The Bachelor of Music degree program at the Peabody Conservatory is designed to offer gifted students the training to prepare themselves for careers in performance, composition, computer music, music education, recording arts, and related areas of professional activity.
Admission Requirements
Students applying for the Bachelor of Music degree program present transcripts, test scores, and recommendations before playing an audition. The details of this process may be found at the Admissions website.
Students matriculating into the Bachelor of Music degree program must be a graduate of an accredited high school or present evidence of equivalent study.
Prospective students may audition a maximum of two times for any given Peabody program. After two unsuccessful auditions, students will no longer be eligible for admittance into that program.
Program Requirements
BM Curricular Components
Matriculating first-year students will satisfy between 122 and 153 credits in four years through passing grades, transfer credits, or onsite placement exams. Undergraduate students must be enrolled as full-time students for eight semesters and are required to remain enrolled in one-hour major lessons for all eight semesters.
The applied level of transfer students is determined by faculty and set at the end of the first year of study. Once set, the transfer student must be enrolled as a full-time student in one-hour major lessons until the conclusion of their adjusted final year.
Students must graduate within seven (7) years of entering the program.
Applied Enrollments
Major Lessons
Undergraduate students must enroll in major lessons through their last semester of the degree time frame (eight semesters for freshmen and the determined number for transfer students).
Any change to studio assignment must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies (see Studio Assignments), and students must earn at least a B- in major lessons (see Academic Standing).
Juries, Hearings, and Recitals
The progress of each student is measured by the major department each year. Advancement and assessment are accomplished by an annual departmental examination (a “jury” for undergraduate students and a "hearing" for graduate students). Every undergraduate performance major must play a departmental jury for credit by the end of each school year. Graduate hearings are graded S/U. Students majoring in Composition, Computer Music, and Music for New Media participate in weekly seminars with their entire Department that provide ongoing departmental evaluation for each student. Students who perform their bachelor's recitals in their fifth year of study, whether due to being a Dual Degree student or due to slower progress through the degree, will play three juries and one hearing.
| Jury | Description |
|---|---|
| 109 | The freshman or 109 jury is considered an advising aid to the student and their teacher in planning the following year’s study. |
| 209 | The purpose of the 209 jury taken at the end of the sophomore year (fourth semester or credit hour equivalent) is to assess the student’s overall progress and to determine whether or not they should continue in the chosen curriculum. On the basis of this jury and the student’s overall academic record, the jury committee makes recommendations for the student’s remaining years of undergraduate study. |
| 309 | The 309 jury is taken at the end of the junior year and is considered an advising aid to the student and their teacher in planning the final year of study, including the senior recital. Students in the departments of violin, viola, guitar, and jazz performance are required to play a “junior” recital at the end of the third year of study. This junior recital takes the place of, and is recorded with the same course number as, the 309 jury. Departments that require a junior recital may also require students to appear for technical examination and/or a demonstration of orchestral excerpts during the regular jury period. |
| 509 | The graduate hearing is taken at the end of the first year of a Masters program to monitor a student's progress and to identify areas of focus for the second year. Students in five-year programs or who are delaying their recitals perform a hearing in their fourth year. |
A student who does not play a jury at the end of each academic year or does not earn at least a B- in a jury is not considered to be in good academic standing and will need to replay the jury in the following fall semester.
A graduation recital or comparable capstone project is required of all degree candidates.
Large Ensembles
All undergraduate students majoring in orchestral instruments must participate in Large Ensemble each semester of enrollment for major study as assigned. All Jazz, Voice, and Organ BM candidates have a six-semester choral requirement. For Voice majors, performance of a major opera role may qualify for Large Ensemble credit. All other non-orchestral BM candidates have a choral obligation as stipulated in their specific degree requirements. Ensemble credits beyond those required may be counted as elective credit. The regulations for performing in large ensembles, which are set by the Ensembles Office, may be found at the Ensemble Office website.
Small Ensembles
String, Piano and Percussion majors are required to enroll in four semesters of Chamber Music. Woodwind and Brass majors have a two-semester small ensemble requirement. Jazz majors must complete six semesters of small ensemble. A minimum of 10 certified coaching hours and a performance must be completed in order to earn credit. After completing the sight-reading course in the freshman year, piano majors fulfill accompanying requirements specified in the curriculum.
Academic Enrollments
Breakthrough Curriculum
All undergraduates complete the Breakthrough Curriculum. Second year BM students begin the sequence of classes with Exploring Arts Careers. In the third year of study, students take Building a Brand and Portfolio and Pitching Your Creative Idea. The culmination of study is the preparation and presentation of a pitch, adjudicated by a panel of faculty and guests that also serves as an entry in a real competition for funding and project support. Students may attempt to test out of the Building a Brand and Portfolio requirement; information on testing out can be requested from the LAUNCHPad office.
