Student Experience

Eight Connecticut College music students took their talent on the road in April, 2011, to the National Conference of Undergraduate Research at Ithaca College, and the 2011 New England Intercollegiate Band Festival. (At left, Amanda Hurlbutt '13 and Danielle Green '11 practice their music in advance of the Festival.) Read the news release.

Music students enjoy:

• The opportunity to perform publicly, an essential part of the educational experience. Individual students and ensembles present concerts each semester. Senior performers are encouraged to present their own senior recitals.
• Attending faculty concerts.
• Access to free music lessons, thanks to the Jack Niblack '98 Music Lessons Fund. Please consult the department about requirements for these lessons.
• Visits by internationally renowned performers, composers, and scholars who regularly offer master classes and lectures. Students have enjoyed recent master classes with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, pianist Christopher O'Riley, trombonist and jazz composer John Fedchock, ethnomusicologist Steven Feld, flutist and composer Robert Dick, forte-pianist David Kim, jazz saxophonist Glenn Wilson, jazz drummer Rory Stuart, and more.
• onStage at Connecticut College, bringing world-class dance, music, art and theater performances and events to our stages and concert halls.
• A biennial Symposium on Arts & Technology, a major international conference devoted to presenting the edge and exploring the increasing links in the interdisciplinary world of arts, sciences, media, and technology. There are speakers, panels, and concerts that include electroacoustic music.

The Composers Forum

The Connecticut College Composers Forum sponsors meetings for music students and faculty in which new music compositions are presented and discussed. Forum meetings often feature guest composers and are always open to interested members of the campus community. Recent guest composers have included Chinary Ung, Paul Moravec, Tod Winkler and Joseph Rovan.

A Cappella Student Groups

Any student may audition for a cappella groups on campus, including The Williams Street Mix, The Shwiffs,the ConnChords, and the CoCoBeaux. These groups perform regularly on and off-campus. These are student-run organizations which hold their own auditions, set rehearsal times and schedule events.