Chair, Academic Studies Department
Ph.D., Washington Univ. in St. Louis
Baldwin Wallace University is discontinuing the music history and literature major and is no longer accepting applications for this major.
View Conservatory of Performing Arts majors and programs and all BW majors and programs.
Prospective students: Students interested in attending BW should contact Conservatory Admission at (440) 826-2368, music@icandcocustoms.com with any questions.
Current BW students: The University is committed to "teaching out" and supporting all students currently enrolled in the music history and literature major. Students should contact their academic advisor for scheduling courses.
OVERVIEW
Understanding the diverse traditions, styles, historic and cultural contexts through which music has and continues to define itself is at the core of Baldwin Wallace's music history and literature major.
The comprehensive program explores the evolution of musical styles through rigorous studies of masterworks, major composers, historic developments and societal influences.
You'll learn how music can powerfully connect with a listener. You'll build competencies in reading, hearing, understanding and appreciating music.
In your senior year, you'll complete in-depth scholarly research and accompanying work reflective of graduate-level studies. You'll also participate in a practicum offering professional leadership opportunities. These impressive experiences have helped BW students gain admittance to top graduate programs.
At Baldwin Wallace, you'll gain technical, professional and artistic skills. You'll receive individual attention and faculty mentoring. The faculty-student ratio is 7:1.
BW Conservatory faculty are established professionals with real-world experience, impressive credentials and networking connections.
They're published authors, musicians, composers and researchers. Their interests include Renaissance music, world music, film music, post-tonal theory, pedagogy of music theory and harmonic function, to name a few.
You'll also benefit from BW's proximity to Cleveland - home of the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Playhouse Square and more.
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Small classes, personalized attention and faculty mentoring are a key part of BW's music history and literature program. BW's faculty-student ratio is 7:1 for the Conservatory of Performing Arts.
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BW is among an elite list of conservatories worldwide boasting an All-Steinway School classification. Student's learning experience is enhanced when their lessons and performances are on the same quality instruments that are the standard in concert halls.
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The striking Boesel Musical Arts Center is a four-building complex that houses 50 soundproofed practice rooms, instructional space, practice studios and impressive rehearsal halls that can accommodate the latest technologies for teaching and performance.
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BW's undergraduate-only Conservatory provides students with valuable opportunities to perform, compose, conduct, teach and manage. Alumni can be found at top graduate schools and employed with renowned organizations.
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BW's Conservatory of Performing Arts faculty are established professionals with real-world experience, impressive credentials and networking connections. They bring decades of experiences to the classroom, studio and clinical settings. Pictured here are BW faculty who are members of the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra.
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The Riemenschneider Bach Institute houses rare items related to J.S. Bach and his circle, as well as historical reference materials, scores and a collection of classic recordings. With one of the nation's most impressive holdings of Baroque manuscripts and first editions, it attracts scholars from around the world.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Most students who major in music history and literature pursue graduate degrees. You'll receive excellent preparation through BW's liberal arts-focused curriculum and Conservatory of Performing Arts coursework and practical experiences. Career possibilities include but are not limited to:
- Music librarian
- Author
- Professor
- Music critic
ALL-STEINWAY SCHOOL
The Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Performing Arts is one of just 16 conservatories worldwide that has achieved classification as an All-Steinway School. The 88 Steinway pianos in the Conservatory elevate the student learning experience by having lessons and performance opportunities on the same quality instruments that are the standard in concert halls worldwide.
VIBRANT FACILITY ENGAGES STUDENTS
Striking Boesel Musical Arts Center is a picturesque four-building complex that houses BW's Conservatory of Performing Arts. It's a seamless blend of historic architecture and modern design. The facility houses 50 soundproofed practice rooms, instructional space, practice studios and impressive rehearsal halls that can accommodate the latest technologies for teaching and performance.
EXCEPTIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Innovation, excellence and outstanding hands-on learning and performance opportunities make the Conservatory a proven choice for students nationwide. The undergraduate-only Conservatory provides an exceptional learning environment for students to take lead roles in performing, conducting, managing and teaching. Alumni can be found at top graduate schools and working with the best orchestras, operas and theatres. Other alumni are employed in rewarding positions in teaching, arts management and music therapy.
CURRICULUM
Rigorous coursework coupled with intensive and extensive practical experiences provide comprehensive learning.
