Music (Schulich School)

McGill University

Music and Sound: blue ink subject illustration

4 years
Duration (years)
4 years after high school; at least 3 after CEGEP
McGill 2026/27 BMus duration by entry route

Deadlines

January 2027

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14		16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Next deadlineFriday, January 15, 2027

3 deadlines

Voice screening videos
Fall 2027 · Voice and Early Music Voice applicants planning a live audition
Applicants submitting a full recorded audition use that submission instead of a separate prescreen.
Official deadline
Schulich undergraduate application
Fall 2027 · Fall 2027 undergraduate music applicants
Official deadline
Supporting materials and recorded auditions
Fall 2027 · Fall 2027 undergraduate music applicants
Submit the required supporting materials and, where your route uses one, the recorded audition or portfolio.
Official deadline

Other deadline details

January 30 to March 2, 2027; some dates pendingOn-campus auditions by instrumentFall 2027

Fall 2027 applicants scheduled for a live audition
January 30 to March 2, 2027; some dates pending
See the instrument schedule and confirm your own date and time in the Applicant Portal

SourceChecked Nov 9, 2026

Requirements

Admission requirements

High-school prerequisites

Check the university’s requirements for your province and applicant category.

Meet the Schulich academic requirements for your applicant category. Admission also considers your audition or portfolio, supporting materials and availability.

Application steps

Entry terms · Fall

Regular September entry. The school invites individual inquiries about possible January availability.

Step 1Check the admission requirements
- Check the published entry route for your applicant category.
McGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting scheduleMcGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting schedule
Step 2Apply through McGill admissions
- Create your application and select this program.
McGill admissionsMcGill admissions
Step 3Ontario applicants: self-reported grades and transcript
- Ontario high school applicants in Canada normally self-report through the Applicant Portal and upload an unofficial transcript. Exceptions include Ontario schooling outside Canada, high school completed over five years ago and specified partial Canadian-school histories. The portal gives the applicable route.
McGill Ontario applicant documentationMcGill Ontario applicant documentation
Step 4English proficiency results when no exemption applies
- Applicants who have lived and attended school for at least four years in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language are exempt. Otherwise submit official accepted test results unless another published exemption applies.
McGill Ontario applicant English-proof conditionsMcGill Ontario applicant English-proof conditions
Step 5Apply to Schulich through McGill’s undergraduate application.
- Complete this item using the university’s applicant instructions.
McGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting scheduleMcGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting schedule
Step 6Pay the application and audition charges shown in your Applicant Portal.
- Complete this item using the university’s applicant instructions.
McGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting scheduleMcGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting schedule
Step 7Upload the requested grades, transcripts and supporting materials.
- Complete this item using the university’s applicant instructions.
McGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting scheduleMcGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting schedule
Step 8Submit the applicable audition or portfolio. Upload all pieces together.
- Complete this item using the university’s applicant instructions.
McGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting scheduleMcGill current Ontario applicant prerequisites and self-reporting schedule

Applicant pathways

Ontario high school

Ontario high-school applicants

Ontario high school diploma and six Grade 12 4U or 4M courses.
Normally at least four 4U courses. Applicants with three 4U courses may apply and should explain this in their statement of intent.
Grade 11 and 12 average of at least 75% for Performance or 80% for Music Research.

Other Canadian high schools

Canadian high schools outside Ontario and Quebec

High school diploma.
Grade 11 and 12 average of at least 75% for Performance or 80% for Music Research.

Quebec CEGEP

Quebec CEGEP applicants

Diploma of Collegial Studies.
Overall CEGEP average of at least 75% for Performance or 80% for Music Research. Schulich does not use the R-score.

United States high school

U.S. high-school applicants

High school diploma. Grade 10–12 average of at least B for Performance or B+ for Music Research.
SAT or ACT is optional for admission and required for academic scholarship assessment.

Other international high schools

Applicants outside Canada and the United States

High school diploma. Average of at least 75% for Performance or 80% for Music Research.
Provide English proficiency results if McGill requires them.

Canadian high school with IB

Canadian high school IB students

McGill normally assesses your Canadian high-school record. Self-report grades as percentages.

Audition and portfolio

Bachelor of Music applicants

Review your major and instrument’s repertoire. Live auditions follow the instrument schedule.
Live Voice and Early Music Voice auditions require screening videos. Recorded applicants submit the full audition.
Composition applicants submit a portfolio and complete an audition. Music Studies applicants submit a video portfolio.

