Music, B.A.
Music, B.A. (General Studies)
Credits: 122
CIP Code: 500901
Program Description
The program of study offered by the Department of Music prepares music students for various careers in music and for post-baccalaureate study. The Department offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music (General Studies in Music.) The Department also offers five (5) selected concentrations in Vocal Studies, Piano Studies, Jazz Studies, Commercial Composition, and Church Music. The music core includes theory and history sequences, special skills, applied studies, ensembles, and seminars.
The Bachelor of Arts in Music is a Liberal Arts Degree that offers great flexibility. The degree enables the student to forge a program of study tailored to his/her interest and aspirations. This program is designed to enable the student to carve out a course of study in music specific to his or her needs, in conjunction with music advisors, by enrolling in twelve credit hours at the 300 or 400 levels. While the student can design a specific program for him/herself in conjunction with the music advisor, the program has the following three specific functions:
- The Bachelor of Arts Degree (General Studies) enables the student who wishes to pursue a career in music scholarship at the graduate level the opportunity to take advanced courses in Music History and Music Theory through independent study and/or enrolling in academic music courses that might further the same end. The student would enroll in such courses of independent study as advanced Form & Analysis or studies in specific composers, genres, or repertories, e.g. the music of Beethoven, William Grant Still, Duke Ellington, etc., the history of the symphony or string quartet, and 19th-century Italian opera, and enroll in such classes as Counterpoint, Piano Repertory, Vocal Literature, Jazz History, The History of Church Music, etc. Additionally, students have the option of enrolling in the following courses: Vocal Diction I & II; Opera Workshop I & II; Piano Music of the African Diaspora; Piano Pedagogy I & II; Jazz Theory and Improvisation I & II; Jazz Composition & Arranging I & II; Song Writing, Arranging, & Recording; Orchestration; Hymnody; Music in the African American Church.
- The Bachelor of Arts Degree (General Studies) enables performers who are neither singers nor pianists to create a tailor-made course of study on their specific instrument. (Singers and pianists are able to enroll in the Vocal or Piano Studies concentrations.) A typical program for a trumpet player, for example, would include courses of independent study in trumpet or brass repertory, trumpet or brass pedagogy, and advanced courses in music theory, music history, etc.
- The Bachelor of Arts Degree (General Studies) enables the student to study African-American music from what, in essence, is an ethno-musicological perspective. Toward that end the student can enroll in such courses as World Music, African American Classical Music/Jazz History, Music of African-American composers, Piano Music of the African Diaspora, etc., and enroll in courses of Independent Study on repertories of specific interest to the student.
The B.A. in Music
Further expanding these options, the department offers concentrations in the areas of vocal studies, piano studies, jazz studies, commercial composition, and church music. Music students pursue courses of study that include a judicious mixture of music theory, music history, and individual and ensemble music performances while emphasizing practical applications and exposure to the technology and methodology relevant to the various concentrations. The Department of Music also offers a minor in each music concentration for musically talented students pursuing other disciplines.
Concentrations:
Admissions Requirements
Applicants must meet the General Admissions Requirements as published in this Catalog. In addition, all prospective students seeking to major or minor in music must satisfy departmental entrance requirements including the following:
- A letter of intent to include the applicant’s anticipated entrance date.
- An interview with the department chair, the coordinator of the proposed music concentration, and/or ensemble director.
- An audition on an instrument of choice and primary strength (voice, piano, string, woodwind, brass, percussion).
- Music theory and/or piano placement tests.
Prospective music students must successfully complete the music audition and the music theory placement test in order to matriculate in the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music degree program or to pursue a minor in music. The audition is also necessary for music scholarship consideration. The music theory placement test is used to determine prospective students’ readiness to study college-level music. Some prospective students may need to complete a preparatory course of study in music fundamentals. In order to matriculate in the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music or Minor in Music, students must select their major or minor in the freshman year and elect to remain in General Studies or choose a concentration, with the approval of the Department, at the end of the sophomore year. (The concentrations are Vocal Studies, Piano Studies, Jazz Studies, Commercial Composition, or Church Music.)
Membership in the University Bands, AUC Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, University Choir, and Philharmonic Society are available to all University students. However, participation in these ensembles is determined by audition. Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts Degree in General Music Studies will be able to expand their overall educational outcomes in areas selected from the five concentrations of study. Student learning outcomes depend on the twelve (12) credits of proposed course work confirmed by the student and the student’s advisor.
Program Objectives
Graduates of the General Music Program will be able to:
- Demonstrate performance skills requisite for high artistic expression.
- Demonstrate intermediate skill level in Music Technology notation software.
- Demonstrate knowledge about mainstream and influential composers, musicians, and artists of the Western canon and of those from the African Diaspora.
- Demonstrate professional decorum and readiness in performance artistry (stage decorum and discourse, appropriate dress and manner, standard program presentations, resume readiness).
