Alumni Profiles

Forrest O'Connor '10

co-founder, Concert Window

Aram Demirjian '08

Asst. Conductor, KSO

Ben Eisler '08

Health Producer, CBS News

Chrix Finne '07

Product developer, Google

Emily Richmond Pollock '06

Assistant Professor of Music, MIT

Lara Hirner '05

Speech Language Pathologist, Mass General Hospital

Berenika Zakrzewski Schmitz '05

Pianist, Arts Administrator

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Concentrators and Joint Concentrators Planning to Write Honors Theses

If you are a candidate for honors, please note that a plan or subject for your thesis is to be approved by the department at the end of your junior year. Confer with your music faculty advisor(s), write up a brief and succint description of the proposed project, have your advisor sign the proposal and submit to Mary Gerbi in the Music Department. There is usually a March deadline for this; please confirm the exact deadline with Mary (gerbi@fas).

Sample proposals might be:
a. “I plan to study the economic structure of concert series in American cities of medium population, focusing on two to four such cities.” (Joint concentration in music and economics, signed by you and your music adviser. Be sure it’s OK with Econ!)
b. “I plan to study the reception of John Cage and his music in Germany during the 1950s, under the supervision on Prof. X.” (Signed by you and Prof. X.)
c. “I plan to write a string quartet, under the supervision of Prof. X.” (Signed by you and Prof. X.) *See note below
d. “I plan to perform a piano recital, under the supervision of Prof. Y.” (Signed by you and Prof. Y.) **See note below

The thesis is to be “either an original composition,” a “verbal (written) thesis,” or a “performance thesis.”

It’s OK to change your thesis topic next semester – in a reasonably timely fashion – if it begins veering substantially from what you propose now. However, you must resubmit a revised, signed proposal in order to change your thesis topic.

*Students wishing to submit a musical composition as a thesis project should submit a portfolio of recent work for consideration by the composition faculty.  The faculty will evaluate this work to determine whether you are prepared to pursue a thesis in composition. Please check with Mary for this deadline.

 

Deadlines and requirements for your senior thesis.
There are four deadlines, valid for all types of theses. All deadlines are effective at 4:00 pm that day.

Material for deadlines nos. 1, 2, and 3 should be submitted to:
a) the advisor, in electronic or paper format;
b) the Assistant to the Head Tutor, Mary Gerbi. The material should be in electronic format (sent to gerbi@fas.harvard.edu), although those submitting compositions have the option of doing so in hard copy. The material will be stored and will be made available to both the student and music department faculty other than the Advisor, for consultation.

DEADLINES

1. Prospectus. For composition theses it should lay out the scope of the proposed project, including performance forces, approximate duration, and text to be set (if any). For ethnomusicology, theory, and music history theses, it should consist of an outline and a bibliography (approximately 4-5 pages total). Deadline: October

2. Completion of a minimum of 50% of the work. For ethno, theory, and history theses this corresponds, for example, to two out of four chapters--the draft should include footnotes as well. Deadline: December

3. First complete draft of work: Deadline: February

4. The final copies of the thesis should be given to the Assistant to the Head Tutor in Room 101S, Music Building (total of 2 or 3, additional Reader(s); see format requirments below).
FINAL DEADLINE (no exceptions): March

A bound copy of the final thesis is required for submission to the Music Library. If you are awarded summa cum laude or magna cum laude for your thesis, you will also be responsible for submitting an unbound copy for the University Archives. This is a requirement for receiving the final award on the thesis. The Library and/or archive copies must be submitted to the Assistant to the Head Tutor by April 2, 2013.

NOTE: After the due date, no revisions are accepted, except those mandated by the Thesis Advisor (copy editing will be allowed for library and archival copies).

An explanation of the required format for your thesis is on the following page. Please see your Advisor or the Head Tutor if you have any questions.