Music Studies portfolio

Music Studies applicants

Submit at least two contrasting video examples of practical music work plus a statement of intent. The portfolio runs about 15 minutes.
Include repertoire evidence if requesting practical instruction.

Application materials

Bachelor of Music applicants

Submit the statement of intent, music résumé and applicable audition or portfolio. Canadian and U.S. high-school applicants self-report Grade 11 and 12 marks.
Follow the Applicant Portal checklist for transcripts, tests and any referee letter required for your route.

Degree requirements

Work and practical requirements

Music Studies requires 123 credits, including a 21-credit Foundation, 8 required credits, 46 complementary credits and 48 electives. Placement or equivalencies may exempt Foundation courses.

References

Foundation requirements

The Foundation comprises 2 professional development credits, 4 ensemble credits and 15 Classical or Jazz credits.

References

Required courses and electives

Electives comprise 6 non-Music credits and 42 free elective credits.

References

Program facts

Entering averageNot published

The university does not publish a comparable percentage minimum or entering-average range for this program.

Courses

Music Studies BMus only. The Year 1 example assumes no placement exemptions and shows Classical and Jazz alternatives.

Music Studies sample · Year 1 Fall10 listed

Follow either the Classical or Jazz sequence. Practical Lessons are for the Practical Studies stream. Placement and language advising may change the plan.

MUPD 145Exploring Interdisciplinary Music Studies 12 credits
Introduction of interdisciplinary perspectives on the musician’s role in society and the ways in which musicianship may be partnered with social responsibility in the development of professional music careers. Exploration of the many ways in which musical skills and artistry are used to serve the needs of a diverse range of communities, and the interdisciplinary skillsets that may be relevant to different musical pathways.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUHL 186Western Musical Traditions3 credits
A survey of Western music from the Middle Ages to the present. Emphasis on key musical concepts and genres in their historical context and aural recognition of style.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUJZ 187Jazz History Survey3 credits
An introductory study of the principal recordings, artists and musical trends in jazz from its origins to the present day.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUTH 150Theory and Analysis 13 credits
Diatonic chords and harmonic progressions, focus on outer-voice framework, cadences, embellishments, building chordal fluency in common-practice tonality, applied chords.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUJZ 160Jazz Materials 13 credits
Fundamental aural and theoretical skills associated with the jazz idiom. Nomenclature, chord construction, chord/scale relationships, harmonic progression, circle of 5ths, simple turnarounds, simple substitution, symmetrical scales and chord relationships, voice leading.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUSP 140Musicianship Training 12 credits
Rhythm and metre basic subdivisions and conducting patterns; intervals, chords, and scale patterns; non-modulating tonal melodies with treble and bass clefs; harmonic progressions emphasizing two-part outer voice structures.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUSP 123Jazz Ear Training 12 credits
Rhythmic, melodic and harmonic materials from the jazz idiom. Sight-singing, dictation and transcription with some classical materials.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUSP 170Musicianship (Keyboard) 11 credits
Harmonic, melodic and rhythmic analysis at the keyboard through the study of rudiments, repertoire, chorale/score reading, transposition and harmonization.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUJZ 170Jazz Keyboard Proficiency 11 credits
Basic piano skills, basic comping techniques, standard 3 note rootless voicings in 7, 3 and 3, 7 position with one extension, two-five-ones in major and minor - limited keys. Simple substitution and reharmonisation.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUIN 180BMus Practical Lessons 13 credits
Practical instruction on an instrument or voice.
MCGILL complete current official course definition

Music Studies sample · Year 1 Winter7 listed

Follow the same Classical or Jazz sequence. The sample also includes a Music Education or Entrepreneurship course and a non-Music elective.

MUTH 151Theory and Analysis 23 credits
Sequences and modulation, chromatic vocabulary, analysis of simple theme types (sentence, period, hybrids) and fugal techniques.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUJZ 161Jazz Materials 23 credits
Simple and advanced substitution, borrowed chords, reharmonisation, modes of harmonic minor and melodic minor diatonic systems, unresolved tensions, odd and infrequent modulations, mixed two-five-ones, introduction to polychords, slashchords and non-functional harmony.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUSP 141Musicianship Training 22 credits
Rhythm and metre mixed divisions and syncopations; triadic and seventh chord voicings and disjunct pitch collections; chromatically embellished melodies adding alto clef; simple modulating harmonic progressions emphasizing two-part outer voice structures.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUSP 124Jazz Ear Training 22 credits
Advanced jazz idioms.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUSP 171Musicianship (Keyboard) 21 credits
Building chordal fluency. Harmonic vocabulary including sequences, chromaticism and modulation. Chorale and score reading with transposing instruments and alto/tenor clefs.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUJZ 171Jazz Keyboard Proficiency 21 credits
Continuation of previous semester. Two-five-ones and mixed two-five-ones using 4 note close position voicings and 4 and 5 note spreads, in all keys, diminished passing chords, half step shifts, voice leading extensions, quartal and modal voicing, sight reading of standard jazz repertoire.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUIN 181BMus Practical Lessons 23 credits
Practical examination in clarinet techniques.
MCGILL complete current official course definition

