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Music Expression

There Is Human Agency behind Each Melody
Learn about and Consider the World through Music

The study of music is not limited to the acquisition of performing techniques and theoretical knowledge. To attain a truly deep understanding of music, you must grasp the fullness of the human thought and action behind the music.

The Music Expression program is one of the few specialized music programs available at a Japanese university. Students learn from the two deeply interrelated perspectives of performance and musicology.

This program emphasizes academic research into music as a subset of various types of research in humanities, sociology and natural science—as well as the practical study of musical performance—with the goal of enabling students to view living music from a state-of-the-art perspective.

Objective: An Advanced Fusion of Scholarship and Practical Skills

When it comes to music, performance and academic pursuits are supposed to be two sides of the same coin, but current music education tends to be so specialized that students usually have to concentrate on one side or the other.

This program therefore offers a unique curriculum that differs from typical music departments and teacher training programs. It lets students select a major after they acquire a high level of core knowledge and skills in both the musicology and performance fields. Since this is one department at a university, students can also acquire deeper knowledge in other arts such as literature and fine arts, as well as education and sociology.

Graduates of this program work for private corporations or as civil servants, teachers, or in other occupations. Many students also go on to study abroad or enter graduate school. Enrollees in this program tend to have a high level of interest in specialized research as well.

Features: A High Degree of Professionalism and Onsite Adaptiveness

First- and second-year students master basic knowledge and performing techniques, and third- and fourth-year students focus on small-class seminars and individual instruction based on their own specialties.

Courses in musicology cover Western music from medieval times to the current era, as well as traditional Japanese music and music from various other regions in Asia and around the world. Students also consider the relationship between music and culture, theory, history, aesthetics and other subjects. Since musicology courses mainly use English-language texts, students require a sufficient level of English mastery.

Students majoring in performance studies select either piano performance or vocal performance. Both are taught by teachers who are experts at their respective repertoires. Classes are designed to help students acquire the skills needed for actual performances, featuring instrumental music duets with professionals as well as opera lessons that focus on guidance from répétiteurs.