The Blair School of Music provides undergraduate conservatory-style education in music performance, theory, and history at Vanderbilt University, a major research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. Blair is the youngest and smallest of Vanderbilt's ten constituent schools and colleges.
History
While established in 1964, Blair did not initially offer undergraduate-level courses, instead focusing on pre-college music education as part of the then-independent Peabody College (Peabody is itself now part of Vanderbilt). Through the initiative of Chancellor Alexander Heard in 1981, Vanderbilt began offering undergraduate programs at Blair as part of a wider liberal arts curriculum. In 1986, Blair began awarding its own bachelor's degrees.
Degree programs
The Blair School of Music confers the bachelor of music degree in music performance, in composition and theory, and in musical arts. Unique among Vanderbilt's four undergraduate schools, Blair has no graduate students. However, in conjunction with Peabody College, Blair offers a five-year bachelor of music/master of education program in musical arts and teacher education. The Blair School of Music is set apart from other similar undergraduate music programs, like those at Northwestern University, Rice University, and Carnegie Mellon University by offering degrees only to undergraduates, giving them the sole focus of the faculty.
Facilities
The Blair School of Music is a state-of-the-art, modern building. It houses three main concert halls, including the Turner Recital Hall, the Choral Recital Hall, and the Ingram Center for the Performing Arts. The Ingram Center is a 618-seat performance hall with full staging capability including orchestra pit, opera scene shop, loading dock, dressing rooms and green room, set against a modern lobby with soaring ceilings and light-flooded floor-to-ceiling windows. The School of Music has private studios for the faculty members, numerous practice rooms with pianos for student use, and fully automated classrooms. There is a piano lab, keyboard computer lab, two SmartMusic rooms, a high-tech NightPro audio recording and an additional computer lab in the library. Finally, students can enjoy full use of a student lounge with a "Suzie's" Cafe, serving pastries, cereal, sandwiches, wraps, coffee, tea, salads, fruits and beverages.
Anne Potter Wilson Music Library
The Anne Potter Wilson Music Library is a division of the Jean and Alexander Heard Library system located in Blair. The collection, begun in 1947, was moved from Peabody College to its new and permanent home at Blair in the summer of 1985. Named to honor Anne Potter Wilson by the Vanderbilt Board of Trust in 1987, the 8,000-square-foot (740Â m2) library holds more than 70,000 books, scores, sound and video recordings, and subscriptions to more than 150 journals. It is equipped with a seminar room, exceptional listening and viewing stations, and study facilities.
BMI Composer-in-Residence Program
The BMI Composer-in-Residence program, sponsored by Broadcast Music Inc., brings two visiting composers to Vanderbilt's campus every year. Each composer’s three- to seven-day residency includes lectures, performances of the composer’s works, and opportunities for interaction with students. Previous BMI composersin-residence include Robert Beaser, George Crumb, Michael Daugherty, Mario Davidovsky, Richard Danielpour, Lukas Foss, John Harbison, Karel Husa, Steven Mackey, Donald Martino, Cindy McTee, Bernard Rands, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner, Michael Torke, and Joan Tower.
References
External links
- Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music website
- Blair School of Music digital archive
- Quarter Note, the Blair School of Music newsletter