Minor in Mediterranean Music

The Mediterranean region is a meeting place of three continents and many countries and cultures. The history of the Mediterranean region is complex, spanning ancient civilizations up to modern-day conflicts. The Mediterranean music minor will support the Mediterranean Music Institute’s mission to study Mediterranean musical traditions and to contribute to the cultural exchange of folk-based music from the region. Students in this minor will be required to spend a semester at Berklee's Valencia campus in the Study Abroad program; this campus is ideally situated on the Mediterranean coast in Spain, which has historically been a crossroads for the many cultures of the region.

This minor has a student-directed element via the required course MEDM-P498 Directed Study, which will allow the student to focus on a particular area of interest within the broader context of Mediterranean music. This minor highlights an area of the world that has become increasingly important in contemporary music, but which has not often been examined in its regional context. The diversity of the curriculum reflects the diversity of the Mediterranean region itself, and students in this program will gain an appreciation of the depth, variety, and interdependence of the cultural and musical traditions of the region and their broader impact on global music in general.

Entrance Requirements

Students must be accepted into the Berklee Study Abroad program and spend a semester at Berklee's Valencia, Spain, campus. This minor is managed by the Contemporary Writing and Production Department.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of a minor in Mediterranean music, students will:

  • perform several styles of Mediterranean music;
  • compose several styles of Mediterranean music;
  • analyze the cultural context of music from the region;
  • apply aural concepts of a specific musical expression of the region, including its stylistic context and harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic components;
  • analyze Mediterranean music's influence on other music of the region and the world;
  • synthesize important Mediterranean musical styles, musicians, instruments, forms, compositional techniques, and performance practices; and
  • apply the compositional elements of Mediterranean music in their own work and performance.
Curriculum and Courses

Required Courses (4 credits)

  • PFSS-301 Survey of Mediterranean Musical Styles (2 credits)
  • MEDM-498 Directed Study in Mediterranean Music (2 credits)

Performance Electives (choose any combination that equals 3 credits):

  • ENGB-400 Middle Eastern Fusion (1 credit)
  • ENGB-405 Balkan Choir (1 credit)
  • ENGB-221 Contemporary Middle Eastern Music (1 credit)
  • ENGB-211 Qantara Berklee (1 credit)
  • PSHR-270 Traditional Microtonal Theory and Application (1 credit)
  • PSW-235 World Percussion for the Nonpercussionist (2 credits)
  • PSW-335 World Percussion for the Percussionist (2 credits)

Theory/Composition Elective (choose one; 2 credits):

  • CM-361 World Music Resources in Composition (2 credits)
  • HR-361 World Music Materials and Concepts for the Contemporary Musician (2 credits)
  • CW-227 Flamenco Music: Composition and Arranging (2 credits)

History/Culture Elective (choose one; 3 credits):

  • LHIS-248 Palestinian-Israeli Relations (3 credits)