Important note for joint concentrators: Deadlines for other departments may be different. If the Department of Music deadline happens to be earlier, you must submit your complete, final thesis by our deadline. Likewise it is required that you follow our preliminary deadlines. This rule applies whether you are a primary or secondary concentrator in Music. If your other department’s deadlines are earlier, you must verify with them whether they will follow our deadlines or theirs.

Undergraduate Thesis Format Requirements

• All copies should be submitted to the Assistant to the Head Tutor by the stated deadlines.
• Deadline for the final version of thesis to the readers and the Department is March 5, 2012.
• The final readers’ copies of the thesis (usually a total of two for joint concentrators and three for honors concentrators) should be bound and fully formatted (i.e., footnotes, appendices, bibliography, etc.). Either single- or double-sided copies are acceptable. Three-ring binders are acceptable.
• The Assistant to the Head Tutor should be provided one single-sided, bound copy on acid-free paper, for cataloging in the Music Library, by April 23rd.
• The Music Library prefers undergraduate theses bound with ACCO press binders or glued binders like the Sourcebook. The binding must stand upright on the shelf (for example, spiral plastic binding, which tends to slump and fall apart in a short time, is not acceptable).
• Students receiving summa or magna honors for their theses (notification late April) should also submit one single-sided, unbound copy on acid-free paper directly to the Assistant to the Head Tutor by April 23rd. This copy will be cataloged in the University Archives.
• Format for title page is illustrated by attached Sample.
• Format of the body of the document: 1” margins top and bottom, and 1.5” on left and right; single-sided pages.
• For theses submitted by joint concentrators, the second department usually defers to the first department with regard to format requirements. The student should confer with the second department to confirm this.
• For compositions, it is not recommended that you submit a thesis in pencil. If a software program is not feasible, then a high-quality photocopy of a penciled work should be submitted. Please confer with your advisor to determine the best format.

Advising

All students are required to confer with the head tutor or the assistant head tutor at the outset of their concentration or joint concentration, in order to develop an overall plan for fulfillment of requirements. All concentrators will continue to be advised by one of these two officials at the start of each term.

For up-to-date information on advising in Music, please see the Advising Programs Office website

Resources

The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library offers an outstanding collection of books and scores, as well as listening equipment for its extensive recording collection. An electronic music studio is available. Musicians have access to the practice rooms, all of which have pianos, and a limited number of instrument lockers are provided. The many musical organizations on campus include the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, the Bach Society Orchestra, the Mozart Society Orchestra, the Harvard Glee Club, the Collegium Musicum, the Radcliffe Choral Society, the University Choir, the Group for New Music at Harvard, and the Organ Society. Students interested in composition may submit works for performance at concerts offered by the department and for the Harvard University Prizes. The Office for the Arts offers a special lesson subsidy program (by audition), as well as information on private teachers in the area.

Music as a Secondary Field

The Department of Music offers one secondary field designed to be flexible enough to accommodate a broad range of interests in this field. Students are free to explore the field by selecting a variety of courses, or they may focus on a specific aspect of the larger field.

REQUIREMENTS: 5 half-courses
Any five half-courses selected from among the courses offered in Music (including Core courses, Gen Ed courses and Freshman Seminars taught by Music Department faculty), with the exceptions noted below:

• No more than one half-course may be selected from Music 1a, Music 1b, Music 2, Music 3, Music 4, Core Courses, Gen Ed Courses, or Freshman Seminars.
• No more than one half-course may be selected from the Music 120 series (conducting), Music 175, or the Music 180 series (performance and analysis).
• Courses counting for secondary field credit may not be taken Pass/Fail, except that one Freshman Seminar graded (SAT/UNS) may be counted.

OTHER INFORMATION
While the department recommends taking a portion of the foundational courses of the concentration (51, 97, 150), these are not specific requirements of the secondary field. Occasionally, with the permission of the instructor, secondary field students may take upper-level courses without having taken certain prerequisites.
Courses taken abroad or in the summer school can be counted in the secondary field only with the permission of the department, normally granted only after the course has been completed.

