Music Major

When you major in music at Washington College, you learn history and theory, perform in ensembles, participate in music theater on stage or in the pit, explore the diversity of music around the world through ethnomusicology, and take private lessons every semester with world-class performers and educators. Explore and experience music through traditional coursework, applied performance in the form of private lessons or ensembles, internships, and research opportunities. Take advantage of our location and the local arts community of Chestertown through the Open Studio project, Kent Cultural Alliance, and other partnerships and projects.  
 
Our music program offers advising tracks for performance and musical theater, world music and ethnomusicology, recording and production, music education, music theory and composition, and music history and criticism. These pathways can influence the type of project you complete for your Senior Capstone Experience (SCE), which traditionally takes one of these forms:

• a written thesis,  
• research paper and performance,  
• full-length recital, or  
• a composition, which can be produced electronically.

It is also possible to propose another form for your SCE that shows off the techniques you've developed while at the College and will best benefit your portfolio as you head onto the job market. Ultimately, the goal of the music SCE is to help artists create their art, no matter their preferred form of creation.  
 
The music major is flexible, making it easy to double major or minor in other areas of interest. Depending on your career goals, faculty can help you decide which other academic programs it would benefit you to pursue. The music department offers short-term study abroad programs to Cuba, during which students travel with faculty and complete coursework on a week-long study of the music and culture of the region.