Brandeis is known for its prominent arts programs, but at times, it seems like arts students are the only ones benefiting from the diverse array of arts programs that the University provides. According to the chair of the Music department, Prof. Yu-Hui Chang (MUS), the department is looking to recruit more students who are not necessarily interested in a major or minor in Music but in engaging with the variety of Music classes that are offered.

In an email interview with the Justice, Chang wrote that, given the University's capacity as a liberal arts school rather than a conservatory, the Music department "see[s] providing a rich musical environment to all Brandeis students an important part of our mission." Chang additionally wrote that in the Music department, "the majority of the courses... [offered] at the [undergraduate] level (course number 1-99) are opened to (with some particularly targeting at) non-music majors/minors. Many of them don't even have prerequisites."

In an email interview with the Justice, Prof. Seth Coluzzi (MUS), the undergraduate advising head for the Music department, also mentioned that some of these courses are designed for students who have no knowledge in music. One example is MUS 45A: "Beethoven," taught by Prof. Allan R. Keiler (MUS). The course catalogue clearly states: "open to music majors and non-majors."

There are, however, courses that require a little more experience. Coluzzi himself teaches one such course, MUS 34B, "Songwriting." The course catalogue mentions that MUS 5A: "Fundementals of Music" or a "basic understanding of the fundamentals of music (chords, scales, notation)" is a prerequisite for the course. The description also mentions that it would be helpful to have the ability to sing or play an instrument before taking the class. With these prerequisites in mind, it seems that students need to be a little more committed. 

There are plenty of courses available for students who are simply interested or intrigued by music but not necessarily dedicated to receiving a degree in the field. The question, then, is whether or not students take advantage of these courses. Chang noted that non-Music majors and minors can sometimes "feel intimidated" by the courses, or "need more guidance." In order to make sure students capitalize on these offers, the department, according to Chang, has recently distributed flyers that target non-Music majors or minors. One of the flyers lists the Music courses offered this semester and the other provides information about extracurricular music opportunities such as music ensembles, private lessons and concerts. "These flyers show the students how they can participate in music and make music part of their student life even if they are not thinking of being a Music major or minor," Chang wrote. Chang also mentioned that the department is working on redoing its website's "Frequently Asked Questions" section to be more accessible to non-Music majors and minors. 

Both Coluzzi and Chang affirmed that there is a current shortage of Music faculty, a fact that Coluzzi referred to as the reason that the department does not offer as many classes for a variety of different levels as they would like. Coluzzi wrote, "We enjoy teaching courses to students of all levels with an interest in music, and we try to offer courses for non-majors as much as possible. Sometimes this is difficult with the diminished size of our faculty in recent years, which means that we can't always offer all of the courses that we would like to and that we feel students would want."

Chang noted that in the past, the department has requested to restore the size of the faculty to its "pre-2008 financial crisis numbers." But the request "has to be granted by the provost and the dean first." 

Hopefully, the Music department's efforts to attract more non-Music majors and minors to their classes will come to fruition as a music education, even an introductory one, is something all students should experience during their time at a liberal arts university.