You'll learn about non-Western and Western traditions, including Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th and 21st century eras.
Through your studies, you'll learn to employ analytical methods and modes of inquiry similar to those used in other disciplines - language, literary criticism, mathematics and psychology.
Music history and literature offers an outstanding foundation for graduate school. It can be studied as a single major or companion field of study for a double major.
The music history & literature major prepares students to:
- Demonstrate broad knowledge of the history of Western music through familiarity with significant works from a variety of musical styles and genres and through description of significant stylistic, aesthetic, and philosophical movements
- Demonstrate the ability to conduct and accurately document research on a specific topic in music history
- Demonstrate the ability to present the results of research orally and in writing
Course Descriptions
Course descriptions, requirements for the major and additional information can be found in the University Catalog.
STUDENT EXPERIENCES
Student success is a top priority. Small class sizes, individual attention and faculty mentoring are at the core of BW Conservatory of Performing Arts programs.
Experiential learning bridges classroom study with real-world opportunities. Numerous solo and departmental opportunities to perform put you at the forefront of career preparation. With more than 325 events a year, the Conservatory offers an impressive array of performance opportunities.
Among small ensembles, BW has a Brass Choir, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Band, Flute Ensemble, to name just a few.
On a larger scale, competitive auditions are held for positions in BW's Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Motet Choir and University Choir. Other impressive large ensembles include the Symphonic Band, BW Singers and Women's Choir.
The Conservatory has outstanding campus performance traditions and collaborations with regional and national organizations. A few examples include:
- Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival
The three-day campus event is the oldest collegiate Bach Festival in the country. It features lectures, BW performance groups, faculty members and renowned professional soloists and musicians. Baldwin Wallace students consider the unusual opportunity of participating, as colleagues, with world-class professionals a high point in their performing experience. The festival is evolving to include year-round events, such as Bach Haus, that explore Bach's influence on a broad spectrum of music. - FOCUS Festival of Contemporary Music
The biennial festival features the music of a contemporary composer who visits Baldwin Wallace for a week-long residency. At the conclusion of the week's rehearsals and symposia, the composer's music is performed in a series of concerts, including large ensembles and chamber groups.
LEARNING RESOURCES
At Baldwin Wallace, student learning experiences are enhanced by exceptional resources that include:
- Riemenschneider Bach Institute
The institute houses rare items related to J.S. Bach and his circle, as well as historical reference materials, scores and a collection of classic recordings. It has one of the nation's most impressive holdings of Baroque manuscripts and first editions. It attracts scholars from around the world. - Ferne Patterson Jones Memorial Music Library
A valuable campus resource, the library offers 18,000 scores, 7,000 books, and more than 10,000 sound and video recordings. Online resources to which the library subscribes include over one million tracks of streaming audio and video. Help with research is available by appointment, on a walk-in basis or through email.
ALUMNI SUCCESS
Alexander Stefaniak '06 is assistant professor of musicology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is the author of "Schumann's Virtuosity: Criticism, Composition, and Performance in Nineteenth Century German." The Parma, Ohio, native holds a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music.
Kira Thurman '06 is assistant professor of Germanic languages and literatures and history at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Her Ph.D. in history is from University of Rochester. BW allowed the Vienna, Austria, native to tailor her studies to include classes and research in German literature, history and music.
Scott Burnham '79 is currently the Scheide professor of music history at Princeton University. He received a Master of Music in composition from Yale University and a doctorate in music theory from Brandeis University. He is a published author of numerous books and articles for music journals.
FACULTY
Lecturer of Music History & Literature, Keyboard and Theory
D.M.A., University of Cincinnati–College-Conservatory of Music
Associate Professor of Music History & Literature
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Lecturer of Music History
Ph.D., Historical Musicology, UCLA
Professor of History & Literature
Ph.D., Musicology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Full-Time Faculty
Christina Fuhrmann
Chair, Academic Studies Department
Professor of Music History & Literature
Editor, BACH: Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute
Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis
Danielle Kuntz
Associate Professor of Music History & Literature
Riemenschneider Bach Institute Scholar-in-Residence
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Michael Strasser
Professor of History & Literature
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Adjunct Faculty
James Hirt
Lecturer of Music History & Literature, Keyboard and Theory
D.M.A., University of Cincinnati-College-Conservatory of Music
Kay Lipton
Lecturer of Music History
Ph.D., Historical Musicology, UCLA