Performance ensembles and individual lessons through the Applied Music Program can be taken for half a credit per semester. Up to four half-credits in performance (i.e., two course credits) can be applied towards the ten credits required for the Music concentration. There is no limit on the number of half-credit performance courses that can be counted towards the 30 credits required for the Brown degree.

It is possible to participate in ensembles on a not-for-credit basis. Some students elect to do so if they are already enrolled in five credits (the maximum permitted at Brown) in a given semester. In Chamber Music, at least one student in each group must be enrolled for course credit.

Brown does not offer a separate concentration in music performance, but our program offers opportunities for rigorous training through private lessons, ensembles, and coursework in music theory and musicianship. Some of our students go on to pursue graduate degrees at conservatories and careers as performers.

All Music Department courses are open to all Brown students, provided they have satisfied the prerequisites. Participation in ensembles and the Applied Music Program is determined by audition, and equal consideration is given to concentrators and non-concentrators. In fact, most of the students who perform in our ensembles concentrate in fields other than Music. Some of our ensembles, including Javanese Gamelan and Ghanaian Drumming and Dancing, require no prior experience in that musical tradition.

Personalized advising is integral to our program. Prospective concentrators work with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Eric Nathan, to devise a course of study that supports the student’s goals in Music. Once the concentration declaration is approved, the student is paired with a faculty Concentration Advisor who can help refine and revise the course plan throughout the student’s time at Brown. In the senior year, students work with a capstone or thesis advisor (who may or may not be the same person as the Concentration Advisor) to undertake a culminating project in the concentration.