- Practice appropriate wellness strategies used for proper maintenance of the body as it relates to the performer (relaxation techniques, standard practice exercises and basic knowledge of the physiological impact of adequate rest and fitness).
Student Learning Outcomes
Students majoring in music will be able to demonstrate:
- Four specialized skill levels and/or cognates in their concentrations (See music concentrations below).
- Essential competencies with scores of 80 percent or above on the Music Department Exit Exam.
Degree Requirements
In addition to the General Degree Requirements as published in this Catalog, students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music must complete the required courses.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: Music | ||
| Theory: | ||
| CMUS 105 | Sightsinging/Eartraining I | 3 |
| CMUS 106 | Sightsinging/Eartraining II | 3 |
| CMUS 201 | Music Theory I | 3 |
| CMUS 202 | Music Theory I | 3 |
| CMUS 301 | Music Theory II | 3 |
| CMUS 302 | Music Theory II | 3 |
| CMUS 304 | Form and Analysis | 3 |
| Music History: | ||
| CMUS 316 | Music History & Literature | 3 |
| CMUS 317 | Music History & Literature | 3 |
| CMUS 318 | Jazz History | 3 |
| or CMUS 320 | African-American Music | |
| Special Skills: | ||
| Select three credit hours for students concentrating in Piano Studies and seven credit hours for those students in other concentrations. | 3-7 | |
| Piano Class | ||
| Piano Class | ||
| Basic Conducting | ||
| Music Technology | ||
| Piano Class | ||
| Piano Class | ||
| Total Hours | 33-37 | |
Regardless of concentration, students majoring in piano are exempt from the four (4) credit Piano Class sequence, CMUS 117A Piano Class/CMUS 117B Piano Class and CMUS 217A Piano Class/CMUS 217B Piano Class. Hence, their Special Skills requirement is three (3) credits. These students will substitute four three (3) credits of music electives for the Piano Class sequence.
Performance
CMUS 100 – CMUS 400 (8 Semesters) - Vocal students (majors and minors) should participate in the University Choir for eight semesters to fulfill their ensemble requirements. Students accepted into Philharmonic Society may substitute Philharmonic Society for University Choir.
CMUS 107 Applied Music - CMUS 408R Senior Recital - (8 semesters which may include Junior and/or Senior Recitals upon recommendation of the applied Instructor.)1
For General Education and Commercial Composition concentrations students must complete a minimum of four consecutive semesters of Applied Lessons on a single instrument before switching his/her instrument. The level of the new instrument will be based on the student successfully passing an upper level audition or the student will need to start at the 100 level [on the new instrument].
CMUS 114A Performance Seminar - CMUS 414B Performance Seminar - (8 semesters)
CMUS 115A Music Seminar - CMUS 415B Music Seminar - (8 semesters)
- 1
- With the exception of Opera Workshop, all applied music, ensembles, and performance seminars are 1 credit each. (Opera Workshop is a 2 credit hour ensemble.)
- Students will enroll in CMUS 308R Junior Recital and CMUS 408R Senior Recital for concentrations requiring a Junior Recital and a Senior Recital. Others will enroll in CMUS 308 Applied Music and CMUS 408 Applied Music for regular applied instruction.
- Students may enroll in CMUS 308 Applied Music and/or CMUS 408 Applied Music, respectively, instead of CMUS 308R Junior Recital and/or CMUS 408R Senior Recital as may be recommended by the Instructor.
General Education Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Area A: Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| The Biblical Heritage | ||
| Intro to Religious Studies | ||
| United States,Africa & World | ||
| United States, Africa & World | ||
| History of the United States | ||
| History of the United States | ||
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Theater Appreciation | ||
| World Music | ||
CHUM 228 | ||
CHUM 230 | ||
| Area B: Social/Behavioral Sciences | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| General Psychology | ||
| Abnormal Psychology | ||
| Educational Psychology | ||
| Intro. to Sociology | ||
| Intro. to Anthropology | ||
| Contemporary Social Problems | ||
| Area C: Natural Science/Mathematics/Statistics | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Finite Mathematics | ||
| Pre-Calculus I | ||
| Pre-Calculus II | ||
| Biological Science | ||
CPHY 103 | ||
| Area D: Communication | ||
| Note: Voice Majors are required to take a Foreign Language | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| College Composition II | ||
CMFL 101 | ||
| Fundamentals of Speech | ||
| Intro to World Literature I | ||
| Intro to World Literature II | ||
| Area E: Financial/Technological | ||
| CCIS 100 | Info. Technology & Comp. App. | 3 |
| or CCIS 101 | Introduction to Computers | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Other University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CGED 100 | First Year Seminar | 1 |
| CGED 101 | 1st-Year Seminar | 1 |
