Composition

Individual meetings and independent creative work are complemented by seminars. Up to four (4) seminars are offered each semester; topics vary according to student and faculty interests and needs. All students are expected to participate in a variety of seminars during the first two years.

Number of Courses: Pre-Generals students who wish to take fewer than two (2) seminars in a semester should discuss this choice with the Director of Graduate Studies (“DGS”). Students can occasionally substitute a 300-level undergraduate class for a graduate seminar if they wish, with approval from the DGS.  Post-Generals students who are receiving funding are expected either to take one seminar, or to teach.

Required Courses: All enrolled students should register each semester for Composition: MUS 531 in the fall and MUS 532 in the spring. Whenever MUS 542 (Princeton Sound Kitchen, or “PSK”) is offered—usually every spring semester—enrolled students should register for it as well. Neither of these meets at a regular time like other seminars; rather, these refer to private composition lessons (531 and 532) and the varied activities of the Princeton Sound Kitchen.

Occasionally students have organized informal peer-led seminars in an area of widespread interest: Supercollider, Max/MSP, video editing, basic audio engineering, etc. Contact the Director of Graduate Studies if there is a quorum of students with a particular interest.

The Composition Colloquium Series is organized by second-year students, hosting visiting composers or creative artists throughout each semester for a public talk followed by a private dinner with graduate students of any year.

The colloquia are considered part of the academic program, and enrolled graduate students are expected to attend. Students are also welcome to attend the Musicology Colloquia, and vice versa.

Graduate students have access to private lessons on any instrument.  This includes conducting, folk instruments, singing, and various “electronic” instruments including Ableton, Max, etc. 

Each student is required to demonstrate a mastery of a substantial non-musical discipline, which could be a natural language, a computer programming language, Ableton, Max, video recording and production techniques, or some other important ancillary skill at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies. 

Students are urged to satisfy this requirement during the first year of graduate study. The requirement can be satisfied by passing a reading exam administered by the relevant language department or by passing one of the University’s summer reading courses. For languages for which there is no formal exam, the Music Department will help assist you in arranging the test with a qualified faculty member. It is the student’s responsibility to confer with the Director of Graduate Studies about the status of their language exams, and to make the necessary arrangements to satisfy this requirement.

The Department of Music provides support for language study, covering the full costs of the reading courses offered through the annual Summer Language Program at Princeton, which typically includes French, German, and Latin. For support for the study of other languages or skills necessary for your study, immersion and intensive summer language programs, please confer with the Director of Graduate Studies.

Teaching is an essential part of the graduate program; the Graduate School requires all students to teach at some point during their period of enrollment.

Preceptors teach several weekly sections (the minimum appointment is for two Assistants in Instruction “AI” hours), depending upon the class enrollment and course material. Preceptors are also expected to attend all the regular lectures and help with grading or make-up classes as requested by the instructor. First-time preceptors must attend a mandatory training session before they begin teaching. Training sessions are offered by the McGraw Center at the beginning of each semester at the Frist Campus Center. Students should be aware that they may be called upon to teach at any point during their enrollment, though most assignments occur after passing the Generals Exam.

Students who have excelled as preceptors may also be able to participate in the Collaborative Teaching Initiative, which provides the opportunity for students to co-design and co-teach a Princeton undergraduate course with a current full-time faculty member. The course proposals, prepared by both the student and the sponsoring faculty, are subject to rigorous review, first by our own curriculum committee (both Directors of Graduate Study, Chair, and Director of Undergraduate Study) and then representatives of the Deans’ Offices. Students who have an idea for an innovative course should begin by discussing it with the faculty member in question no later than February of the preceding academic year. Please keep in mind that in a department our size these opportunities are relatively rare—typically no more than one a year for the entire department—and depend on curricular needs and faculty commitments. We may not be able to put through even the most exciting proposals. As with precepting, priority may be given to DCE students.

Choose one of the music department seminars you take during your first year and write a 5-10 page paper (double-spaced) on a related topic. Discuss the topic ahead of time with the course instructor; students are encouraged to work with the course instructor throughout the writing process. The paper should be submitted by the last day of classes in the spring semester to the course instructor and Director of Graduate Studies, although it should ideally be submitted at the end of the semester in which the seminar takes place. Any incorporation of pre-existing scholarship or other materials must be cited appropriately, as per the university’s academic integrity policy.

