About
The Tufts University Department of Music welcomes all members of the Tufts community to participate in our inclusive, diverse, and comprehensive curriculum. Housed within The Perry and Marty Granoff Music Center, our flexible program serves those students who wish to pursue undergraduate or graduate studies in music and all students seeking to develop their musical knowledge and/or performance skills. We offer courses in composition, ethnomusicology, musicology, technology, theory, and performance. Our research and teaching explore a variety of traditions within Western art music, American music (especially African-American music and jazz), and world music (especially African and Middle Eastern music). Individual study of instrumental and vocal performance and participation in performing ensembles is encouraged; students may earn academic credit for these musical activities.
Music studies at Tufts are interdisciplinary, drawing on research in the arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics, sciences, and engineering. Our courses fulfill many requirements: arts distribution, world civilizations, international relations, American studies, and several interdisciplinary minors. The study of music prepares you for a lifelong appreciation of the arts, and provides transferable skills for careers in any profession.
Performance Opportunities
Faculty in the Music department teach a wide array of courses in ensemble performance, including African Music and Dance (Kiniwe), Arab Music, Chamber and Concert Choirs, Chamber and Symphony Orchestras, Early Music, Electronic Music, Flute Ensemble, Gospel Choir, Javanese Gamelan, Jazz Orchestra and Improvisation, Klezmer, New Music, Opera, Pep Band, and Wind Ensemble. All ensembles are open to the Tufts community by audition. Musical excellence is highly valued, but membership is more inclusive than in music conservatories.
The Music department also provides students the opportunity for private study of instrumental and vocal performance with the outstanding faculty in our performance program. Private lessons are open to all Tufts students, regardless of major or program of study. Scholarships are available to cover the additional cost of private lessons tuition.
Facilities & Resources
The Department of Music is located within The Perry and Marty Granoff Music Center, which boasts an acoustically superb recital hall, state-of-the-art Computer Lab and Tech Booth, specially designed classrooms and rehearsal spaces, as well as the Lilly Music Library.
Practice Rooms
The Department of Music offers Tufts Affiliates access to practice rooms located on the lower level of the Granoff Music Center / Aidekman Arts Center. The practice room area can be accessed via either building. There are two main categories of practice rooms: open and locked.
Open practice rooms are unlocked and available to all Tufts Affiliates to use, free of charge, on a first-come, first-served basis during Granoff Music Center open hours. All open rooms have pianos and benches; a couple also have wall-mounted music stands. You may borrow a music stand from the Music Department Main Office on the first floor during business hours. After hours, you may request one from the Security Monitor on duty at the desk downstairs.
Locked practice rooms are generally only for use by students taking private lessons and/or ensembles (they must get written permission from their instructor/ensemble director), as they house special instruments and equipment (e.g., percussion instruments). However, there is one locked room that is open to any Tufts Affiliate: Room 024. Room 024 contains a drum kit, upright piano, amplifiers, mic stands, and cables. You must provide your own mic(s) or borrow one from the Music Department Main Office on the first floor during business hours or the Security Monitor on duty at the desk downstairs. Room 024 is available for drop-in use (you must sign in with your Tufts ID either at the Main Office or with the Security Monitor), but we strongly recommend that you make a reservation in advance, as the room is in high demand. You may reserve up to two hours per session, totaling no more than six hours per week, and you may book up to twelve calendar days in advance. Reservations can be made in person at the Main Office, by calling us at 617-627-3564, or by email.
Musical Instruments
The Department of Music also curates a large collection of musical instruments, including Western Classical instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, etc.) and world, traditional, ethnic, and folk instruments. Our collection is notable for its array of West African drums from Ghana, handmade by the leading sculptor of the Ashanti tradition; as well as our Javanese Gamelan, a large ensemble of percussion instruments from Indonesia. All instruments are available to study and practice within the department, and some can be loaned out to students on a semester basis, with permission and a security deposit. Contact the Music department to learn more about instrument loans.
We offer music instrument lockers in a climate-controlled area specifically designed for instrument storage. Lockers are signed out on a first-come first-served basis at the beginning of each semester and require a security deposit. Contact the Music department to learn more about signing out a locker.
