Musicology is a humanities-based degree that draws from a variety of different disciplines in the study of music. What is musicology, exactly? What can you get out of studying it? What do you need to know before you apply to a college-level musicology program?
Musicology studies music as a scholarly field and academic subject housed in the humanities. There are many different kinds of musicology: historical musicology, musical psychology, ethnomusicology, acoustics, and more. Though many musicologists are musicians themselves, musicology tends to be focused on the academic study of music itself rather than, say, a performance degree would focus on actually playing the music.
Musicology students end up pursuing a wide variety of careers. Many students are keenly interested in research and enter grad school to continue their research on the topics they began studying in
Because it is a part of the humanities, musicology combines well with other areas of academic focus, including history, sociology, psychology, and archeology. The paths that musicology majors take are as diverse as the interests of these musicologists: some musicology students end up working as educators, while others work as curators at museums, fundraisers and grant writers at arts nonprofits, or board members of a foundation or
Musicology is an extremely broad field, and many sub-categories fall under the umbrella of its academic purview. Since people began studying the scoring and playing of music, it has existed as an academic field. With the advent of
Some musicology students have a special interest in music archives and libraries as they pursue their studies. Rare recordings, sheet music, and other primary source materials can be great assets for research experiences at any level. If you’re interested in this area of musicology, it’s in your interest to consult with the program you want to attend to see if they’re open to students taking this kind of approach.
Studying musicology can enrich your life in a variety of ways:
Many musicologists are also performing musicians. After all, if you’re passion is music, there are few reasons not to pick up an instrument yourself. The Frost School encourages you to take foundational music classes as you pursue musicology. The more you know about performing music, the better musical researcher you will be.
A masters students in musicology has the opportunity to take many different kinds of classes including the following:
Remember: not every class is available every semester, so it’s important to plan ahead and discuss your schedule with your academic advisor well in advance. That way, you won’t miss out on an important class and have plenty of time to fit in field work and other complementary experiences.
Students pay for their musicology degree in a variety of ways: some students are able to take advantage of the limited graduate assistantships in which the school pays tuition in exchange for academic
A quality musicology program will have a couple of different components: quality faculty, committed students, and a range of excellent connections. An established faculty department has members who represent a range of research interests. The faculty should be