Bachelor of Music in Woodwind Performance
Program Overview
Boston Conservatory at Berklee's woodwind performance program is focused on developing multifaceted artists, fluent in a wide range of repertoire and musical styles. Under the guidance of the Conservatory's esteemed faculty, students not only gain technical and artistic mastery of their instrument, but are also encouraged to explore other instruments in the woodwind family to expand their skill sets.
The Conservatory’s approach to ensemble participation is unparalleled. In order to replicate the pacing and structure of a professional music company, every two weeks throughout the semester students rehearse and perform with a new Conservatory group, including symphonic orchestras, chamber ensembles, contemporary ensembles, and pit orchestras for dance, opera, and theater productions. The program also offers many solo and group performance opportunities both at the Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, which boasts many stylistically diverse academic-based and student-run ensembles.
Many Conservatory faculty members are active performing and recording artists who provide students with valuable career guidance and insight. Faculty members help students understand themselves as entrepreneurs and assist in defining their career goals and assembling their professional network, resumés, and audition repertoire.
Our Students
Students in the woodwind performance program are able musicians who aspire to master multiple musical styles and genres. They want the specialized training needed to lead careers as working musicians, and desire opportunities that will expand their perspectives and sharpen their musical instincts. Mindful of today’s changing music scene, they are eager to explore artistic possibilities through an entrepreneurial lens.
Curriculum Overview
The first two years of the undergraduate woodwind performance program are designed to help students build a fundamental understanding of music theory, history, woodwind repertoire, and their own musical and technical abilities. Students also work to strengthen their performance skills by participating in symphonic orchestras, pit orchestras for dance, opera, and theater productions, and various chamber ensembles, where they become familiar with standard and emerging repertoire for woodwind instruments. They also gain practical conducting experience in a class setting, where they develop their leadership and communication styles.
In their final two years of the program, students continue their exploration of music history and continue to build their woodwind repertoire. At this time, students can also customize their coursework around a special area of interest, or take elective courses at the Conservatory or Berklee College of Music, such as career skills, Alexander Technique, nonverbal communication, and film studies. For their final recitals, students are responsible for coordinating with their fellow student instrumentalists and vocalists to produce a well-rounded program of music and are encouraged to experiment with new performance skills and techniques.
Program Requirements (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon)
The Bachelor of Music in Woodwind Performance requires students to complete 120 credits, consisting of the course requirements listed below. View the Sample Curriculum by Semester for additional details.
Core Studies
- M-SK 1101 Harmony & Counterpoint 1 (2 credits)
- M-SK 1102 Harmony & Counterpoint 2 (2 credits)
- M-SK 1103 Ear Training 1 (2 credits)
- M-SK 1104 Ear Training 2 (2 credits)
- M-SK 1105 Time & Rhythm 1 (1 credit)
- M-SK 1106 Time & Rhythm 2 (1 credit)
- M-SK 2101 Harmony & Counterpoint 3 (2 credits)
- M-SK 2102 Harmony & Counterpoint 4 (2 credits)
- M-SK 2103 Ear Training 3 (2 credits)
- M-SK 2104 Ear Training 4 (2 credits)
- M-SK 2601 Piano Class 1 (1 credit)
- M-SK 2602 Piano Class 2 (1 credit)
- M-SK 719xx Applied Theory and/or M-LT 711xx Theory & Musicology electives (6 credits total; 2 credits each)
Major Requirements
- M-AP 0009 Applied lessons (24 credits total; 3 credits each)
- M-EN 0001 Orchestral Repertoire 1: Winds and Brass (1 credit)
- M-EN 0002 Orchestral Repertoire 2: Winds and Brass (1 credit)
- M-EN 0069 Instrumental Ensemble (8 credits total; 1 credit each)
- M-EN 0079 Chamber Music (6 credits total, 1 credit each)
- M-PD 0801 Pedagogy 1: Woodwinds (1 credit)
- M-PD 0802 Pedagogy 2: Woodwinds (1 credit)
- M-PR 0009 Concert & Recital Attendance (0 credits; completed four times)
- M-PR 1801 Foundations of Instrumental Studies 1: Woodwinds (1 credit)
- M-PR 1802 Foundations of Instrumental Studies 2: Woodwinds (1 credit)
- M-SK 0009 Recital (0 credits; completed two times)
- M-SK 0991 Conducting 1 (1 credit)
- M-ST 0009 Applied Lesson Studio Class (0 credits; completed eight times)
- M-ST 0801 Orchestral Excerpts and Audition Preparation: Woodwinds (1 credit)
- M-ST 0809 Performance Seminar: Woodwinds (4 credits total; 1 credit each)
General Education and Liberal Arts
- A-xx 739xx Africana Studies or L-CM 739xx Liberal Arts elective: Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
- A-xx 749xx Africana Studies or L-CM 749xx Liberal Arts elective: Social Sciences (3 credits)
- A-xx 759xx Africana Studies or L-CM 759xx Liberal Arts elective: Math/Science (3 credits)
- A-xx 7x9xx Africana Studies or L-CM 7x9xx Liberal Arts electives (12 credits total; 3 credits each)
- C-PR 1001 Introduction to Creative Media Technology (1 credit)
- L-CM 1301 Introduction to College Writing (3 credits)
- L-CM 1302 Literature Topics (3 credits)
- M-LT 1103 Music and Culture in Context (2 credits)
- M-LT 1104 Narratives of Music History 1: Antiquity and the Renaissance (2 credits)
- M-LT 2103 Narratives of Music History 2: The Baroque and Classical Periods (2 credits)
- M-LT 2104 Narratives of Music History 3: Romanticism (2 credits)
- M-LT 3103 Narratives of Music History 4: Post-Romanticism and Modernism through WWII (2 credits)
- M-LT 3104 Narratives of Music History 5: Modern Contexts and Narratives Post-1950 (2 credits)
- Xxxxx General electives (4 credits total)
Program Requirements (Saxophone)
The Bachelor of Music in Woodwind Performance requires students to complete 120 credits, consisting of the course requirements listed below. View the Sample Curriculum by Semester for additional details.