Music Theory
With the exception of students in jazz performance, all undergraduate music students have a three-year requirement for Music Theory. The Music Theory program consists of four to six consecutive semesters of courses: Music Theory 1 through Music Theory 3, followed by two "Topics in Music Theory" electives, and culminating with the Music Theory Capstone. Students are strongly encouraged to complete all Music Theory requirements in the first three years of study.
Simultaneous enrollment in more than one numbered Music Theory course or the Capstone is not permitted except with the express permission of the Chair of Music Theory and the Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies. Students may take two Topics in Music Theory electives in the same semester. Entering students who are not strong in the fundamentals of music (i.e., rhythm, meter, scales, intervals, keys, triads, and inversions) are encouraged to review their preparatory work during the months prior to the beginning of the academic year. Advanced placement in Music Theory is possible.
Ear Training
Ear-training and Sight-singing classes are closely coordinated with the Music Theory curriculum. Students are strongly encouraged to complete all Ear-training requirements during the first two years of study. Note: students who are placed into the accelerated section are exempt from the second year of Ear-training.
Keyboard Studies
Keyboard Studies classes are coordinated with the Music Theory and Ear-training curriculum. Students are strongly encouraged to complete all Keyboard Studies requirements during the first two years of study. Placement is determined by individual auditions.
Musicology
Students pursuing the standard BM musicology requirements will complete a total of 12 credits of musicology course work. Students must enroll in Introduction to Musicology and Western Art Music, 1600-1950. Students then select two "Topics in Musicology" courses. Students must complete the second semester of the Liberal Arts Core curriculum (Core 2) before starting the sequence or be in their third year of study. Students may not enroll in more than one musicology survey course per semester, except for the Topics in Musicology electives.
Music Education majors follow a specific sequence of courses designed to accommodate Music Education coursework. Hip Hop majors take Introduction to Musicology and Western Art Music, 1600-1950 plus departmental music history courses. Jazz majors take Introduction to Musicology plus departmental music history courses. Transfer credits in Musicology are considered for approval by the Chair of Musicology and the Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies on a case-by-case basis.
Liberal Arts
Music students are required to fulfill 24 credits of Liberal Arts courses, beginning with a one-year Core Curriculum (6 credits). The majority of students will take the Core Curriculum in their first year of study. Some students may be placed in Writing Intensive for their first year and begin the Core Curriculum in their second year. Students may petition to have Homewood Liberal Arts courses substitute for Core credit. Recording Arts students should see the Recording Arts specific program requirements for their variation of this curriculum.
Humanities Core Curriculum
- PY.260.115 Core 1: Analytical Thinking and Writing (3 credits, fall)
- PY.260.216 Core 2: Writing and Research Methods (3 credits, spring)
English as a Second Language (ESL)
Peabody offers intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. Matriculating international students will be tested to determine their level of English proficiency and placed into the ESL curriculum if appropriate. Some Peabody courses require successful completion of ESL courses as a prerequisite. ESL 1 does not count toward fulfillment of degree requirements, and the grades earned are not calculated in the student’s GPA; however, the hours are counted as part of the course load for tuition and full-time enrollment determination.
Critical Writing Intensive
PY.260.023 Critical Writing Intensive 1-PY.260.024 Critical Writing Intensive 2 is a yearlong course to prepare students for college-level writing. Both courses involve close coordination with faculty members teaching the Core Curriculum and fulfill Liberal Arts electives.
Students enrolled in ESL courses can complete fewer Core courses and Liberal Arts Electives as outlined in their degree audits.
Liberal Arts Electives
Upon completion of the first year of the Liberal Arts Core or by the third year of study, students begin to take Liberal Arts elective courses. Students may fulfill Liberal Arts electives by taking coursework on the Homewood campus.
Electives
Unless otherwise specified, the term elective means class elective. Additional lessons cannot count as electives, but additional ensembles may. Questions about the appropriateness of all other courses for elective credit should be directed to the Office of Academic Advising.
Graduate Seminars
Graduate students in the MM and DMA programs have priority seating in Music Theory and Musicology graduate seminars, as do undergraduates with additional requirements (such as those in the 4+1 BM/MM program). In general, undergraduate students may enroll in graduate seminars for elective credit only under the following conditions:
- For seminars in Music Theory, students must have successfully completed Theory 1, 2, 3, and one Topics course.
- For seminars in Musicology, students must have successfully completed the two introductory courses and one Topics course.
Even after obtaining the permission of the faculty member, undergraduate students may still be removed from graduate seminar rosters, depending on the needs of the graduate population.