Music

You’ll learn to express yourself through a broad range of courses, interactions with visiting artists, and department-sponsored short courses — recent examples include tap dance and Zimbabwean dance-drumming. You’ll also gain a greater understanding of why music matters and how to become a creative, competent, and critical musician, and why this is invaluable for thriving communities that value and embrace diversity and equity.

Because music is fundamentally interdisciplinary, your efforts will intersect with other departments on campus; you’ll integrate multiple modes of inquiry in your studies. You’ll find courses with a uniquely balanced emphasis on music scholarship, research, and creative practice, with courses linking to neuroscience; gender, women’s and sexuality studies; anthropology; religious studies; European studies; African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian studies; and American studies. This interdisciplinarity will support Grinnell’s priority of helping you become an excellent performer and collaborator, as well as a critical thinker and communicator.