Sunderman Conservatory

The Sunderman Conservatory of Music is a dedicated place for music inside a liberal arts college, a conservatory embedded in a rich intellectual community. An exceptional faculty of artists and scholars, a campus culture rich in performance, and opportunities that range from residencies with internationally-renowned guest artists and lecturers each semester to musical experiences abroad for a semester or a summer make Sunderman one of the most distinctive undergraduate music options available.

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Complete a Music Profile Form to indicate your interest in music and learn more about the Sunderman Conservatory of Music.

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Plan your visit to the Sunderman Conservatory. You can sit on on classes and rehearsals, and schedule a lesson with a faculty member in your applied area.

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100 Level

Survey of technological, sociological, and artistic issues related to games and game music. Students will critically examine notions of play; explore the evolution of video game soundtracks; analyze how music operates in games; explore and critique "music games" such as Guitar Hero; and explore music and sound in game-related cultural phenomena (such as video game soundtrack concerts and tribute bands). The course includes a substantial multimedia component. Offered occasionally.

200 Level

This course explores the rigorous study of the relationships between sound and culture in different contexts. It assumes a cultural perspective toward music making to understand the social dimensions of music creation, practice, and dissemination. The course uses methods such as sound embodiment and critical analysis as well as theoretical frameworks from various disciplines such as linguistics, anthropology, acoustics, psychology, and sociology. Previous topics in this class include "Music from the Caribbean" and "Latinx Musics." MUS 251, AFS 251, and LAS 251 are often cross-listed in various combinations depending on the topics offered.

This course teaches music technology skills aimed at 21st century musicians, including introductory acoustics and critical listening, live sound reinforcement, basic and intermediate audio and video recording and editing, creation of an online professional portfolio, and use of social media in developing your personal brand identity as a musician. Students will examine societal issues of music distribution and ownership, including those of copyright, sampling, and plagiarism. Course
includes classroom and lab components. Enrolled students should possess technical fluency on an instrument/voice, be comfortable performing alone and with others, and have basic theoretical knowledge of music. Offered occasionally.