The mission of the Music Program is to teach the theory, literature, and performance of music, and the theory and practice of music technology, to the highest attainable standard in the context of a liberal arts environment, with an orientation towards performance and study in both Western and Arab music.
The program lays a special emphasis on two aspects of what musicians do which are of particular value to students, whether they aspire to a career in music, or only seek to broaden their understanding of the world by enrolling in one or two courses. First, all students who take private instruction in voice or an instrument will learn to sight-read musical notation fluently, and to comprehend what they hear. Second, in the classroom and studio, lessons, rehearsals, and performances, all students in the program are expected to conform to professional standards: to be punctual and prepared, and to treat their colleagues, and the material to be studied or performed, with the respect that is their due.
Students who major in music may pursue either a Bachelor of Arts degree in music technology, or a Bachelor of Musical Arts (B.M.A) degree in performance. The Bachelor of Arts in music technology is a liberal arts degree which prepares students for a career in sound engineering, ie. Music recording, editing, production, and broadcasting, or for graduate study in the field.
The Institute for Music Technology offers a sequence of courses in music recording, editing, and production, music for video and film, and electronic music. Such training is crucial not only for students interested in a career in these professions, but also to performers and teachers who need to create and edit demos and audition tracks, to use music files in web sites and other internet applications, or to prepare and market recordings of their own performances and compositions. The Institute for Music Technology is responsible for the recording studio, which is used both as a teaching space and for professional recording.
The Cairo Choral Society is a community chorus dedicated to the study, promotion, and performance of the great choral works in the Western musical tradition. It presents performances with a professional orchestra (the Cairo Festival Orchestra) and soloists at various venues in Cairo. The membership is voluntary, multinational, and cross-generational. The Cairo Choral Society was founded in 1983; in the fall choral ensembles in Egypt, it is both a community-based organization and a for-credit course at AUC. Students may also participate in the chorus on a not-for-credit basis.
Bachelor of Arts
Requirements for the Concentration in Music Technology
In order to complete the Bachelor of Art in music with a concentration in music technology, a student will:
- Learn to read music, and acquire intermediate listening and sight-reading skills.
- Learn fundamental principles of music theory, both Western and Arab.
- Demonstrate the ability to play the piano at an intermediate level or better, and to use the key board as a tool for music data entry; more advanced students may also present part of a solo recital, in piano, some other instrument, or voice, with the permission of their teacher.
- Acquire a basic ability to compose and arrange using MIDI (“musical instrument digital interface,” the protocol for the transmission of music data between electronic musical instruments).
- Learn advanced techniques of recording, editing, mixing, and mastering with Protocol and other editing software (Protocols software is the industry standard for recording, composing, arranging, editing, and mixing digital music).
- Acquire an advanced understanding of the use of music events (i.e. MIDI and related technologies) using synthesizers and samplers.
Declaration of the Major in Music Technology
To be eligible to declare a major in Music Technology, students must take three courses:
Final recommendation is made by the Director of the Institute for Music Technology after an interview with members of the music technology faculty.
A total of 120 credits are required for the bachelor’s degree in music with a concentration in music technology.
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