Additional published courses

MUHL 286Critical Thinking About Music3 credits
Examination of various periods and styles: e.g., central works from different traditions, the interaction of music and society, performance practice, and music's relation to other arts.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUPD 245Exploring Interdisciplinary Music Studies 22 credits
Investigation of the concept of artistic citizenship.Inquiry into the ways in which musical skills and artistry serve the needs of diverse communities and career pathways.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUPD 350Applied Projects for Musicians3 credits
Skills needed in the evolving music business. An interdisciplinary music project that focuses on synthesizing, and putting into practice creative, business, and entrepreneurial skills.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUTH 250Theory and Analysis 33 credits
Compositional resources of late 18th and early 19th century music. Analysis of forms common to the period c. 1770 - 1840, including Classical sonata forms in several media.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUTH 251Theory and Analysis 43 credits
Expanded harmonic resources of the 19th century (e.g., advanced chromaticism including enharmonic reinterpretation and symmetrical division). Analysis of characteristic small and large forms. Writing and analytical skills with a goal toward perceiving how levels of musical structure interact.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUSP 240Musicianship Training 32 credits
Rhythm and metre mixed divisions and two-part work; additional chordal voicings and pitch collections; melodies modulating to closely-related keys adding tenor clef; harmonic progression including applied chords; two-part keyboard-style passages.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUSP 241Musicianship Training 42 credits
Changing metres; chord voicings and atonal pitch collections; modulating tonal melodies and score reading of transposing instruments; harmonic progression including chromatic chords; two-part passages.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUJZ 260Jazz Arranging 13 credits
Introduction to concepts and techniques commonly used in jazz arranging. Notation, calligraphy and score preparation are discussed; including study of classical and contemporary scores by prominent jazz arrangers.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUJZ 261Jazz Arranging 23 credits
Consolidation of knowledge of basic concepts and techniques used in jazz arranging.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUJZ 213Fundamentals of Jazz Improvisation 12 credits
Introduction to basic improvisation concepts of phrasing, articulation, melodic development, harmonic control, musical vocabulary and style. Pedagogical techniques will be discussed.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUJZ 214Fundamentals of Jazz Improvisation 22 credits
A continuation of development of basic improvisation concepts of phrasing, articulation, melodic development, harmonic control, musical vocabulary and style. Pedagogical techniques will be discussed.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUIN 280BMus Practical Lessons 32.5 credits
Practical instruction on an instrument or voice.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUIN 281BMus Practical Lessons 42.5 credits
Practical instruction on an instrument or voice.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUIN 283BMus Concentration Final Examination1 credits
Assessment of student's progress in the practical area.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUCO 260Instruments of the Orchestra3 credits
An introductory study of the instruments of string, woodwind and brass families, elementary acoustics of the instruments. Techniques of playing including embouchure, fingering, bowing, hand-stopping, transposing instruments. Evolution of the instruments, their technique and their music from the 18th century to the present.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUHL 375Introduction to Ethnomusicology3 credits
Central themes and methods in contemporary ethnomusicology. Music and its meanings in several contrasting cultural regions and groups. Topics include: colonialism, politics, globalization, and the impact of technology. Techniques of transcription, ethnography, and fieldwork.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUHL 385Early Twentieth-Century Music3 credits
Development of European, Russian, and American music from the 1890s until the early 1940s, tracing its roots in late 19th-century Romanticism and following its evolution in central Europe, France, and the United States. The music of major innovators such as Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Ives, and Varèse will be discussed.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUHL 388Opera After 19003 credits
Major early twentieth-century works by Debussy, Strauss, Schreker, Bartók, Stravinsky and Schoenberg. Opera in Europe between the Wars including operas of Berg, Milhaud, Krenek, Hindemith and Weill. Politics, sociology, and literature in relationship to musical style. Approaches since 1945 in selected works by Britten, Henze, Zimmermann, Ligeti, Somers and Glass.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUHL 391Canadian Music3 credits
Survey of music in Canada from the 16th Century to the present. Current musical organizations and institutions, and contemporary Canadian music will be stressed. Time permitting, brief reference will be made to the folk music of indigenous and immigrant groups.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUHL 392Music since 19453 credits
