Majors and Requirements:
BA AND BFA IN MUSIC
The Department of Music offers both a BA and a BFA track for music majors. All students seeking music degrees will begin under the BA music track. Students may then apply to the BFA track “by audition.” No audition is required for admission into the BA program. Ordinarily, BFA auditions will take place during the third semester of matriculation at Tulane.
The BA in Music is a flexible degree that gives students grounding in all three fields of music study (performance, theory, and musicology) while allowing them to cater to their particular interests. By choosing from a variety of core courses and electives, students can design their own concentrations in performance, composition, musicology, ethnomusicology, jazz, musical theatre, or other areas.
The BFA in Music is a rigorous program of study with separate concentrations in Performance, Composition, Jazz, and Musical Theatre. All students share a core curriculum in musicology, performance, and composition, with additional required courses in the appropriate areas of concentration.
If you have any questions about our programs, please contact us at (504) 865-5267 or music@tulane.edu.
Information for incoming freshmen:
Please note that in order to be admitted to the BFA degree program, the student must first be admitted by Tulane University. Our departmental admission process is as follows: The music faculty reviews the submitted audition materials. If the student is deemed to have the potential to meet the requirements of our performance program, the student will be provisionally accepted. At the end of the sophomore year there is a formal review of the students' progress to ensure that all departmental standards have been met.
Performance Programs:
The entrance requirements of the Music Department are separate from those of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Any student who applies to the School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University with the intention of pursuing a BFA degree in vocal or instrumental performance must submit audition materials to the department chair as part of our internal selection process. Video tapes and DVDs are acceptable for voice and music theater programs. CDs and tapes are acceptable for instrumental programs.
All the materials will be reviewed by heads of the respective programs:
Musical theater - Professor Belinda Andrews-Smith
Vocal performance - Professor Amy Pfrimmer
Piano - Professor Faina Lushtak
Guitar - Professor Javier Olondo
Instrumental Performance - Professor Barbara Jazwinski
Jazz Studies - Professor Courtney Bryan
The materials, which will not be returned, should be designed to show the talent, skill, versatility and personality of the performer. A minimum of three works of contrasting nature should be presented. All materials must be memorized. Prospective Vocal Performance majors may select art songs from the Italian, French, or American repertoire, including at least one show tune. Musical Theatre applicants should choose material both from shows written pre-1980s and post-1980s.
Students who are visiting the campus may request an interview and an audition. The interview, by appointment only, must be arranged through the Music Office (504-862-3214) well in advance of the intended visit. We strongly encourage submission of the audition materials prior to such a visit.
All audition materials sent to the Music Department should be clearly identified (student’s name, address, phone, and e-mail address.) Please include a brief letter indicating whether the student has already been admitted to the University.
Composition:
Students interested in pursuing a BFA degree in Music Composition should contact Professor Barbara Jazwinski, Head of the Composition Program. We encourage, but do not require, prospective composition students to submit their portfolios, if available.
All applied music students, pre-registered or not, are required to register for the private lessons by filling out schedule cards in the Music Office, Dixon Hall, Room 100, during registration week.