Aug 25, 2025  
2025-2026 Franklin & Marshall College Catalog 
  
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2025-2026 Franklin & Marshall College Catalog

Music Major

The study of music at Franklin & Marshall College is as deeply embedded in the creation and performance of music as it is in the understanding that music is inextricable from the worlds it is a part of. The Department of Music provides an approach to music that models the very essence of the liberal arts: an inherently interdisciplinary pursuit that hones processes of critical inquiry and analysis while simultaneously fostering and nourishing the creative mind.

The Music major at F&M is designed to allow students with varying backgrounds in music to thrive and carve their own individual paths. Courses cover genres and cultures from around the world and can be divided into three interrelated areas: music history and culture, music theory and composition, and performance. The major is bookended by MUS 210 - Music, Society, and Culture , a gateway course designed to introduce students to foundational questions, issues, and methodologies in music studies, and by a 400-level senior project that serves as the culmination of one’s studies. By way of its emphasis on electives, the major gives students an opportunity to gain depth in a category of their choosing and allows students considerable agency in designing a trajectory most in line with their strengths, areas of interest, and post-college plans. Past majors have conducted grant-funded archival research and fieldwork throughout the world; presented at academic conferences; attended internationally renowned music programs throughout North America, Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and East Asia; performed solo recitals in F&M’s own world-class Barshinger Center for Musical Arts; and conducted orchestras in programs featuring their original compositions.

Many students choose to complete a major or minor in music whether or not they intend to undertake a career in music. The writing, analytical, critical thinking, and creative skills that the major and minors foster undoubtedly play a pivotal role no matter a student’s post-college trajectory. Students who have graduated with degrees in Music not only have gone on to Ph.D. programs in Musicology, Ethnomusicology, and Composition and successful careers in performance and the music industry but have also gone on to careers in medicine, law, and computer science (to name only a few). The majority of courses in the Music Department are open to students with no formal background in music while all of its ensembles are open to the entire student body. At the same time, there are many offerings in the academic and performance realms for students who have already made music an important element of their lives.

Music Department Faculty

Professor Matthew Butterfield, Chair

Professor William Wright, Associate Chair for Music Performance

Matthew Butterfield
Professor of Music

Karen Leistra-Jones
Associate Professor of Music

Gwynne Geyer
Artist in Residence, Voice and Teaching Professor of Music

Doris Hall-Gulati
Artist in Residence; Senior Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music, Clarinet and Saxophone; Chamber Music Coordinator

Brian Norcross
Senior Director of Instrumental Music; Senior Conducting Studies; Senior Teaching Professor of Music

William Wright
Choral Conductor; Teaching Professor of Music

Jessica Beebe
Senior Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music, Voice

Kimberly Buchar Nolet
Senior Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music, Bassoon

Michael Jamanis
Senior Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music, Violin and Viola

Mark Yingling
Senior Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music, Percussion

Tammi Hessen
Senior Adjunct Instructor of Music, African Drums, African Drum Ensemble Conductor

Kendra D. Bigley
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Piano

Rosemary Blessing
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Piano

Morgann Davis-Parrish
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Flute

Chris Keeney
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Guitar

Anne Nye
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Horn

Neil Podgurski
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Jazz Piano

Victoria Ritter
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Oboe

Stephen Shiffer
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Low Brass

Michael Vitale
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Double Bass

Major Requirements:

A major in Music consists of 10 course credits:

MUS 210:

As this course functions as a gateway into the major, students are encouraged to take it as early in their course of study as possible:

Three credits in Music Theory and Composition:

Three credits in Music History and Culture:

  • two electives at the 200-level or higher, and
  • one elective at the 300-level or higher

One credit in Music Performance

Drawn from studio lessons, ensembles, or conducting

One 300-level elective drawn from either Music History and Culture or Music Theory and Composition

Independent Study or Senior Recital

Note:

Students considering a major in Music are strongly encouraged to design their course of study with the guidance of the Music Department Chair (or other designated advisor from the Music faculty) as early as possible and to pick a selection of electives that provides appropriate breadth and depth.

The major culminates in a recital, research project, or creative project of the student’s choosing, typically completed in the student’s senior year. Students are strongly encouraged to start discussing the plans for their senior project with their advisors by the spring semester of their junior year. Students who would like to be considered for Honors should begin this process early in their junior year as well.

The writing requirement in the major is met by the completion of MUS 210 - Music, Society, and Culture  and by taking 200- and 300-level electives in Music History and Culture.

Students majoring in music are encouraged to participate in one of the College’s choral or instrumental ensembles for at least four semesters.

A maximum of four transferred credits from another institution may be counted toward the major, and of these, no more than one may be at or above the 300-level. Further details about transferred credits can be obtained from the chair of the department.

Off-Campus Study:

Majors in the Department of Music have studied abroad in the following programs in recent years: IES programs in Milan, Italy and Vienna, Austria. See the International Programs section of the Catalog for further information.

 

 

Music History & Culture and Theory & Composition Courses

Music Performance Courses

Conducting Courses

Performing Ensembles

One half credit for participation in the following performing ensembles is accumulated over any consecutive two-semester sequence and is awarded at the end of the second semester of participation; students who wish to receive credit should enroll in the 100-level course in the first semester of participation and the 200-level course in the second. One full credit is needed to satisfy the Arts exploration requirement for graduation.

Studio Lessons

Studio lessons receive one half credit per semester at the 200-level and one half credit after two semesters at the 100-level. Lessons at the 100-level and at the 200-level may be repeated. One full credit is needed to satisfy the Arts exploration requirement for graduation.

Studio lessons at the 100-level will include 12 30-minute lessons over the course of the semester. Students will earn 0.5 credits after taking two consecutive semesters of lessons. Students will not be required to participate in masterclasses, but at the end of the second semester they will give an adjudicated performance as part of the studio’s recital. The fee for 100-level lessons will be $456/semester.

Studio lessons at the 200-level will include 12 50-minute lessons over the course of the semester. Students will earn 0.5 credits each semester. They will participate in three masterclasses each semester and will give an adjudicated performance as part of the studio’s recital. The fee for 200-level lessons will be $760/semester.

The semester before a Senior Recital (only), students may enroll for lessons at the 300 level as “Recital Preparation” (e.g., MUS 385 Recital Preparation: Voice). Prerequisite: a minimum of two semesters of credit-bearing lessons in the same instrument at the 200 level.

The semester of a Senior Recital (only), students may enroll for lessons at the 400 level as “Senior Recital” (e.g., MUS 485 Senior Recital: Voice). Prerequisite: one semester of Recital Preparation at the 300 level.

Note:

Students with a financial aid package may request the Student Aid Office to take this fee into account in their aid award.