The language requirement (which may include ancillary skills such as computer programming or audio engineering) is usually satisfied by an exam administered by the appropriate campus department in the fall of the first year. If such an exam is not available—for example, if Princeton does not offer the language in question, or in the case of a computer language—the student should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies to identify an examiner. At the latest, the language requirement should be satisfied before taking the General Exam.

The language requirement may be satisfied by successful completion of one or more Princeton University language courses, either during the regular school year (two courses) or during the summer (one intensive summer course). The Department of Music provides support for language study, covering the full costs of the reading courses offered through the annual Summer Language Program at Princeton, which typically includes French, German, and Latin. Students interested in studying languages not provided by the Graduate School (including computer skills such as Ableton or Max) should contact the Director of Graduate Studies.

In May, each first-year student will meet with the entire composition faculty for approximately one hour to discuss a composition chosen by the student, as well as their creative and academic work. The piece will be identified one week ahead of time.

The description of a previous year’s conference is as follows:

1) During the first 25 minutes, present your compositional activities, with specific examples. Focus on the works you created during your first year. Also share your larger goals for the future.

2) In the next 25 minutes, you will present a short piece/excerpt of your choice by another composer. Choose a piece that you think you will learn the most from, whether or not it aligns closely with your own practice, and present a detailed analysis with specific examples. Avoid recycling other presentations you may have given in seminars and relying on the secondary sources (interpretations/analyses by others).

Sometime during the year: Contact a professor who taught a graduate seminar and settle on a paper topic.

End of spring semester (though hopefully earlier): Submit the finished 5-10 page first-year paper to the seminar professor.

Early May (date TBA): First-year conference.  A piece for discussion will be chosen one week in advance.

Choose one of the music department seminars you take during your second year and write a 10-20 page paper (double-spaced) on a related topic. Discuss the topic ahead of time with the course instructor; students are encouraged to work with the course instructor throughout the writing process. The paper should be submitted by the last day of classes in the spring semester to the course instructor and Director of Graduate Studies, although it should ideally be submitted at the end of the semester in which the seminar takes place. Any incorporation of pre-existing scholarship or other materials must be cited appropriately, as per the university’s academic integrity policy.

Second-year students are in charge of the Composition Colloquium Series—a chance to meet, learn from, and hang out with interesting visiting musicians.  Students organizing Colloquia must adhere to University and Department protocols, and should meet to decide how to distribute this responsibility which includes:

1. Compile (with faculty and graduate student input) a list of proposed speakers.
2. Meet with composition faculty and the Director of Graduate Studies to periodically screen names of proposed speakers. Although the choice of speakers is primarily yours, faculty input can be helpful in avoiding repeat visits or other complications. In addition, on occasion the faculty may arrange a colloquium in addition to your choices. In this event, the faculty will provide funding from outside your budget but will ask you to manage the other details (reception, publicity, etc.).
3. Contact speakers and make arrangements for them. Schedule the date and hour of the colloquia for the fall and spring semesters, and circulate this information to faculty, staff, and graduate students. The dates must be cleared with Department staff prior to confirmation in order to avoid conflicts with the Department’s calendar, and to be included in Department communications channels.
4. Arrange for the graduate student/speaker dinner in conference with the Department’s Business Manager.
5. Publicity: prepare, distribute and post flyers in conference with the Department’s Communications team.
6. Refreshments: confer with the Department’s Business Manager to manage this expense and have access to the kitchen.
7. Technical details: reserve and set up, as needed, slide projector, overhead projector, VCR, etc with the Technical Support Manager.
8. Budget: Confer with the Department’s Business Manager for information about speaker payments and other budget items.
9. With advance notice, the Mendel Music Library may make relevant scores and recordings available. See the library staff for details.

The Language Requirement should be satisfied before undertaking the General Exam. (See above, under First-Year Requirements).

A significant milestone in the program is the General Exam, which, when successfully completed, advances students to candidacy for the PhD. The exam includes two parts: a concert produced collaboratively by second-year students as part of the Princeton Sound Kitchen, and the oral exam held in May. The oral exam comprises several different sections: a large piece or body of pre-twentieth-century music; a second body of more recent music; and the design of a graduate composition course. In addition to the assigned areas of inquiry, Generals topics include the student’s compositional work, the second-year paper, and ideas for the dissertation.

The General Exam guidelines are distributed during the summer following the first year of study. Topics change every year.

