Students on the Florence Program take three courses, one of which may be taken in music for which they earn five credits per term. Students may study music for the entire year, the fall semester or the spring semester (enrollment in the spring is limited).  All students must consult and receive approval to study music before arriving in Florence.  Students must consult and be approved by Chester Biscardi, director of the Sarah Lawrence Music program and Cristina Anzililotti, director of the Florence program

A music course consists of at least three components:

1. individual instruction (instrumental performance, composition, or voice)
2. theory
3. history

Affiliate institutions include the following:

• Scuola di Musica di Fiesole—all instruments and voice, including instrumental and vocal jazz
• Accademia Musicale—instrumental and vocal jazz
• Tempo Reale—individual tutorials in electroacoustic and computer music

Students may also take part in choruses at the Accademia San Felice, the Duomo, and Santa Croce. Occasionally, at the discretion of the Director of the Sarah Lawrence College Music Program and the Director in Florence, advanced students of music may study instrumental performance, theory, and history independently with members of the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini, the Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, or the Orchestra Regionale Toscana.

Students should familiarize themselves with the differences in musical notation systems between the United States and Europe. There are numerous Web sites that compare musical terms in different languages. We recommend the following: http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/ (For example, look up “breve” under the alphabetized terms and follow the More about musical notation link).

Students will audition and be interviewed for individual instruction at the specific institutions to which they are applying when they arrive in Florence. Instrumentalists and vocalists will perform a piece of their own choosing for placement purposes. They may be asked to play a technical exercise as well. They should also be prepared to take diagnostic tests in solfège and theory and harmony, including sight-reading, sight-singing and dictation. Each candidate will be placed at a level of study corresponding to his or her abilities. All students applying to the music program in Florence must be approved by and receive initial guidance from the Director of the Sarah Lawrence College Music Program. Final programs will be arranged and approved by the Director in Florence.

Students will be able to practice at the Sarah Lawrence College Program Center in the Palazzo Spinelli until 6 pm.

Music students are provided with free tickets for all major operas and concerts available in the Florence area during their stay. Students are required to attend six opera and/or concerts per semester.

Internships may be available at Teatro della Pergola (theater, concerts, opera, ballet), Accademia Bartolomeo Cristofori Amici del Fortepiano (original keyboard instruments, restoration, concerts), Teatro Comunale (opera, concerts, ballet), and Tempo Reale (electroacoustic and computer music).

For further information about SLC Music Abroad Programs please contact:

For further information about and to apply to SLC Study Abroad Programs please contact: