Music Theory & Composition

Occupational Possibilities

A major in music theory and/or composition provides the foundation on which to base numerous career paths; general course work is combined with instruction in the building blocks of music and study of a specific instrument or voice.  Many music theory and composition majors continue to graduate school, but other careers are available to holders of undergraduate degrees.

The selected list which follows is based on national data and on Major Options  by Nicholas Basta (1991, New York: The Stonesong Press).  Some occupations, such as teacher or background music designer, may require additional training or special talents or skills.  In general, further graduate study is required for the *'d occupation.

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Skills and Abilities

A major in music theory or composition is valuable to those wishing to pursue careers as professional composers or arrangers.  Many other skills are learned which may be applicable to a wide range of occupational groups as well.  Definition of problem areas, for example, is valuable to an audio technician, a teacher, and a conductor on a daily basis.  Representative skills developed in a music theory or composition major are listed below.

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Career Planning and Resources

• http://www.menc.org/industry/job/careers/careers.html - Careers in Music brochure from MENC: The National Association for Music Education
• http://www.menc.org/information/infoserv/Dictionary.html - Dictionary of Music Careers from MENC
• http://www.berklee.edu/careers/default.html - Careers in Music from Berklee College of Music
• http://www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles/majors/50.0904.html - Information on a major in music theory from the College Board
• http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/musi/callon/careers.htm - Career Opportunities in Music from Acadia University
• http://www.utexas.edu/cofa/career/media/musicguide.pdf - A Career Guide for Music Majors from University of Texas at Austin
• http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~navmusic/ - Navigating Music Careers from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University

Internships

• http://ku-csm.symplicity.com/students/ - KU Career Connections – available through the School of Fine Arts Career Services Center at the email and phone below. Free registration is required. See SFA Career Services webpage http://www.arts.ku.edu/~sfa/careerservices/index.html.

Job Search

Most professional positions in music theory require graduate degrees, while some in composition do not. Listed below are some job sources for music theory and composition.

• http://ku-csm.symplicity.com/students/ - KU Career Connections – available through the School of Fine Arts Career Services Center at the email and phone below. Free registration is required. See SFA Career Services webpage http://www.arts.ku.edu/~sfa/careerservices/index.html.
• https://www.myinterfase.com/nec/student/home.aspx - Bridge Worldwide Music Connection: The Career Resource Database of the New England Conservatory. Includes opportunities in music: performance, teaching (Higher Ed & K-12), arts administration and music industry jobs as well as competition, festival, scholarship and grant listings. See the SFA Career Services Center webpage for more information: http://www.arts.ku.edu/~sfa/careerservices/index.html.
• College Music Society (CMS) – www.music.org – Offers an online vacancy bulletin to members.
• http://www.compositiontoday.com/opportunities/ - Composition Competitions, Jobs & Opportunities
• http://www.cebedem.be/en/links/composerscompetitions.html - International composition competitions from the Belgian Documentation Centre for Serious Contemporary Music (CeBeDeM)
• http://iwritethemusic.com/compcompetitions.html - Composition competitions from I Write the Music
• http://www.ascap.com/about/support.html - Commissions and Fellowships listed by ASCAP
• http://chronicle.com/jobs/ - Academic position listings from the Chronicle of Higher Education

Professional Associations

• http://www.berklee.edu/careers/associations_a-m.html
  http://www.berklee.edu/careers/associations_n-z.html - Music-related associations from Berklee College of Music (directory with few links to the individual association websites)
• http://www.seamusonline.org/ - Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS)
• http://www.musicperception.org – Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC)
• http://www.societymusictheory.org – Society for Music Theory
• http://www.ascap.com – American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)
• http://www.thescl.com/site/scl/ - The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL)
• http://www.asmac.org/ - American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC)

For More Information

...about careers, graduate and professional schools, internships, professional associations, or job descriptions contact:

Career Services Coordinator, School of Fine Arts
450 Murphy Hall
785-864-4466
http://www.arts.ku.edu/~sfa/careerservices/index.html

University Career Center
110 Burge Union
785-864-3624

For more information about the Musicology major at KU, contact:

http://arts.ku.edu/mad/index.html - Department of Music & Dance
460 Murphy Hall
785-864-3436

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