Undergraduate Program
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I am interested in a professional career in music. Will music study at Yale help me achieve that goal?
Answer: The study of music at Yale College, and particularly the music major, provides a firm foundation in music for continued study or for professional activities in arts management, composition, conducting, ethnomusicology, music education, music history, music theory, or performance.
2. Is the Yale College music major a degree in performance?
Answer: No. The music major includes studies in composition, conducting, ethnomusicology, music history, music theory, and performance, which comprise a broad introduction to the art of music. There are many performance opportunities both in the classroom and as extracurricular activities.
3. Are auditions required for admission?
Answer: Yale College is an academic institution, so there are no auditions for admission. Students are welcome to include composition works or recordings of performances with their application as supplementary materials. Recordings should be short, no more than 10 minutes, and feature two pieces of contrasting style or period. All application materials should be sent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Please be sure to mark your application materials with your name, address, high school and instrument.
4. Are music scholarships available?
Answer: There are no specific music scholarships for undergraduates, however, financial assistance is available as part of the general application process through the Office of Financial Aid.
5. Can the music major at Yale be combined with my other academic interests?
Answer: The music major at Yale is pursued as part of a diversified liberal arts program, which includes exposure to many intellectual areas, leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Although Yale does not offer minors, students may double major. Students must declare their major(s) no later than the Fall of their junior year.
6. May I take music lessons and receive academic credit?
Answer: Yes. Qualified students may apply up to four performance credits toward the thirty-six-credit requirement for the Bachelor of Arts. Only two performance credits may apply toward the twelve-credit requirement for the music major. Lessons are offered in cooperation with the Yale School of Music. Placement auditions are held the first week of school every September.
7. May I take music lessons without credit?
Answer: Yes. A fee is charged. The charge for 12 half-hour lessons is $200 and the charge for 12 one-hour lessons is $400 per semester. Students are required to audition for non-credit music lessons as well.
8. How should I prepare for placement auditions in September?
Answer: Students hoping to enroll in performance courses, as well as students auditioning for lessons for credit, the Yale Bands, the Yale Glee Club, and the Yale Symphony Orchestra, among others - should arrive at Yale College in September with two pieces of your choice ready for audition. It is best, but not required that these pieces be memorized. Singers should have music for accompanists, who are provided at the auditions.
9. What opportunities are there to perform?
Answer: Many of the performance opportunities at Yale College are outside of the classroom. Yale College is well known for it’s extracurricular musical activities; both student run and those led by faculty, such as the Yale Bands, Yale College New Music, Yale Collegium Musicum, the Yale Glee Club, the Yale Javanese Ensemble – Gamelan Suprabanggo, Opera Theater of Yale College, the member groups of the Yale Singing Group Council, and the Yale Symphony Orchestra, among others.
10. Will there be opportunities to play a public solo recital or to participate in a public performance?
Answer: It is possible to arrange performances under the auspices of your residential college, or through the Department of Music. Sudler Hall, a very fine small concert hall, is intended for undergraduate performances. Students may compete in the Friends of Music Recital Competition, sponsored by the Friends of Music, or the William Waite Concerto Competition sponsored by the Yale Symphony Orchestra. Both are annual events.
11. Will I be able to play chamber music?
Answer: The Music Department offers Music 221, a course in chamber music performance, which provides professional coaching by faculty members. Additionally, informal opportunities to play chamber music are ample.
12. Will I be able to play in the Yale Symphony Orchestra?
Answer: Annual auditions for the Yale Symphony Orchestra are held in September each year. Symphony orchestration participation is an extra-curricular activity.
13. I compose. Can I have my own music performed?
Answer: The Yale College Composition Seminar meets every year. The appropriate course registrations are Music 312 and Music 412. Students may have their works performed
under the auspices of Yale College New Music. Many of the Yale College performance ensembles premiere compositions by Yale College composers.
14. Will I be able to study conducting?
Answer: Courses in conducting are part of the Yale College music curriculum. Conducting is considered an elective course offering.
15. Will the music major prepare me to teach music?
Answer: Yale’s Teacher Preparation program allows students to meet the requirements for certification to teach in early childhood education, or in public secondary schools. Teacher Prep is available to majors in music as well as other disciplines.
16. How do I apply for the B.A./M.M. program?
Answer: Students in Yale College possessing outstanding ability in composition or performance may apply for the B.A./M.M program, whether they major in music or another discipline. Interested students should consult their principal teacher at the beginning of the first term of their junior year and file an application in the Office of Student Affairs at the School of Music.
17. What is the difference between the Yale Department of Music and the Yale School of Music?
Answer: The Yale Department of Music offers curricular instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. For Yale College study towards the B.A. in Music, courses are offered in composition, conducting, ethnomusicology, music history, music theory, and performance. As part of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Yale Department of Music offers advanced courses in music theory and musicology leading to the Ph.D. The School of Music is a professional school offering only graduate degrees in composition, conducting, and music performance.
