Interested in Music at Dartmouth?

Admissions and Arts Supplements

Applicants for first-year admission with well-developed talent in the fine or performing arts—studio art, dance, theater, film and media studies, and/or music—who intend to participate in and/or study the arts, may submit supplementary materials for review by our faculty. These materials must be submitted via the Admissions Office's online portal. Please do not send your materials to the Department of Music. Further instructions on preparing and submitting the arts supplement may be found on the Undergraduate Admissions website.

Arts Portfolio Instructions (PDF)

Arts Portfolio Walkthrough Video

2021-2022 AY Course Offerings

Our current academic year course offerings are posted on our website. Please note that our courses are subject to change, so continue to check our website along with the Registrar's Office Timetable of Class Meetings often. A complete listing of music courses are posted in the Organization, Regulations, and Courses (ORC). 

Should I take MUS 1 or MUS 20?

Both MUS 1 and MUS 20 are intended as welcoming and stimulating introductions to music theory at Dartmouth. There is no placement test for either class. Instead, every student may determine for themselves which course is most suitable. MUS 20 is designed for students with some basic knowledge of music theory (staff notation, simple scales and chords, etc.), whereas MUS 1 assumes no prior experience whatsoever.

Practice Rooms

There are 11 practice rooms available for use located in the lower level area of the Department of Music. Practice rooms are available during the hours of the Hopkins Center. No reservations are required. Please note that the grand pianos in rooms 35B, 35C, 36B, 36C are locked and limited to students enrolled in MUS 53 Keyboard Individual Instruction.

Individual Instruction Program (IIP)

For lesson inquiries and audition details for all instruments other than classical piano and voice, you must contact the appropriate IIP faculty member. 

Audition Date: Thursday, September 16

Classical Piano Auditions (IIP MUS 53)

Audition procedure for Piano (IIP MUS 53, classical piano): Please contact Professor Sally Pinkas (Sally.Pinkas@dartmouth.edu) or Professor Greg Hayes (Gregory.M.Hayes@dartmouth.edu) as soon as possible to discuss MUS 53 auditions. Feel free to do so even if you are unsure whether you will be enrolling in MUS 53 during the fall term. Audition results will remain valid for the 21-22 academic year.

Fall 2021 IIP MUS 53 Audition Sign-up Sheet

MUS 99 Proseminar

Professor Richard Beaudoin
Offered: Fall 2021, ARR

In this advanced seminar for junior and senior music majors, students will apply the knowledge they have acquired throughout their Dartmouth education. Instructors may choose to organize the proseminar around a broad theme (e.g., music & gender, music & politics, etc.). We will welcome guest lectures by various music faculty and visiting experts.

Hopkins Center and Music Department Instrument and Locker Check-Out

All requests must be made in advance. There are no walk-ups.

Step 1: Fill out the Instrument and Locker Check-Out Form.

Step 2: You will be contacted via email by Dr. Messier (brian.e.messier@dartmouth.edu) with the status of your request. 

Step 3: Once approved, you can check out your instrument(s) and/or locker key from Music Department Room 40 (basement level, map) during one of the following times:

  • Thursday, September 9: 3-5pm
  • Friday, September 10: 9am - 5pm
  • Saturday September 11: 9-11am 
  • Sunday September 12: 9-11am

Questions or Concerns? Please contact Dr. Messier at brian.e.messier@dartmouth.edu

Performance Laboratories

Performance Laboratories (Music 50) provide weekly coaching and instruction in diverse forms of music making, and are open by audition to all Dartmouth students. Course work centers on musical readings and informal performance of selected repertoire chosen both for its intrinsic interest and for its relevance to the contents of course syllabi within the Music Department. Performance laboratories may be taken for credit (three terms equals one credit) or on a not-for-credit basis. Subject to space availability, students may enroll in different laboratories during different terms. Terms of enrollment need not be consecutive.  Performance Laboratories are offered fall, winter, and spring:

For further information and director contact details, please visit our Performance Laboratories' page.

Student Recitals

Student recitals occur in the spring term. Students work closely with their Individual Instruction Program (IIP) instructors on recital preparation, including scheduling rehearsals, hiring accompaniment, preparing a program, and creating publicity materials. Student recitals are posted on the Department of Music's YouTube channel.

Honors Program

The Honors Program provides an opportunity for work of greater scope and depth than the Music Department's standard course offerings. Honors projects typically take the form of independent work that is undertaken over at least two terms, and supervised by one or more members of the music faculty. Please see example below of one 2020 honors thesis.

Mikrá Yiánnena: Romaniote Chanting for Shabbat Evening in Greece and New York City
Gabriel A. Zuckerberg

Hopkins Center
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