Appearance and evolution of such post-war phenomena as total serialism, "chance" music of various kinds, and electronic music as seen in major figures such as Boulez, Stockhausen, Cage and others in Europe and the United States. Important developments during the 1960s. Rise of "minimalism" and "neo-Romanticism" during the 1970s and 80s.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUHL 393History of Jazz3 credits
A study of the history and development of jazz through listening, reading, video viewing, lectures and discussion. The central goals will be to learn how to hear jazz critically and to understand the values, meanings, and sensibilities of jazz as a social practice.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUHL 396Era of the Modern Piano3 credits
Survey of keyboard repertoire from 1850 to the present: instruments, the crisis at mid-century, character pieces, Brahms, late Liszt, national schools, commercialization - the concert hall, music for the bourgeois - salon music, Scriabin, the Second Viennese School, Impressionism, Neo-Classicism, Neo-Romanticism, serialism, the sonata in the 20th-century, North American composers.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUTH 322Topics in Post-Tonal Analysis3 credits
Topics in advanced analysis of post-tonal music.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUTH 526Methods in Tonal Theory and Analysis3 credits
Theoretical topics and analytical applications in tonal music. Topics include some of the following: reduction, prolongation, voice-leading/linear models,motive/Grundgestalt, schema, partimento, and phrase rhythm/hypermeter.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUTH 528Schenkerian Theory and Analysis3 credits
Introduction to the principles and graphing techniques of Schenkerian theory, analysis of tonal works from 1700-1900, and study of prolongational techniques in relation to formal types.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUTH 538Mathematical Models for Musical Analysis3 credits
Theoretical topics and analytical applications selected from the following: serial theory, atonal set theory, contour theory, similarity metrics, transformational networks, elementary group theory and generalized interval systems, neo-Riemannian theory, atonal voice-leading and geometry, scale theory, models of tuning and temperament and information theory.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUTH 539Advanced Writing Techniques3 credits
Advanced four-part harmonization, harmonic language and post-tonal counterpoint.
McGill Minerva course catalogue · MUTH 539
MUGT 205Psychology of Music3 credits
Introduction to the discipline of psychology ofmusic. Topics include: musical development across the life course; the development of musical expertise; emotional responses to music; musical identity; music perception and cognition; and the link between music, healthand wellbeing.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUGT 350Introduction to Applied Research in Music3 credits
Introduction to applied research in music performance sciences. Topics include: approaches to research in music performance sciences (participatory, communityfocused, pragmatic, quantitative and qualitative), types of research and the research design process in relation to relevant topics in music performance sciences (e.g., optimal performance, performer wellness, careers in music). Foundational research skills will be covered, including identifying problems and formulating relevant questions, decoding scientific language, engaging with ethics, examining research applications to performing practice.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MUPG 300Music Performance Strategies3 credits
Exploration of topics and strategies to optimizepractice and performance. Topics include:individual characteristics and habits inperformance and practice, stress and anxietymodels & theories, physiological response,coping strategies and skills (e.g., mental imagery,time management, goal setting,attention/concentration, relaxation andmeditation).
MCGILL complete current official course definition

Elective choices

Choose the published Classical or Jazz Foundation courses. The catalogue lists approved music complementary and specialization choices.
BMus Practical Lessons require entry to the Practical Studies stream by audition.

Study routes

Selected BMus major plan; not a mandatory menu shared by all Music majors.

Music Studies

Study locations

Published academic-unit location: The Music Student Affairs Office lists undergraduate advising on the seventh floor of Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, 527 Sherbrooke Street West. This is an academic-support office; individual Music teaching and performance rooms are separate.Mcgill: named music academic-unit location

References

Careers

Career examples

Composer
Musician
Performer
Sound technician
Recording technician
Music therapist
Music journalist
Arts administrator
Music librarian
Music technologist
Performance science researcher

Career sectors

Bands and choirs
Concert halls and opera
Music schools and conservatories
Radio and television
Sound recording studios

Career sectors

Scope and qualifications

McGill's undated music career handout gives possible occupations based on interests and experience. These are examples across music studies, not graduate placement results or outcomes for every BMus specialization.

Music Studies and Composition career examples published by McGill. Some roles require further training or credentials.