ADVISING RESOURCES AND EXPECTATIONS
Students pursuing a secondary field are urged to seek out members of the Music Department faculty for advice on their specific course choices. For general information about the department, its faculty, and courses visit the department website.
For more information on the secondary field and for advising, please speak to either the Undergraduate Coordinator or the head tutor, Thomas Kelly (617-495-2791).

 

Five Year Program (not the 5-year dual degree Harvard/NEC program)

For students who wish to pursue a program with more emphasis on performance, the department offers the Five-Year Program. Students approved by the department for this program take the normal number of courses in their freshman year, but then work at the three-course rate for the four years following. This permits more intensive work in performance. These students are expected to give a senior recital.

*Notes:
This program is designed for music concentrators; thus admission to the five-year program is only granted to students willing to commit to this concentration choice as freshmen.

Permission to follow the five-year program involves a first year of study at the normal rate, and four further years of working and paying at the three-course rate. This means that a student doing the five-year program will pay four years of tuition, but ten terms of fees, room and board.

Students may combine this option with advanced standing to finish degree requirements in four years and remain at Harvard for a fifth year at the reduced rate.

Procedure:

1. In the freshman year, student requests certification from Department. This takes the form of a brief letter to the Head Tutor, outlining the student’s performance background and plans for performance study in the five-year program.

2. The Music Department considers and acts on this request.

3. If the request is approved, the student takes the department’s certification to her/his Resident Dean, and makes a request for permission to remain at Harvard for ten terms, and to work for eight terms at the three-course rate.

4. Resident Dean takes this request to the Administrative Board for permission.

5. Resident Dean notifies the student and the Head Tutor of Music of the Administrative Board’s decision.

More information: Thomas Forrest Kelly, Head Tutor, Music

 

Composition Prizes and Department Grant Support

*****NEW: Students traveling abroad on trips funded or arranged by Harvard or who will receive Harvard credit during their travel are required to record their itineraries in the Harvard Travel Registry.

http://globalsupport.harvard.edu/travel_tools/travel_registry.shtm

The deadline for all fellowships/prizes is Monday, April 8, 0213.

All compositions with pseudonym should be presented to the Music Department staff member Eva Kim.

"The Bohemians"
(New York Musicians Club) Prize

By the gift of two thousand dollars from "The Bohemians" (New York Musicians Club) there has been established in the Department of Music a prize in original musical composition. The competition is open to undergraduates or the members of any graduate school of the University. The interest of the bequest will be awarded for an original composition for one or two instruments.

Francis Boott Prize

From the income of the bequest of Francis Boott, of the Class of 1831, a prize of exactly two hundred and fifty dollars has been established for the writer of the best composition in concerted vocal music. The competition is open to undergraduates or to members of any graduate school of the University.

The prize is offered for the best composition for chorus of not less than three nor more than eight parts, either a capella or with accompaniment for piano, organ, or small instrumental ensemble, requiring not more than ten minutes for performance. The choice of text, which may be either sacred or secular, Latin or English, original or selected, is left to the contestant.

Every effort will be made to arrange a performance of the winning composition before the end of the academic year, provided the composition falls within the scope of the available performing forces.

George Arthur Knight Prize

In 1909 the University received from William H. Knight, of the Class of 1903, a fund for the establishment of a prize in memory of his brother, George Arthur Knight, late of the Class of 1907. On this foundation the George Arthur Knight Prize is offered for the best composition in instrumental music, "preference to be given to compositions for string quartets or trios, though works with piano accompaniment may compete." The competition is open to all members of the University.

Hugh F. MacColl Prize

From the bequest of Hugh F. MacColl of the Class of 1907, this prize was established in 1954, The income from the fund is "to be applied from time to time . . . to the awarding of prizes" in an undergraduate competition "for original musical compositions."

John Green Fellowship

This award was established by friends and family of the late John Green '28 in support of excellence in musical composition. It is made annually to an undergraduate or graduate student composer.

