Performing Arts Abroad: Global Music

Live and study in two countries in Southeastern Europe over three weeks. Cultivate an appreciation for the various styles of music in Southeastern Europe and learn how music represents, resists, and transforms cultural norms.

• Live and study in two countries in Southeastern Europe over three weeks.
• Challenge your assumptions about music: How do different people make the sounds they (and we) call music? How is music used as propaganda? How are traditions passed onto the next generation through music?
• A hands-on, field-based experience - attend performances, meet musicians, and explore local soundscapes.

Program dates:
May 16 - June 7, 2025 (Program begins in Dubrovnik, Croatia and ends in Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Locations:
You'll spend two weeks at RIT Croatia in the historic city of Dubrovnik, where the summer months come alive with festivals and music celebrations. In the final week of the program, you'll travel to nearby Bosnia and Herzegovina, an area of southeastern Europe known for its cultural and historical heritage, natural beauty, a unique mix of cultures and faiths, and music that blends Slavic, Turkish, and Central European influences.

Course Details:
While in Croatia, the course will be taught by local Croatian faculty. The study tour to Bosnia and Herzegovina will be led by RIT Rochester faculty member Erica Haskell, Director of RIT School of Performing Arts. You'll take one class for 3 credits.

• FRNT 202 - Music & Global Culture (3 credits)
  
  An introduction to music and culture of global music beyond the Western tradition. You'll listen to and analyze music, engage in readings, lectures, and discussions, and develop an individual fieldwork project to discover how music functions within different world cultures. Experiencing the music styles of Southeastern Europe will give you a new perspective on how people articulate, resist, and transform cultural norms through music.
  
  Music can reflect a community's experience and become a catalyst for political and social change. This course will give you a deep appreciation and interest in how different music is created, performed, used, and passed on to future generations.
  
  As part of the class, you'll delve into a fieldwork project that involves documenting and interpreting music in Southeastern Europe through fieldwork methods: in-person observation, interviewing, recording, and understanding the meanings of music among a group of people.
  
  No prereqs. No prior music knowledge is necessary. Course can count towards a music minor; music immersion; or GE Artistic Perspective.

Application deadline: February 15, 2025

Upcoming Student Info. Meetings - Croatia Summer Programs

Info. meetings will cover the basics of all summer Croatia programs and go over the application process.
If you need interpreting or captioning support for a meeting, please reserve at myaccess.rit.edu

• Friday, December 6th, 1-2 pm, Zoom - Register and get link
• Tuesday, January 21st, 5-6 pm, Zoom - Register and get link
• Wednesday, February 5, 5-6 pm, Zoom - Register and get link

To Apply

1) Make an appointment with study abroad advisor Myles Chalue, to go over the required application steps - choose date and time

2) Start an application in the Compass.
Before starting an application you will  be prompted to fill out a Compass profile. After completing your profile information, you will need to search for the "Croatia Global Music" program under "Search Programs" to complete an application.

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Program Cost & Financial Aid

Program Cost: Student budget worksheet (Global Music, Summer 2025) - outlines all program costs. You will pay discounted tuition for 3 credits, a program fee (housing, study tour, excursions), and out-of-pocket costs (flight, meals, etc)

Financial Aid:
Since you’ll only be earning 3 credits on the Global Music program, you will not likely be able to use any financial aid towards program costs. Typically, students earning 5 or fewer credits in the summer have limited options for using financial aid (perhaps only a portion of a Pell Grant (if you receive one) or private loans.

However, if you would like to meet with RIT financial aid to see what aid may be available to you, follow these steps BEFORE the application deadline:

• Make an appointment with your financial aid assistant director (call Financial Aid at 585-475-2186) and mention that you are calling for a study abroad appointment.
• Upload a copy of your budget worksheet(s) via the Financial Aid upload portal at https://join.rit.edu/register/FA_upload (at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled meeting so they have time to prepare).
• Before uploading the budget worksheet to the financial aid portal, add your name and student ID to the file name
• Choose “Other Financial Aid Forms and Documentation” as your document type in the Financial Aid portal.
• The RIT financial aid office is located in Bausch and Lomb Center (Bldg. 77), 2nd floor, 2125

To find out the name of your financial aid assistant director for your degree program visit: https://www.rit.edu/admissions/aid/contact

Scholarships:

• RIT Education Abroad Travel Grants ($500-$1,000)
  All students with pending applications in the RIT Study Abroad Compass for this program will be automatically considered for an RIT Education Abroad Travel Grant. You will be informed of your scholarship status shortly after the application deadline. Scholarships are awarded based on financial need.
• Other scholarships: RIT Study Abroad Scholarships, National Study Abroad Scholarships