their respective fields, explore
music as an area of intellectual, humanistic inquiry by providing courses that
range from traditional historical and theoretical approaches to more diverse
interdisciplinary methodologies.
- Our Composition Faculty,
comprised of stylistically diverse and award-winning composers, is committed to
the creation of new music and to the nurturing of young composers in a constructive
environment for the artistic expression of musical ideas.
- Popular Music Studies
program, the only one of its kind in Canada, is geared toward creative
musicians and allows students to gain a broad understanding of music within culture
and society.
- Music Administrative Studies program, offered jointly with the Management and
Organizational Studies program in the Faculty of Social Science, combines
central elements of both programs to create an interdisciplinary environment for
the study of music management.
- Music Library
has holdings that are among the most expansive in North America. It houses an
impressive general collection as well as several important and unique Special
Collections.
- Nota Bene, Canada’s international undergraduate musicology journal
run by our undergraduate students, provides a publication venue for the
dissemination of undergraduate research from across North America.
- Early Music Studio
provides students an opportunity to engage in historical performance practice on
copies of period instruments and to conduct related research.
- CEARP Facility
(Composition, Electro-Acoustic Research and Performance) is a cutting-edge resource,
consisting of two audio and MIDI studios, for composers who wish to pursue
creative development using electro-acoustic music techniques.
- Student Composer Concerts
are organized jointly with Music Performance Studies
to provide an opportunity for student composers to realize their creative works
in collaboration with performance students and faculty.
- Performance
emphasis with weekly, hour-long, private lessons on major instruments for all
students in the Bachelor of Music with Honors programs (optional in third and
fourth years).
Graduates
of our programs have pursued a diverse range of careers in music. Some have
gone on to pursue graduate degrees in music and are now on faculty as active researchers,
composers, professors, and university administrators at institutions of higher
education. Some have taken the critical thinking skills developed within their
musical studies and applied these skills to advanced professional degrees such
as law. Some have gone on to successful careers outside of academic
institutions as composers and song writers (including several who have received
awards for their music). And some are now working for major record labels,
symphony orchestras, and in other music industry careers.
Faculty
Our department is comprised of distinguished
faculty who include nationally and internationally recognized scholars and
composers. See Music Research and Composition Faculty &
Staff for more information including a
complete faculty list.
Graduate programs
Degrees offered include the Master
of Arts in Musicology, Music Theory, or Popular Music & Culture (offered
jointly with the Faculty of Information and Media Studies), the Master of Music
in Composition, and the PhD in Music (Musicology, Music Theory, or Composition).
Contact Information
Department Chair
John Cuciurean
TC
228
Phone: 519-661-2111 ext. 85333
Email:
jcuciure@uwo.ca
Department Assistant
Linda
Kusters
TC 220
Phone: 519-661-2111 ext. 85332
Email: linda.kusters@uwo.ca