For reference, below is the information for last year’s (2021-22 academic year) General Exam:

1. Generals Concert: Pick a composer about whose work you are curious. This should not be your favorite composer or the composer whom you feel has the most in common with you, but rather a composer whose music challenges or provokes you in some way.  In the work of this composer, identify a technique, sensibility, or propensity which you are interested in trying on for size, at least once. The goal is not imitation so much as dialogue: one composer responding to, or adopting, or adapting another’s ideas. Select a representative work by the chosen composer to be performed on the Generals Concert, along with your compositional response. You may need to excerpt a movement from a larger work, arrange the work for more practical performing forces or otherwise adapt the work to meet the practical requirements of the Generals Concert and/or to highlight the feature(s) of the work that you are attempting to engage. Ideally there will be a palpable, audible, difference between your Generals piece and your work up to this point. It might not be a better piece, but consider, in this case, ‘success’ to be gauged in terms of the depth of engagement with the work of another composer and the degree of personal risk taking.

As a group, second-year students are responsible for producing the concert in all its aspects.  This means managing the budget, arranging the program (75 minutes is a good maximum duration of musical content), scheduling and rehearsing the performers, etc.  Besides the Director of Graduate Studies and Princeton Sound Kitchen director, you will want to be in touch with the business manager about the budget, the concert office about publicity, and the engineer about tech.  They can provide you with deadlines.

2. General Exam Meeting: The exam consists in two 90-minute presentations on two separate days in May.  Think of the composition faculty as your students; plan to teach us something.  Each presentation is divided into two roughly equal parts which you can order somewhat freely. However, past experience has taught that the analysis presentations tend to run a little long; a good plan is therefore, on the first day, one hourlong analysis followed by 30 minutes on the syllabus and, on the second, one hourlong analysis followed by 30 minutes on your paper, your music, and your generals piece.  We would like to end with the general discussion of you and your music.
   • Part 1: Ravel’s orchestral music – Get to know Ravel’s orchestra music.  Become an expert on one piece and prepare to lead the faculty in a discussion. You are encouraged to consider any related pieces (e.g. piano versions of the same music).  
   • Part 2: Film music – Consider the relationship between music and film.  Choose one or more aspects of this relationship to focus on, as exemplified in one or more films, and lead the faculty in a discussion. Make sure that the films are readily available ahead of time. If you can’t get scores, you may consider transcribing relevant excerpts as you see fit, though transcriptions are not required.  You can also concentrate on nonmusical elements such as sound design if you like.  You may also choose to show brief excerpts in the exam; if so, make sure not to overwhelm the verbal part of your presentation.
   • Part 3: Graduate Seminar – You are teaching a graduate music composition seminar on a topic of your choice.  Write a detailed 12-week syllabus for the course, including assignments, reading and listening lists, and prepare an opening lecture of about 30 minutes.  Expect that we will ask questions both about the lecture and the syllabus. 
   • Part 4: Your Music, Your Future, and You – We’ll also spend some time talking about your past work (composition, classwork, written papers) and your plans for the future.  There’s no need to prepare for this part, but you should know that it is on the agenda.
   • Materials: Scores for the Ravel should be available on IMSLP and there are cheap Dover editions available.  Let the head music librarian at the Mendel Music Library know if you need help finding recordings, films, or any other materials.

December 6: Proposal for Generals Concert.  Let the Director of Graduate Studies and the director of the Princeton Sound Kitchen know what your plans for the concert will be and be sure to talk with them about performers, feasibility, date, costs, etc.  You should also consult with your colleagues and the production staff, as described above.

January 24: We will notify you of precise May dates for the exam.

January 24: Generals Concert Terms of Engagement. Submit to all composition faculty not on leave a paragraph or two explaining your terms of engagement with the chosen work/repertoire for the concert. This is not a program note for the general audience but rather a specific outline for the faculty of your compositional project.  It doesn’t have to be too long, just let us know your goals.

March 14: Choices of “focus pieces” for Ravel and film music and course syllabus.  Provide let us know by email which pieces pieces you will focus on and send us your one-to-five page (maximum) syllabus by email

Sometime during the year: Contact a professor who taught a graduate seminar and settle on a paper topic.

End of spring semester (though hopefully earlier). Submit the finished 10-20 page second-year paper to the seminar professor.

April TBA. Generals Concert.

May TBA. General Exam.

