Bard Conservatory offers a five-year double-degree program in the Liberal Arts and selected Chinese instruments, including: dizi, erhu, guqin, guzheng, Chinese percussion, pipa, ruan/liuqin, sheng, suona, and yanqin. Studio instruction in these instruments is provided by world-renowned musicians and educators, in partnership with the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing. Master Teachers from the CCOM Traditional Instruments faculty provide lessons using our state-of-the-art HD video teaching studio. Students also receive weekly on-campus lessons from hand-picked CCOM Graduate Fellows. Study Abroad at CCOM is offered every summer for in-person instruction with Master Teachers.
STUDYING CHINESE INSTRUMENTS AND LIBERAL ARTS AT BARD
All Conservatory undergraduate students including Chinese instrument majors pursue a five-year program leading to two degrees: the bachelor of music and the bachelor of arts in a field other than music. Bard College is widely respected for its challenging and comprehensive liberal arts program, offering more than 40 majors and concentrations in the arts, sciences, and humanities. Learn more about the Bard Conservatory double-degree program HERE and the Bard College liberal arts curriculum HERE.
The Chinese instrument major closely follows the curriculum of the rest of the Conservatory, while offering courses specially designed to provide a comprehensive background in Chinese musical forms and traditions.
Study and Performance
Music Curriculum
Studio Instruction - every semester
Chinese Ensemble - every semester
Aural Skills - 2 semesters
Conservatory Core Sequence - 4 semesters
Music Theory
Tonal Harmony and Counterpoint
Composition for Performers
Conservatory Seminar on Chinese Music
Chinese Music History - 4 semesters
Graduation Recital
Music Curriculum
Studio Instruction Working with outstanding master teachers and their hand-picked graduate assistants from the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM), students benefit from weekly in person instruction with on-site studio teachers, along with regular video-conference sessions with master teachers in Beijing utilizing state-of-the-art technology. The Studio Instruction program includes study abroad in Beijing to work with the master teacher in person while residing on campus at CCOM. A total of three month-long study abroad trips to CCOM are needed to complete Studio Instruction degree requirements.
Chinese Ensemble Chinese Ensemble provides Chinese instrument majors both large-ensemble and chamber music experience with regular rehearsals and performance opportunities. Students work closely with the ensemble coach and their studio teachers to further develop their skills in ensemble playing, intonation, and musical expression through practical playing experience. At least one major Chinese Ensemble concert with the participation of all Chinese instrument majors will be performed each semester on campus, supplemented by other types of performance opportunities on and off campus throughout the year. Studio teachers assist the ensemble coach as well as performing in ensembles, allowing students to learn firsthand from the playing of more experienced musicians. Mixed ensembles including Western instruments are encouraged. The Chinese Ensemble program is further enriched by master classes and concerts by guest artists. In their first semester, first-year students will also attend 8 special sessions of the Conservatory’s Introduction to Chamber Music to acquire skills in musicianship, rehearsing, ensemble playing, and managing the requirements of the double-degree.
Note: For Chinese instrument majors, Chinese Ensemble is the equivalent to both the Conservatory Chamber Music and Orchestra requirements. Separate enrollment in Chamber Music or Orchestra is not required.
Conservatory Core Sequence for Chinese Music The Conservatory Core Sequence is a unique four-semester sequence of classes that integrates the study of music theory, music history, and composition in order to give students a richer understanding of these topics as vital and relevant to their work as interpreters:
Music Theory, Tonal Harmony and Counterpoint – a 2-semester accelerated overview to species counterpoint and traditional harmony. Note: Music theory 1 (Music department) or placement test required.
Composition for Performers - By learning to compose, students develop a deep understanding of the compositional process, which is an integral skill for all performing musicians. Students produce several original compositions to be performed by themselves and others at a final concert. The class is taught by the Conservatory composition faculty Joan Tower and George Tsontakis, two of our most celebrated composers and teachers of composition.
Conservatory Seminar on Chinese Music – This is the capstone class for the Conservatory Core Sequence in Chinese Music, and is designed to give students the ability to place their music making in a larger social, historical, and expressive context. The seminar explores Chinese music and the arts in society. Topics include the political role that music and the arts have played, and continue to play, in modern China’s history, as well as the history of Western music in China and its close association with domestic politics and international diplomacy. This course is taught by the director of the US-China Music Institute, Jindong Cai.
Aural Skills This sequence of courses provides Conservatory students with skills in sight-singing, harmonics, melodic and rhythmic dictation, clef reading, keyboard harmony, harmonic analysis and other requirements of functional musical literacy.
Chinese Music History In addition to the four-semester Conservatory Core Sequence, students are required to take a four-semester music history sequence titled Literature and Language of Chinese Music. In their first semester, students are required to take Literature and Language of Chinese Music I: Introduction. The three remaining semesters provide an in-depth exploration of the development of Chinese instrumental music, folk traditions, and opera. One of these three courses will be offered each semester in rotation and can be taken in any order at any time after the first semester.
Graduation Recital Students present a full-length recital in the fourth or fifth year of the program. The repertoire is chosen in conjunction with the master teacher and should demonstrate the unique musical strengths and artistic goals of the student.
Performance Opportunities
The Bard Chinese Ensemble performs a major public concert at Bard each semester, with the participation of all Chinese instrument majors and graduate students, combined with some students of Western instruments. Students are encouraged to form small chamber groups and can schedule solo or group recitals with the Conservatory Concert Office. A senior recital is required for the Bachelor of Music degree. Additionally, The US-China Music Institute offers students opportunities for public performance on campus and in the NYC area throughout the year.
Chinese instrument majors will have the opportunity to study for one month at the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing at the end of every Spring semester. During this time students will take lessons with their CCOM master teacher as well as attending classes, and they will participate in the CCOM end-of-year Jury. All first-year students are required to travel to CCOM at the end of the year. A total of three study abroad trips to CCOM are required before the start of the 5th year at Bard.
NOW OFFERING
Guqin and Chinese Studies Five-Year Double Degree
In ancient China, the guqin was once considered essential to the development of a cultured individual. Over thousands of years, the guqin has been closely associated with Chinese philosophy and the arts, and is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. In the spirit of the ancient tradition, the Department of Asian Studies and the US-China Music Institute in the Conservatory of Music offer a joint five-year double-degree major in guqin performance and Chinese studies. This program is appropriate for students with strong musical backgrounds and an interest in Chinese history, arts and culture. Prior knowledge of the guqin is recommended but not required.
Chinese Instrument Degree Applications and Auditions
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for the double-degree program you must submit two applications -- one to the Conservatory and one for Bard College. Application materials must be submitted in English. Financial aid is available. Generous aid awards are offered to qualified candidates with demonstrated need. All applicants are encouraged to submit a financial aid application.
Preliminary auditions in Asia will be held in-person and virtually (online) in November, 2024. Registration for auditions will begin in the summer of 2024. Contact the admissions office for more information.
Final auditions will be held in China at the Central Conservatory of Music, or online, in late February.
