BA MAJOR & MINOR
Our Program
Whether you have career ambitions in music or want to incorporate music into your broader liberal arts experience, our Music program is a great opportunity. We offer a major (BA) and minor, stressing regional and cultural contexts through a methodological hybrid of music theory and performance, Appalachian studies, cultural studies, musicology, and ethnomusicology.
A cornerstone of our program is a unique concentration in Traditional Music that emphasizes the multicultural roots, influences, and varieties of vernacular music within Southern Appalachia. In addition, our vibrant jazz program includes multiple student ensembles and individual instruction in a wide variety of instruments and voice.
Music majors are required to audition, but there is no audition required to participate in most classes. We welcome recordings as part of the standard application process.
Group & Individual Instruction
Expert faculty offer an array of classes and one-on-one lessons, including the following areas:
- Appalachian Ballads
- Appalachian Step Dance
- Banjo
- Bass (upright and electric)
- Drums/Percussion
- Fiddle/Violin
- Guitar (acoustic and electric)
- Improvisation
- Mandolin
- Piano
- Songwriting
- Square Dance
- Voice
- West African Percussion and Voice
- Woodwinds
Ensembles
Music performance is an integrated part of our program. You will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of ensembles, which include:
- Choir
- Bluegrass Band
- Gamelan
- Jazz Ensemble
- Klezmer
- Old-Time Band
- West African Ensemble
Taught by Professional Musicians
Our faculty includes the following accomplished musicians and experts:
- Kevin Kehrberg Theory/History/Culture Courses, Gamelan Ensemble, Old-Time Ensemble, Individual Instruction: Bass
- Ben Krakauer Theory/History/Culture Courses, Bluegrass Ensemble, Individual Instruction: Banjo
- Will Boyd Individual Instruction: Woodwinds
- Jason DeCristofaro Jazz Ensemble, Individual Instruction: Piano, Percussion
- Adama Dembele West African Ensemble, Individual Instruction: West African Music
- Reggie Headen Individual Instruction: Voice
- Dan Keller Jazz Ensemble, Individual Instruction: Jazz Guitar
- Emolyn Liden Appalachian Dance, Old-Time String Band, Individual instruction: fiddle, banjo
- John Miller Songwriting, Individual Instruction: Mandolin, Banjo
- Suzannah Park College Choir, Individual Instruction: Voice
- Bob Strain Individual Instruction: Piano
- Natalya Weinstein Appalachian Music Soundscapes, Klezmer ensemble, String Band, Individual Instruction: Fiddle
- Clarke Williams Individual and Group instruction: guitar, banjo, fiddle
Traditional Music & Dance
Warren Wilson College is inextricably linked to our location in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and our Traditional Music program is firmly tied to the Appalachian region. Our conception of traditional music and dance is one that embraces change and innovation while celebrating the many artistic lifeways and expressions of previous generations.
The program fosters an inclusive, intergenerational artistic community where you’ll acquire a shared musical language and develop your own unique voice. Here are a few of the many ways that you can engage with traditional music and dance on campus:
- During the school year, weekly noontime jam sessions are hosted by faculty outside the cafeteria, a monthly Traditional Music Concert Series features top performers from around the region and the country, and our annual Fiddles & Folklife Festival happens in the spring with contests and prizes for individual performers and bands.
- Warren Wilson is also host to the Old Farmers Ball, a community contra dance that takes place every Thursday in Bryson Gym. This dance, founded in 1982, is known throughout the country.
- Since 1992, the Swannanoa Gathering has offered a series of weeklong folk music workshops on campus during the summer. The programs include Traditional Song Week, Celtic Week, Old-Time Music and Dance Week, Guitar Week, Contemporary Folk Week, Mandolin and Banjo Week, and Fiddle Week.