Students should submit an initial chapter by the last day of classes in the spring semester of their third year (typically around May 1). This may be any chapter, not necessarily the one that will ultimately open the dissertation; or, depending on the nature of the dissertation, something that reflects a comparable level of progress, as discussed with your advisor. This can be submitted directly to your dissertation advisor.

Years 3–5 are a good time to gain experience as a teacher; this can be particularly important on the job market.  There are two primary teaching tracks for composers: theory (including harmony and counterpoint, taught in MUS105, 106, 205, 206) and electronic music (314, 316).  If you are interested in teaching, contact the relevant professors well in advance—usually the January before the year in question. 

Preceptors teach several weekly sections (the minimum appointment is for two Assistants in Instruction “AI” hours), depending upon the class enrollment and course material. Preceptors are also expected to attend all the regular lectures and help with grading or make-up classes as requested by the instructor. First-time preceptors must attend a mandatory training session before they begin teaching. Training sessions are offered by the McGraw Center at the beginning of each semester at the Frist Campus Center.

Students who have excelled as preceptors may also be able to participate in the Collaborative Teaching Initiative, which provides the opportunity for students to co-design and co-teach a Princeton undergraduate course with a current full-time faculty member. The course proposals, prepared by both the student and the sponsoring faculty, are subject to rigorous review, first by our own curriculum committee (both Directors of Graduate Study, Chair, and Director of Undergraduate Study) and then representatives of the Deans’ Offices. Students who have an idea for an innovative course should begin by discussing it with the faculty member in question no later than February of the preceding academic year. Please keep in mind that in a department our size these opportunities are relatively rare—typically no more than one a year for the entire department—and depend on curricular needs and faculty commitments. We may not be able to put through even the most exciting proposals. As with precepting, priority may be given to DCE students.

Post-Generals students can also explore opportunities to gain teaching experience outside the University either in area colleges or the Community College Teaching Fellowship. Students who are in their regular period of enrollment and still receiving full stipends should get permission from their advisors before accepting an outside teaching position.

Fall semester: Choose an advisor and write a dissertation proposal.

First day of spring semester: Submit dissertation proposal.

Final day of spring semester: Submit a chapter or equivalent.

The candidate is expected to prepare a presentation for the defense. The defense—celebratory and collaborative event in which a student’s work is presented publicly—lasts up to 90 minutes, including questions from the attendees. During this time, both the essay and the composition should be addressed; the candidate should also leave time for questions and discussion. While some attendees will of course have read the dissertation, most will not have done so. The presentation should not attempt to cover the complete argument of the dissertation but instead should focus on selected aspects and issues.

Tuition: The Graduate School waives tuition for students who precept for at least two hours a week. In addition, students in good standing may apply to the Music Department for DCE tuition subsidies in semesters in which they are not teaching or if they are funded by outside grants that do not include tuition.

Funding: Most students enter DCE status having exhausted their regular funding. The exceptions are students with outside fellowship who have been able to bank a year of regular funding and those who have parental/childbirth leaves. Many students in DCE status supplement their income with precepting; students who anticipate needed precepting hours should indicate their need and availability on their DCE application. While we do preliminary precepting assignments in the preceding semester, the exact number of hours for appointments may not be finalized until the end of the drop-add period.

There are several opportunities to receive internal funding during the DCE period. The Music Department will typically nominate one composition student for Honorific Fellowships, which is voted upon by the composition faculty. The faculty puts forward these nominations only when there are qualified applicants. In addition, we may nominate one composer for the Dean’s Completion Fellowship/PGRA Program, which pays the DCE tuition and a full stipend for one semester during their sixth year. Students who successfully defend the dissertations by the end of that semester have to opportunity to be appointed as Post Graduate Research Assistants for the spring semester, with full stipends.

All graduate students who are eligible will be considered for these fellowships; we ask that students not lobby their advisors or the DGS on their behalf.

For further funding sources, please visit the Graduate School’s funding page.

The Princeton University Orchestra (“PUO”) makes several hours of rehearsal time available to graduate orchestration class members for readings of students’ orchestrations as needed; it also performs student compositions. The selection of a student work for performance by the orchestra is determined by the conductor of the Princeton University Orchestra and the composition faculty. Students are encouraged to present additional concerts on their own and to participate in University and music department performing ensembles. Coaching in conducting is available.

The Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk) was founded In the fall of 2005. Graduate students are encouraged to become involved as performers and/or to write new works for the ensemble, regardless of previous electronic facility.

Students are encouraged to present additional concerts on their own. A faculty advisor must be identified and consulted concerning the project. (Please keep in touch with the Department Staff as needed to avoid scheduling conflicts.) Recent events of this nature include Listening in the Sound Kitchen, the House of Sound, and Not Operas festivals. Graduate students have also organized symposia involving both composition and discussion: Sounded Text, and Sonic Fragments. A student-initiated series, the Livestock Exchange is an ongoing performance series that focuses on improvised music, sound art, noise, electronica, and other genre-defying music. Livestock Exchange is both a forum for graduate students to present work outside of the traditional concert hall, and for guest artists whose work falls outside of the established tradition.

TigerHub is a secure website where students sign-in for the academic year, maintain their personal information, enroll in courses, and sign-up for direct deposit.

The sign-in process begins on August 1. To see this year’s Sign-In period, visit the University’s Academic Calendar. It is essential that you complete this process to receive your paychecks and be able to register for your classes.

All students undergo a re-enrollment process every year in which their progress in the program is evaluated by the DGS in consultation with the faculty (first and second years) and their advisors (after year three). Readmission to the program is not automatic. During the first two years students are expected to perform satisfactorily in their seminars and participate in the musicological community at large. Students working on their dissertation need to demonstrate adequate progress and should be maintaining close contact with their advisors.

The Music Department provides each graduate student with a pool of research funding for travel, equipment, and other approved needs. Incoming graduate students may receive up to $2,400 per year for five years as research funds to be accessible until end of G7 or the semester in which dissertation defense occurs, whichever comes first. The Dean’s Fund for Scholarly Travel provides support (up to $800/year) to enrolled graduate students (Years 3 – DCE1) invited to present a scholarly research paper at a conference or meeting. A list of other available funding is available through the Graduate School.

Graduate students receive their stipend checks monthly on the last working day of the month, though December pay is typically distributed before Christmas. Students are encouraged to sign up for Direct Deposit through TigerHub.

In accordance with Chapter VII in the University’s Rights, Rules and Regulations, we establish each year a committee of graduate students to act as liaisons between students and faculty. The committee typically includes no more than 6 members. Each class selects its own representative, with one student representative from among the students in DCE status. To make sure that as many voices as possible are heard, we ask that students serve on the committee for only one academic year. The committee serves in an advisory capacity, providing feedback on curriculum, policies, and climate, facilitating communication between graduate students and faculty about areas of mutual concern. Committee members are encouraged to listen attentively to their colleagues’ different perspectives so that all viewpoints can be aired.

The committee meets with the DGS at least twice a semester. It is the responsibility of the committee to arrange meetings with DGS, formulate the agenda, and follow up with DGS with meetings of the minute and action plans as relevant. Names of committee members should be submitted to the Academic Administrator and the DGS no later than October 1 of every year.

Letters of recommendation are an essential part of academic life; the faculty have had vast experience both writing letters of recommendation and requesting them from other scholars throughout their careers. It is a privilege to be able to write strong letters of recommendation for our students that help them get funding, fellowships, post-docs, and jobs. Given the highly competitive nature of our business, only the most positive, detailed, and substantive letters are likely to help our students succeed. It can also be harmful to one’s prospects to apply for certain fellowships or jobs prematurely; it can also be a waste of time and exact a psychological toll. We therefore ask that you follow the following guidelines in requesting recommendation letters:

1. Discuss each application with your advisor(s) in advance to make sure that the opportunity is appropriate for you at this stage in your career.
2. There are always unexpected opportunities that will arise, but under most circumstances you should give each faculty member a minimum of two weeks to write a letter of recommendation, ideally four.
3. Make the job easier for your recommender by providing them with a description of the fellowship or grant, a draft of your proposal, your CV, and a list of bullet points that they might want to emphasize in their letter. For recommenders who are not your primary advisor, make sure they have a clear idea of how your work has progressed since the last time they wrote for you.
4. It is not unusual for an advisor to strongly advise that a student wait before applying for certain grants or jobs or that a proposal be revised multiple times before it is strong enough to be competitive. While we recognize that this can be disappointing and frustrating it is not a reflection on your abilities or potential; rather, this advice is based on decades of experience reading similar applications and submitting them and should be taken seriously.