The Music Department at Wellesley College offers students courses that integrate performance, research, critical thinking, and the creative process.
Students interested in taking music courses or lessons are encouraged to enroll in our introductory gateway course, MUS 100: Musical Literacies, which offers a broad introduction not only to music theory, but also to the different kinds of musical topics taught by the academic faculty members in the Music Department, including ethnomusicology, historical musicology, composition, and electronic music.
Students who have prior experience with music theory can attempt to pass out of MUS 100 by taking the Music Theory Placement Evaluation, an online exam designed to assess your level of theoretical knowledge in both classical music and (optionally) jazz. The Evaluation will enable us to place more advanced music students into the appropriate music theory course. The Music Department strongly encourages students wishing to major or minor in music to take the Music Theory Placement Evaluation. The Music Theory Placement Evaluation is available online by way of the above-noted link. It can also be accessed by way of the link in the Entering Student Checklist in MyWellesley.
If you would like to take private lessons in musical performance, you must place out of MUS 100 or take it during the first year. Students wishing to take lessons for credit must also receive the permission of the Instructor via an audition and take a co-requisite of one academic music course for each year of credit lessons.
Full information about the opportunities offered by the music department is available on the music department website at www.wellesley.edu/music.
For courses offered in upcoming semesters, please see the Courses Browser.