Department Grant Information

John Knowles Paine Traveling Fellowships

Each spring, the Music Department awards John Knowles Paine Fellowships for travel and study during the following academic year. The Fellowships were established in 1912 by Mrs. Paine in memory of her husband and are available to music concentrators in their senior year (for study during the summer following graduation) and graduate students in the Department of Music.

If you are interested in applying, please submit a letter to the Department Chair, detailing your plans of travel or study and proposed budget. If you have any questions, please see the Head Tutor or the Department Administrator.

Davison Fellowships

The Davison Fellowship for Travel in Music, a gift from Alice D. Humez in memory of her husband Archibald "Doc" Davison, provides financial support for students engaged in short projects relating to music that require travel away from Harvard University. Undergraduate and graduate students in good standing are eligible to apply. While the terms of the fellowship are broadly defined, preference will be given to proposals that have an academic component. Economical and resourceful proposals will be favored. Undergraduates engaged in research are particularly encouraged to apply.

Applications consist of a short project description (1-2pp.), a budget, and a confidential letter of recommendation from an academic adviser.These materials should be submitted to the Department of Music (Eva Kim or Nancy Shafman). Applications are due by 5pm Wednesday April 10th, 2013 for projects beginning in the summer or the following academic year. The fellowship selection will be made by a committee in the Department of Music and will be announced in the first week of May.

 

Visiting the Department

Harvard College Admissions Tours and Information Sessions (highly recommended)
Cambridge Area Accommodations
Academic Calendar
Visit a Class [Harvard-wide]
[To visit a specific music class, choose one from our courses, then email the professor to ask permission to sit in.]

You are welcome to visit the Music Department anytime during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. Please know that meeting with music department staff in no way impacts your application; these meetings are informational only. Individual academic departments (such as music) are not involved with the Admissions process at Harvard College.

To make an appointment to visit the Music Department

Call 617-495-2791 or write musicdpt@fas.harvard.edu to arrange an appointment with Lesley Bannatyne, Managing Communications Coordinator. Expect your visit to last around 15 minutes.

If you decide to make an application
The Harvard College Office of Admissions and Financial Aid handles the admissions process in its entirety. All questions about the admissions process, as well as all supplementary application materials, should be sent to them:

Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Harvard College
86 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

Harvard College Admissions also tracks all applications and is responsible for all materials and submitted information. If you need to know the status of your application, contact them at 617-495-1551. NOTE: Please do not call the Music Department about the status of your application or the return of your materials. We don't have them.

The best times to visit the department are when classes are in session. However, you can come by at any time to see the building and facilities. The Music Department is open 9-5 Monday through Friday except for holidays.

 

 

Those considering a concentration in Music should consult as soon as possible with the instructor of Music 51. At a convenient time during the first semester, students should also meet with the Head Tutor or Assistant Tutor for the Department.

Students begin the concentration in Music with two foundational pillars: Music 97a, 97b, and 97c provide an extensive knowledge of the history and literature of Western music as well as the principles of ethnomusicology and world music repertories; Music 51a, 51b, 150a, and 150b teach skills important in musicianship, theory, and analysis. While it is possible to complete the concentration requirements within five semesters, we encourage potential concentrators to take Music 51 in their first year at Harvard, or to pass out of it by examination. A placement exam will be offered at the start of each academic year. (Students who enter with a significant background in theory may bypass portions of the theory sequence) More info on Music 51 and the placement exam will be posted on the course website.

Students are then offered a wide range of advanced, specialized electives that build on the foundations laid in Music 97 and Music 51/150.

The Department welcomes joint concentrations with other departments that allow them. Joint concentrators need to fulfill a reduced number of course requirements. A senior thesis is required on a topic in which both fields are represented.

Any students with an interest in music--even if they are not considering the concentration--are encouraged to take Music 1a, Music 1b, Music 2, or Core/GenEd courses in Music.