An exploratory study of the role of music history courses in the conservatory curriculum

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived role of music history courses in the conservatory curriculum. A purposeful sample of the senior administrator, 5 musicology faculty, and 18 current or former students of the "East Coast Conservatory of Frederick Bryant University" was selected to elucidate their perspectives on the role of the music history courses at the Conservatory. One faculty member was overseas and interviewed via electronic mail; the others were interviewed in person, using a voice-recorder program that later produced transcripts of each interview. All student participants were interviewed via electronic mail. The participants reported their perspectives on the current music history curriculum, the role of music history courses within the greater context of individual development, and their thoughts on a departmental curricular review.;Results indicated that the participants felt that the role of music history courses in the conservatory curriculum is to build bridges of relevance for the students in order to enhance their performance abilities and careers. Although the students agreed with their professors that music history courses should help them develop bridges between their studies and performance, the students went a step further than the professors did by elaborating on how, in their opinion, these bridges were best constructed. Results also suggested that music history courses may benefit from incorporating some---but not necessarily all---of the ideals of new musicology.;The research also yielded an added and unanticipated result: the need for the Conservatory to establish an identity. Some faculty members viewed the institution as a "trade school," while others felt that it should maintain the same standards as Frederick Bryant University. This disparity also appeared to affect both what and how music history is taught in the Conservatory, which will likely affect the role (or at least the perception) of music history courses within the conservatory curriculum.