Conference Agenda

It is no surprise that universities are becoming increasingly driven to provide students with transformative and experiential learning opportunities. For music programs, traditional career training has focused on performance and/or teaching opportunities. But what about those students who want to pursue other paths in music, including those with public-facing roles? One solution is the creation of a Public Musicology program such as the one at Columbus State University, which began as an in-person certificate and was expanded to a fully online offering, and in 2025 will become a BA track; to date, this is the only such program in the United States. This program not only trains students for careers which their music history studies have prepared them, but also provides embedded experiential learning into the program’s courses, allowing students to build portfolios of work, explore different skills related to potential careers, and connect with people in organizations whose missions and/or projects are related to music in a variety of ways. This roundtable will discuss the advantages and challenges of incorporating public musicology and/or experiential learning in music history courses and curricula, using the public musicology program at Columbus State University as a model. The CSU program coordinator will offer an overview of the program, including the program’s practicalities and processes, its challenges in incorporating experiential learning in the program’s courses, and its successes. Representatives of three of the program’s partner organizations will share their experiences working with CSU students, followed by a discussion among CSU students and alumni on their experiences participating in the program and working with the partner organizations. Attendees will take away strategies for connecting with partner organizations as well as ideas and tips for incorporating public musicology and/or experiential learning into their music history curriculum.