Brian Alegant, Professor of Music Theory
Stephen Brown, Assistant Professor of Music Theory
Allen Cadwallader, Professor of Music Theory
Randolph Coleman, Professor of Composition and Music Theory
Arnie Cox, Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Aural Skills
Warren Darcy, Professor of Music Theory
Richard Hoffmann, Professor of Composition and Music Theory
Rebecca Leydon, Associate Professor of Music Theory
Joseph Lubben, Associate Professor of Music Theory
Stephen Moore, Associate Professor of Music Theory
Deborah Rifkin, Assistant Professor of Music Theory
Jennifer Rinehart, Assistant Professor of Music Theory
Lynne Rogers, Associate Professor of Music Theory
Philip Stoecker, Assistant Professor of Music Theory
Diane Urista, Assistant Professor of Music Theory
Major Study: Music Theory
Course
Requirements
Recommended
Course Distribution
Hrs.
Fresh
Soph
Junior
Senior
4
Ensemble
electives
-
-
1
1
1
1
-
-
12
MUTH
130 or 131, 132, 231, 232 (Music Theory)
3
3
3
3
-
-
-
-
4
MUTH
101, 102, 201, 202 (Aural Skills)
1
1
1
1
-
-
-
-
18
Upper-Division
Music Theory electives1
-
-
-
3
6
6
3
-
6
MUTH
410, 411 (Senior Project in Theory)
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
3
10
Music
History electives2
4
3
3
-
-
-
-
-
70
First
major and free electives
7
8
8
8
9
9
9
12
124
15
15
16
16
16
16
15
15
Non-Course Requirements
Senior
Thesis3
-
-
-
-
-
-
(X)
(X)
Senior
Comprehensive Exam3
-
-
-
-
-
-
(X)
(X)
Completion
of another major in the Conservatory
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(X)
1 May include up to nine hours from among the courses COMP
100 (The Craft of Composition) COMP 210 (Composition Seminar), COMP
300, 301 (Orchestration), from any course listed under TECH (Technology
in Music and Related Arts), as well as from the courses APST 240
(Continuo Realization at the Keyboard) and PHYS 54 (Musical Acoustics);
must include MUTH 301 (Aural Skills V).
2 Two courses beyond MHST 101 are required. MHST 101 may be waived
by exemption examination when the student enters Oberlin.
3 The Senior Thesis and Senior Comprehensive Exam may be completed
in either the first or second semester.
Major Status. Sophomore Major Status is attained upon completion
of:
MUTH 231 (Music Theory III)
MUTH 201 (Aural Skills III)
Declaration of intent to pursue the Music Theory major
Junior Major Status is attained upon completion of:
MUTH 232 (Music Theory IV)
MUTH 202 (Aural Skills IV)
Three credit hours of upper-division Music Theory
Senior Major Status is attained upon completion of nine additional
credit hours in upper-division Music Theory courses (a total of twelve).
General. The Music Theory major is offered only as part of a double
major, i.e., together with another major in Performance, Composition,
Technology in Music and Related Arts, Music Education, Music History,
or Jazz Studies.
Students intending to pursue a Music Theory major must have a GPA
of at least 3.5 in Music Theory and Aural Skills courses below the
300 level.
No Music Theory course with a grade lower than B– may be counted
toward the requirements for the major.
The student's work will be reviewed formally near the end of
the sophomore year to determine whether or not progress toward the
attainment of Junior Major Status warrants continuation in the major.
Expository Writing Proficiency. Students with an SAT verbal score
below 580 or an ACT score below 24, or a TOEFL score below 600 must
complete one course chosen from the RHET 111-119 series.
Music Theory and Aural Skills Requirement. Students are expected
to register for Music Theory and Aural Skills courses each semester
until they have completed the requirements. Part or all of these
requirements may be waived by placement examination when the student
enters Oberlin. Please note that Theory majors are required to complete
Aural Skills V (MUTH 301) as part of their theory sequence.
Music Theory I-IV and Aural Skills I-IV must be taken concurrently,
e.g., a student will register for Music Theory I (MUTH 130 or 131)
and Aural Skills I in the same semester. Under certain circumstances,
with the permission of the the Music Theory division director, students
will be allowed to take Aural Skills IV and Music Theory IV separately.
A student's aural skills requirement must be completed before
the senior recital can be scheduled. Double-degree students will
resolve any conflicts with these expectations in consultation with
their advisors.
Electives. A student should select electives based on the following:
a minimum of 76 hours of Conservatory course work is required; a
minimum of 24 hours of liberal arts is required.
Minor Study: Music Theory
Eligibility
The student must be in a Bachelor's Degree Program in the Conservatory.
The student should declare his or her intention to minor in Music
Theory before the end of the junior year.
Course Requirements
All the requirements for the major except MUTH 410, 411 (Senior Project
in Theory), i.e., 12 hours of MUTH 131, 132, 231, 232 and four hours
of MUTH 101, 102, 201, 202; 18 hours of upper-division Theory electives
(including MUTH 301); four hours of ensemble electives; four hours
of MHST 101; and six hours of Music History electives. Part of these
requirements may be waived by examination, as described above for
the major. In addition, some courses in Composition, Technology in
Music and Related Arts, etc., as described above for the major, may
be substituted for certain of these major requirements.