<p>What is the music scene like? Do many students participate in music groups? Are there any good a capella groups, and do people attend? Theater groups? Wondering because I loved everything about Duke except didn't sense a very musical atmosphere at all.</p>
<p>I was involved with musical theatre at Duke, and performances are both excellent and very well-attended. Hoof ‘n’ Horn, the musical theatre group on campus, is about 75 years old and the second oldest such group in the country. It puts on three MT productions each year, which is extremely impressive given that Duke has no MT program. On the academic side of things, Duke’s theatre program is relatively small but fairly strong for its size and provides a good grounding in the subject for undergrads (no MFA/grad programs). Seniors are required to organize and direct their own productions in order to graduate with distinction. Several study abroad/away programs focus on theatre, such as Duke in London and Duke in New York. For acting/film, there’s Duke in LA.</p>
<p>There are numerous clubs and organizations devoted to the performing arts, and things like salsa on the steps, the annual step show, Awaaz, etc. get quite a lot of attention on campus. Dance is the most popular and strongest of the arts at Duke. </p>
<p>I don’t have firsthand experience with music at Duke, but a lot of my friends were heavily involved. Duke lacks a music conservatory and thus doesn’t attract some of the extremely high caliber musicians that you get at certain other top universities (e.g. Northwestern and Rochester), but there’s certainly plenty of people on campus who are interested in music. The Pitchforks are a good male a cappella group, and Rhythm & Blue (coed) is also quite good. Duke has several others, including Speak of the Devil (male), Deja Blue (female), Out of the Blue (female), Lady Blue (female), and maybe others I forgot. I had several friends who sang in choral groups (Duke Chorale, Collegium Musicum, etc.), and they seemed to really enjoy them.</p>
<p>For people who want to listen to music, Duke’s Coffeehouse hosts a lot of indie concerts. It’s a very cozy, relaxed atmosphere and a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro (a short walk from UNC) also hosts a lot of great concerts.</p>
<p>Disheartened that warblersrule forgot to mention DUU (Duke University Improv).</p>