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Music History & Musicology
Immerse yourself in a field of research. Work closely with renowned scholars/performers. Study in a rigorous academic and performance environment.
How music is lived
across cultures and historical periods
Learn More About NEC
The Music History & Musicology department at NEC allowed me to transform from a performer to a scholar.
Who We Are
Beyond the Studio
What’s in your professional toolkit?
At NEC, you’ll strengthen your music with skills outside of music. In Community Performances & Partnerships, you’ll pitch programming and perform for diverse audiences. In Entrepreneurial Musicianship you’ll make new ventures happen, start to finish.
Plan Your Visit Now!
Come to a concert. Connect with faculty. Take a tour led by a current student. Visit us!
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NEC students don't just learn music; they learn how to change the world through music.
Recent News
Wed, April 17
New England Conservatory is delighted to announce that three musical luminaries will receive honorary degrees during its 153rd Commencement exercises on May 19 in Jordan Hall. Songwriter, recording artist, and philanthropist Paul Simon, who will also be the featured speaker; five-time Grammy-winning soprano, educator, and MacArthur Fellow Dawn Upshaw; and conductor Robert Spano, a four-time Grammy winner who is Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Music Director Laureate of the Atlanta Symphony after 20 seasons at the helm, and who has served as Music Director of the Aspen Music Festival and School since 2011, will all receive honorary Doctor of Music degrees.
Tue, April 2
Visitors to the Nilüfer Municipality Dr. Hüseyin Parkan Sanlıkol Musical Instruments Museum (MEM) in Bursa, Turkey, can now enjoy a brand-new exhibit comprising 52 rare, historic musical instruments—some as old as 400 years—donated from New England Conservatory’s collection. NEC faculty member Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol is the curator and project director for MEM.
Tue, March 5
By adding a lab component to "Music of Ghana," a Music Theory course taught at NEC since 2014 by composer, theorist, and faculty member Dr. Felicia Sandler, NEC effectively bridges the gap between what students learn in the classroom and its real-life application. As Dr. Sandler immerses students in music theories tied to Ghanaian repertoires, they derive more meaning from their knowledge by also learning traditional dancing and drumming from prominent royal drummer Emmanuel Attah Poku, a Tufts professor who grew up in the palace of the Ashanti King and plays percussion for the royal court.
Mon, February 26
As Black History Month comes to a close, we celebrate Black alumni from the earliest years of the Conservatory. Members of the Black Student Union worked with NEC archivists Maryalice Perrin-Mohr and Cody Forrest to research Black history and artistry from the early years of NEC.
Wed, February 14
Love is a powerful force, especially when shared by two individuals as driven in their joint mission of creating a better world as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King ’51, ’71 Hon. DM. The change-making couple were heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, but before they made history for their activism and social justice work, their journey together began in Boston.