Music

Overview

New College’s Area of Concentration (AOC) in Music aims to develop musicianship and foster students' engagement with a wide array of musical styles and theoretical approaches. Courses and activities provide opportunities for students to listen, observe, interpret, perform, and create, as well as develop historically, culturally, and theoretically informed approaches to music and sound. Students are encouraged to integrate their experiences across academic and artistic disciplines and areas of study to achieve the breadth that a liberal arts institution makes possible. Students can also create their own AOCs by combining music with study in another discipline or area (such as with a Joint AOC or with a Secondary Field); studying music as part of a Divisional AOC in Humanities; crafting a Special Program AOC (e.g. Media Studies, Sound Studies); or including music in their studies as part of the AOC in Liberal Arts. 

Faculty in Music

Virginia Bray, Adjunct Instructor of Piano
Maribeth Clark, Professor of Music, Chair, Division of Humanities
Tania Arzi Coambs, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Voice and Theater
Mark Dancigers, Assistant Professor of Music
Kat Baloff, Adjunct INstructor of Music
Hugo R. Viera-Vargas, Associate Professor of Caribbean/Latin American Studies and Music
Ashkan Tabatabaie, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Digital Media Arts
George Maxman, Instructor of Music

Requirements for the AOC in Music

A minimum of ten (10) academic units.

¹

May be taken more than one semester, with up to one year counting towards the AOC. Substitution of guitar or other harmony-based instrument possible with Music faculty approval.

²

If Keyboard Skills is taken for a full year instead of one semester, only four units would be required in this category.

Highly Recommended Courses and Activities

• Visit the CEO and consult with your Career Coach regularly, and apply for internships. These work experiences can contribute to your ability to find a satisfying job upon graduation.
• Language other than the native language: If you are interested in graduate study related to music, we highly recommend that you study a language with the goal of mastery.
• Secondary discipline: At least two courses or tutorials from a perspective outside of the Music program that have implications for the study of music can serve as a secondary focus. These two courses could be from areas such as Anthropology (e.g. Anthropology of Performance, Ethnography), Sociology (e.g. Sociology of the Arts), History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology, Political Science, English, Gender Studies, Environmental Studies, Biology, or any other discipline or area in which music as a subject may be considered. For advice in regard to your interests consult a faculty member in Music.
• Performance activities: While participation in music activities is not required, it is recommended for all the ways it might inspire new paths in experiencing sound and performance.
• Private lessons: Although not required, private lessons support a student’s growth in musicianship.
• Computer Science: Although not required for an AOC in Music, we recommend that students interested in composition take courses in Computer Science that introduce coding, an increasingly useful skill for composers in the digital age.

Requirements for the Joint AOC in Music

A minimum of seven (7) academic units.

Requirements for a Secondary Field in Music

A minimum of five (5) academic units. 

Students at New College may choose to pursue a Secondary Field in Music if they wish to combine their study of music with another disciplinary AOC. The Secondary Field in Music differs from the Joint AOC in Music in that a student is not required to include music as part of the thesis. 

*Click here for a Music AOC worksheet/checklist.

Creative and Performance Opportunities

Students in the Music program have opportunities to develop their skills as composers, performers, and thinkers outside of the classroom. New Music New College (NMNC) brings world-class performers to campus for concerts that are free to the campus community. As part of their visits, these musical guests often provide workshops and opportunities to discuss their music with students and other community members. In addition, students may have occasion to participate in NMNC performances. 

In addition to New Music New College and its associated activities, student composers and performers may work with professional players in the Sarasota music community in a collaborative program. Over the course of the year these musicians work with students in the development of their pieces, resulting in a performance during the spring. Interested students should contact Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Ashkan Tabatabaie (afakhrtabatabaie@ncf.edu).

For involvement in more traditional performance opportunities, students can audition for the Chamber Music program and receive academic credit. Through the Cross College Alliance students may participate in State College of Florida’s Symphonic Band or the Bradenton Symphony Orchestra. The Music program at New College also encourages students to perform in student-run groups on campus, such as Acapellago, an acapella singing group, and New Cats, a jazz ensemble; however, students receive tutorial credit for such participation only under unusual circumstances. The Music program also supports the development of events for Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month under the leadership of Hugo Viera-Vargas (hviera-vargas@ncf.edu).

For students who want to study music privately, the music faculty can support connections with professional musicians in the Sarasota-Manatee community. Music faculty sponsor the lessons as a tutorial, full-term participation for a module of credit while the student works with the private instructor. Consult a faculty member in Music for more details.

Representative Senior Theses or Senior Capstone Projects in Music

• "Beating My Opponent": An Examination of Frank Ocean's Strategy to Success in the Music Industry
• Voodoo Fire: An Ethnographic Study of the Multifaceted Nature of New Orleans Voodoo
• "Waiting for Something to Happen?" Creating Fear and Unease through Video Game Music and Sound Design
• Textures, Lyrics, and Sonic Environments: How DIY Music Influences Your Creative Process
• A Composition for Melodic Drum Set
• Entre Dos Aguas: The Relationship Between the Traditional Notions of Gender in Flamenco and the Way Nuevo Flamenco Cultivates Its Evolution
• Artifacts of a Bygone Time: Stephen Sondheim and Pastiche