Graduate School Bulletin

Description of the Department of Music

The Department of Music offers programs that normally lead to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Music, with tracks in Critical Music Studies and in Composition. The Department also offers programs that normally lead to the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Performance. Master's Degrees in Music with tracks in Critical Music Studies, in Composition, and in Music Performance are also available.

Stony Brook’s graduate programs in Music have grown out of a unique partnership between the academy and the conservatory. The Music Department has a distinguished and well-balanced faculty in the scholarly study of music, composition, and performance. Graduate curricula are designed to facilitate interaction among musical disciplines that have traditionally been kept separate. A number of courses are team-taught by two or more faculty members, examining topics from several disciplinary viewpoints, and academic courses typically have a mix of students from all areas. Several examine music in a broader social context, drawing on such disciplines as ethnomusicology, cultural studies, and feminist theory. Interdisciplinary studies are central to the educational philosophy of the department, and the Department encourages the development of professional competence in more than one area of musical study. For students at the Doctoral level who propose to do serious work both in performance and in some other area, a variety of options are available, including some dual degrees.

Music of the 20th and 21st centuries is a particular emphasis of both the performance and academic programs, but other areas are also amply represented. Students can choose seminars from a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the history of music theory to American popular music. Performing organizations include Baroque Chamber Ensemble, Chamber Music, Jazz Ensemble, Contemporary Chamber Players, Camerata Singers, Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, VOLTA West African Music Ensemble, and Opera Workshop.