<p>Contemporary Music often refers to pop/rock/eletronic music.</p>
<p>Anyone can tell me where I can find a real good college to learn Contemporary Music?</p>
<p>I found a undergraduate program “Contemporary Writing and Production” sounding good to me in Berklee college of music.</p>
<p>I just want to know if there are any other music colleges that provide Contemporary Music courses like Berklee.</p>
<p>P.S: I am now majored in computer science for a undergraduate degree, but suddenly I found I chose a wrong life yesterday so I want to change.
Is music major at undergraduate level needs any basis in music?</p>
<p>Actually, for most music schools, “contemporary music” doesn’t mean pop/rock music, but rather contemporary classical music. Be careful and find out more information.</p>
<p>I agree with others…contemporary music does not ONLY refer to pop/rock/electronic (which I think are on the “trendy” side of music) but largely refers to classical contemporary music. Go and listen to music composed by composers who are either still alive or have only recently died. Those are contemporary composers. There are many contemporary composers for orchestral music…and solo orchestral instruments.</p>
<p>Contemporary classical often focuses on 12 tones, and is sometimes called atonal music. Schoenberg was a key composer of the 12 tone composition. If you google Arnold Schoenberg, you can download some works. There were (are) many, many other modern classical composers who also compose in the 12 tone style.</p>
<p>Well, although I agree with the other posters about the definition of “contemporary music,” if your interests lie in popular music (and it sounds like they do), I think Berklee is the go-to place for that. Some of the classical conservatories have pop song-writing sections as well (I think SUNY Purchase has a school for that) but Berklee is certainly the most well-known. Personally I think that if you want a career in pop music you might be better off spending four years starting your career, because I can’t conceive of many circumstances in which a degree in pop song-writing would really come in handy, but my opinion is probably biased (and it’s not really my area) so take it with a major grain of salt.</p>
<p>Allmusic…you’re definition is probably not the best. Very few composers I know still write using twelve-tone or serial techniques exclusively or even at all.
Further, the phrase “focuses on 12 tones” is also problematic. Look at a Bach fugue and it wouldn’t be surprising to find all 12 chromatic notes within the span of a few measures.</p>
<p>LOL! I’m not the musician, WCU, only the mother, so it isn’t surprising that my definition “isn’t the best”!</p>
<p>I really don’t know whether people are composing in 12 tones or not, but my son is quite fond of contemporary atonal music, and has played a good number of pieces in this style. Please feel free to correct my definition!</p>
<p>However, to me, a Bach fugue doesn’t resemble an atonal piece in the slightest; even my untrained ears can hear that!</p>
<p>Atonality and serialism (using a 12-tone row for example) are but two of the techniques used in “contemporary classical music.” Using all 12 chromatic notes in the span of a few measures does not in and of itself make a piece either atonal or serial. WindCloudUltra was just pointing out that the phrase “focuses on 12 tones” is imprecise and could be used to describe a piece by Bach as well as one by Schoenberg. He was not trying to argue that a Bach fugue is atonal.</p>
<p>thx, guys and ladies.
the definition you guys showed is so confusing, but I just know now my interest now is just pop/rock/electronic music and I would like to learn about contemporary classical music, but it is in the future. </p>
<p>Can anyone tell me if it is easy to get some financial support in Berklee?</p>
<p>well, contemporary classical music is group of music styles, so I think no one could say that he/she like contemporary classical music, which may have the same meaning as “I love all the women in the world”.</p>
<p>In some way, contemporary classical music means to me a kind of music which is hard to understand and hard to be liked. At least, I don’t love any contemporary classical music right now. However, I will keep a open attitude toward any new stuff including contemporary classical music.</p>
<p>I would definitely say Berklee College of Music.</p>
<p>I know the U of Miami has a Studio music degree. Not entirely sure what is within the degree, but you could check it out. The Frost school is very well known.</p>
<p>Also, at some schools you go to, you can specify whether or not you want to do classical. Granted, that’s usually between classical and jazz, but like miami has the studio music degree. I think the university of Colorado at boulder or something might have a new studio music degree or something similar to it.</p>