Information for First-Year Students

As department chair, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to the Music Department at Skidmore College. Musical life at Skidmore is so varied and vibrant that you will likely find many avenues to pursue, no matter what your musical interest. On this page, you will find information to orient you to the Music Department and links to help you with pre-registration before you arrive.

It probably makes sense to begin with the chair's letter, designed to give you an overview of what to expect in your first semester at Skidmore. If you are considering either a major or a minor in music, the music theory curriculum should be on your early radar. For guidance regarding the question of what music theory course to take, consult the linked page.

We give a placement exam at the beginning of the semester to place students into the appropriate music theory class.

Please use this online form (currently unavailable), "Interest in Music", to inform the Music Department of your interest in private lessons or an ensemble. You can also contact Prof. Michael Emery with your questions. Actual registration for private lessons or for a music ensemble will not be finalized until you arrive in September. Depending on your instrument or the ensemble, there may be auditions or interviews required, but in all cases it requires the permission of the instructor. Regarding private lessons, you will need to contact the teacher directly; be persistent, especially around September 1, as many are offline during the summer. Here is the contact information for our performance faculty.

If you have any questions about the academic courses in the Music Department, please use this contact information for our classroom faculty.