Core Studies
- M-SK 1101 Harmony & Counterpoint 1 (2 credits)
- M-SK 1102 Harmony & Counterpoint 2 (2 credits)
- M-SK 1103 Ear Training 1 (2 credits)
- M-SK 1104 Ear Training 2 (2 credits)
- M-SK 1105 Time & Rhythm 1 (1 credit)
- M-SK 1106 Time & Rhythm 2 (1 credit)
- M-SK 2101 Harmony & Counterpoint 3 (2 credits)
- M-SK 2102 Harmony & Counterpoint 4 (2 credits)
- M-SK 2103 Ear Training 3 (2 credits)
- M-SK 2104 Ear Training 4 (2 credits)
- M-SK 2601 Piano Class 1 (1 credit)
- M-SK 2602 Piano Class 2 (1 credit)
- M-SK 719xx Applied Theory and/or M-LT 711xx Theory & Musicology electives (6 credits total; 2 credits each)
Major Requirements
- M-AP 0009 Applied lessons (24 credits total; 3 credits each)
- M-EN 0069 Instrumental Ensemble (8 credits total; 1 credit each)
- M-EN 0079 Chamber Music (6 credits total; 1 credit each)
- M-PR 0009 Concert & Recital Attendance (0 credits; completed four times)
- M-PR 1801 Foundations of Instrumental Studies 1: Woodwinds (1 credit)
- M-PR 1802 Foundations of Instrumental Studies 2: Woodwinds (1 credit)
- M-SK 0009 Recital (0 credits; completed two times)
- M-SK 0991 Conducting 1 (1 credit)
- M-PD 0801 Pedagogy 1: Woodwinds (1 credit)
- M-PD 0802 Pedagogy 2: Woodwinds (1 credit)
- M-ST 0009 Applied Lesson Studio Class (0 credits; completed eight times)
- M-ST 0809 Performance Seminar: Woodwinds (4 credits total; 1 credit each)
General Education and Liberal Arts
- A-xx 739xx Africana Studies or L-CM 739xx Liberal Arts elective: Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
- A-xx 749xx Africana Studies or L-CM 749xx Liberal Arts elective: Social Sciences (3 credits)
- A-xx 759xx Africana Studies or L-CM 759xx Liberal Arts elective: Math/Science (3 credits)
- A-xx 7x9xx Africana Studies or L-CM 7x9xx Liberal Arts electives (12 credits total; 3 credits each)
- C-PR 1001 Introduction to Creative Media Technology (1 credit)
- L-CM 1301 Introduction to College Writing (3 credits)
- L-CM 1302 Literature Topics (3 credits)
- M-LT 1103 Music and Culture in Context (2 credits)
- M-LT 1104 Narratives of Music History 1: Antiquity and the Renaissance (2 credits)
- M-LT 2103 Narratives of Music History 2: The Baroque and Classical Periods (2 credits)
- M-LT 2104 Narratives of Music History 3: Romanticism (2 credits)
- M-LT 3103 Narratives of Music History 4: Post-Romanticism and Modernism through WWII (2 credits)
- M-LT 3104 Narratives of Music History 5: Modern Contexts and Narratives Post-1950 (2 credits)
- Xxxxx General electives (7 credits total)
What You Will Learn
The Bachelor of Music in Woodwind Performance program features a range of course experiences to allow students to build a toolkit of the skills required for success as an impactful artist-performer today. Upon successful completion of the program, students will:
- prepare and accurately perform a wide range of musical styles, genres, and repertoire through the foundation of technique and musical comprehension developed in applied instrumental lessons, large and small ensemble experiences, coachings, master classes, and observations, as well as through genre-specific repertoire courses and the study of woodwind pedagogy, music theory, and music history;
- apply ear-training skills, knowledge of theoretical and harmonic analysis, as well as historical context to the study and performance of a score;
- sustain and build upon their instrumental technique, based upon their understanding of the foundational techniques of their primary instrument and its auxiliaries, studied in applied lessons as well as in woodwind pedagogy;
- perform with meaning and context, informed by an ability to analyze and place into context the material of a score;
- develop and foster meaningful artistic collaborations with partners across the musical and artistic spectrum;
- cultivate meaningful connections to the communities in which they perform and teach, informed by their experiences in large and small ensembles and through special partnership programs at Boston Conservatory; and
- establish an artistic identity that represents their individuality, celebrating music of past and present, and serving as a champion for the future of our industry.
Your Future
Alumni of Boston Conservatory’s woodwind performance program have won prestigious competitions and are creating dynamic careers in solo, ensemble, and orchestral performance. They also hold prestigious positions as arts administrators and instructors around the country.
Ensembles
- Albany Symphony Orchestra
- Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
- Boston Modern Orchestra Project
- Boston Opera Collaborative
- Boston Philharmonic
- Boston Scoring Orchestra
- Guerilla Opera
- Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra
- Rhode Island Philharmonic
- United States Army Band
- Video Game Orchestra
Faculty Appointments
- Boston University
- BU Tanglewood Institute
- New England Conservatory
- Providence College
Awards
- Alexander & Buono International Flute Competition
- Harold Wright Award—Boston Woodwind Society
- James Pappoutsakis Flute Competition
- Lucerne Festival Contemporary Music Fellowship
- National Flute Association's Piccolo Artist Competition
- New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition
- Tanglewood Music Center Fellowship
- Yamaha Young Performing Artist Award