Composition prospective students

Below are the degrees available for composition students. Visit the undergraduate and graduate degree pages for more detailed information.

Undergraduate degrees

Undergraduate composition majors begin their studies immediately with individual private lessons and weekly attendance at composition seminars. The program aims to build a solid technical and musical foundation while faculty guide each student in exploring his or her unique creative voice. Composition majors also take courses in music history and literature, analysis, counterpoint and orchestration, as well as participate in ensemble performance. Our students also enroll in a broad range of听music technology听courses, including courses in film scoring and multi-media performance.

  • Bachelor of Music in composition

Graduate degrees

MM and DMA graduate degrees in composition are available. Graduate composers are often commissioned to create works for faculty and local artists and ensembles, and their compositions have won recognition at prestigious international competitions. In addition to private studies with the faculty, majors interact in the weekly graduate composition seminar. Familiarity with current technology is also an essential component of the degree plan. Students also have access to the rich artistic and intellectual resources of a major research university. Graduate assistantships and other financial support are available on a competitive basis. Additionally, four DMA students per year are awarded the Arts and Technology Fellowship in Music Composition with the ATLAS Institute.

Questions about the MM听and DMA programs in composition? Contact Carter Pann,听carter.pann@colorado.edu.

  • Master of Music in composition
  • Master of Music in composition with music technology emphasis
  • Doctor of Musical Arts in composition

Still have unanswered questions? Below are FAQ about our composition program.

FAQ

There are typically 10-12 undergraduate students and 10-12 graduate students.听This nearly-equal mix of undergraduates to graduates gives our department a rich diversity with regard to current projects at any given time.

Our composition faculty is comprised of diverse artists who value this same quality among their students. While we primarily teach the tenets of the Western concert music tradition, our faculty guides students to be successful no matter which听genre听or听style听he/she may be working towards in any given project.听We thrive on this diversity and strive to cultivate such variety!

We would like to see at least three compositions and no more than four from graduate applicants (scores should be submitted as PDFs unless you prefer to mail hardcopies).听From your submitted works, we hope to get a well-rounded idea of who you are as a composer; a mix of chamber or solo and large ensemble works is best.听We prefer to listen to live recordings whenever possible, however we also know that circumstances may not be favorable (timing of deadlines, etc.) for a work you are wanting to submit. We can 鈥渟ee through the MIDI鈥 without any problem and treat your recording as if it was live. One of the missions of our department is to furnish all of our composers with live recordings of their works and we will try to make special accommodations whenever needed.

Yes, however this depends on the particular student鈥檚 aptitude on his/her instrument and/or desires to pursue formal study on the instrument. In the majority of cases, it becomes a matter of space in our applied instrument studios.听Though it is not unheard of for an undergraduate composition major to study his/her instrument with one of our primary faculty, a majority of our composition students take applied instrument lessons with graduate studio teaching assistants or adjunct faculty (private instrument lessons are not a requirement for undergraduate composition majors).

Yes.听Undergraduate composition majors are required to enroll in an ensemble for credit鈥攐ur orchestra, band, choir, Japanese, Gamelan or African drumming ensembles, to name a few (when offered).听Undergraduate composition majors are also required to either pass proficiency on piano or take piano lessons for two years of his/her degree.