Undergraduate

Undergraduate Committee

The Undergraduate Committee represents students in the Music Department and is a forum for advocacy and communication. We hear students’ concerns and work toward solutions while also planning special events that build community. Our goal is to do whatever is necessary to improve our music students’ experience here at Cal.

Committee Members Student Representatives

Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a collection of frequently asked questions we receive from undergraduates. If your question isn't listed here, please email music@berkeley.edu and we'll do our best to direct your question to the right person.

What are some extracurricular music opportunities at the university?

The Undergraduate Composers organize concerts each semester in which Cal students perform pieces by students.
Free noon concerts take place in Hertz Hall every Wednesday. Performers must be affiliated with UC Berkeley, and audition during the semester preceding their proposed concert. Student recitals are also presented in 125 Morrison Hall.

There are many DeCal classes that have to do with music. In order to supplement your classical and theory knowledge, it is a good idea to check out the DeCal classes for hip-hop, funk, or spoken poetry that are usually offered. The list of...

How can majors participate in the governance of the Department of Music?

There is an opportunity as an undergraduates to serve as the Undergraduate Representative on the Undergraduate Committee. This committee holds monthly meetings to discuss issues that directly affect the undergraduate music program. UGC is made up of several student representatives as well as staff and faculty members. This is a good place to let your voice be heard and to discuss the opportunities available to undergraduate music students.

If I want to take private lessons as music major, how do I do that?

Private instruction is provided for the most skilled musicians among our majors under the course number Music 168. Music 168 is a personalized performance program for the intermediate to advanced performer. Each student works individually with a private instructor while participating in one of the performance ensembles listed above. To enroll, students must be declared music majors.

Is it possible to double major, and still graduate in four years?

Yes, many music majors successfully complete a second major in four years. It often takes careful planning, because the music major has many lower division requirements. Be sure to check in with a faculty member or advisor in the Music Department and in L&S as you choose your courses each semester.

How big are the major classes in the Department of Music?

Music major courses in musicianship and theory are restricted to fewer than twenty students. Upper division major seminars are smaller. History and culture courses range from 30 to 100 students. Enrollment in performance ensembles is appropriate to the repertoire that be performed and its instrumentation. Our teachers know the students and vice versa. We are a relatively intimate department within the large university.

Courses

To see a listing of all Music courses including course descriptions, prerequisites, and repeat restrictions, visit the Course Catalog in the Berkeley Academic Guide. To know which classes will be offered in a particular semester, visit the Class Schedule and select the appropriate term.

What is the balance between theoretical knowledge and experiential knowledge in the Department of Music’s program?

There are many opportunities to apply both. Connections are constantly made between the theory of music and our experiences of it in sound either as a listener or practitioner. Musicianship training (learning to hear and notate, to sing from notation at sight, to listen analytically) comes into use in harmony courses, in history and culture courses, and in performance study. Study of harmony involves musical creativity as well as analysis, often of repertoire that is being performed in our context. Theory, listening skills, analytical skills are important no matter what musical repertoires...

What are the degree requirements and policies of the major and the university?

The music department is part of the College of Letters and Science and awards Bachelor’s of Arts degrees (B.A.’s) to undergraduate students. To earn your degree, you must successfully complete the music major requirements and the L&S requirements.