| Total Hours | 2 | |
Recommended Music Concentration Electives1
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CMUS 107 - 408 Applied Music (In another Concentration) | 1-4 | |
| CMUS 318 | Jazz History | 3 |
| or CMUS 320 | African-American Music | |
| CMUS 351 | Songwrit, Arranging, Recording | 3 |
| or CMUS 403 | Orchestration | |
| CMUS 370 | Introduction to Church Music | 3 |
| CMUS 372 | Hymnody | 3 |
| or CMUS 470 | Music African American Chruch | |
| Total Hours | 13-16 | |
Music, B.A. (General Studies)
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| Select one of the following (Area E): | 3 | |
| Info. Technology & Comp. App. | ||
| Introduction to Computers | ||
CCIS 104 |
||
| CENG 105 | College Composition I (Area D) | 3 |
| CGED 100 | First Year Seminar | 1 |
| CMAT 104 | Finite Mathematics (Area C) | 3 |
| CMUS 107 | Applied Music | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
| University Orchestra | ||
| Philharmonic Society | ||
| University Band | ||
| Jazz Orchestra | ||
| CMUS 114A | Performance Seminar | 1 |
| CMUS 115A | Music Seminar | 0 |
| Select one of the following (Area A): | 3 | |
| United States,Africa & World | ||
| United States, Africa & World | ||
| History of the United States | ||
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| CENG 106 | College Composition II (Area D) | 3 |
| CGED 101 | 1st-Year Seminar | 1 |
| Select one of the following (Area A): | 3 | |
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Theater Appreciation | ||
| World Music | ||
| CMUS 105 | Sightsinging/Eartraining I | 3 |
| CMUS 108 | Applied Music | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
| University Orchestra | ||
| Philharmonic Society | ||
| University Band | ||
| Jazz Orchestra | ||
| CMUS 114B | Performance Seminar | 1 |
| CMUS 115B | Music Seminar | 0 |
| CMUS 201 | Music Theory I | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| CBIO 101 or CPHY 102 |
Biological Science (Area C) or Physical Science |
3 |
| Select one of the following (Area D): | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Speech | ||
| Intro to World Literature I | ||
| Intro to World Literature II | ||
| Elementary French (Foreign Language French/Spanish) | ||
| CMUS 106 | Sightsinging/Eartraining II | 3 |
| CMUS 117B | Piano Class | 1 |
| CMUS 202 | Music Theory I | 3 |
| CMUS 207 | Applied Music | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
| University Orchestra | ||
| Philharmonic Society | ||
| University Band | ||
| Jazz Orchestra | ||
| CMUS 214A | Performance Seminar | 1 |
| CMUS 215A | Music Seminar | 0 |
| CMUS XXX | Music Elective | 2 |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Select one of the following (Area A): | 3 | |
CPHIL 105 |
||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| The Biblical Heritage | ||
| Select one of the following (Area A): | 3 | |
| Culture & Society | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| The Biblical Heritage | ||
| Intro to Religious Studies | ||
| CMUS 204 | Basic Conducting | 2 |
| CMUS 208 | Applied Music | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
| University Orchestra | ||
| Philharmonic Society | ||
| University Band | ||
| Jazz Orchestra | ||
| CMUS 214B | Performance Seminar | 1 |
| CMUS 215B | Music Seminar | 0 |
| CMUS 217A | Piano Class | 1 |
| CMUS 218A | 1 | |
| CMUS 301 | Music Theory II | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| CPSY 211 or CSCJ 215 |
General Psychology (Area B) or Intro. to Sociology |
3 |
| CMUS 217B | Piano Class | 1 |
| CMUS 302 | Music Theory II | 3 |
| CMUS 307 | Applied Music | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
| University Orchestra | ||
| Philharmonic Society | ||
| University Band | ||
| Jazz Orchestra | ||
| CMUS 314A | Performance Seminar | 1 |
| CMUS 315A | Music Seminar | 0 |
| CMUS 316 | Music History & Literature | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Church Music | ||
| Songwrit, Arranging, Recording | ||
| Music Business Seminar and Music Production I |
||
| Jazz Theory & Improvisation | ||
CMUS 305A I |
||
| Piano Repertoire | ||
| Vocal Diction I and Opera Workshop I |
||
| Independent Study | ||
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| CMUS 304 | Form and Analysis | 3 |
| CMUS 308R | Junior Recital | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
| University Orchestra | ||
| Philharmonic Society | ||
| University Band | ||
| Jazz Orchestra | ||
| CMUS 314B | Performance Seminar | 1 |
| CMUS 315B | Music Seminar | 0 |
| CMUS 317 | Music History & Literature | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Church Music | ||
| Music Production II | ||
| Orchestration | ||
| Jazz Theory & Improv II | ||
| Piano Music African Diaspora | ||
| Vocal Diction II and Opera Workshop II |
||
| Independent Study | ||
| CMUS 320 or CMUS 318 |
African-American Music or Jazz History |
3 |
| CMUS XXX | Music Elective | 1 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Music African American Chruch | ||
| Recording Studio Internship | ||
| Piano Pedagogy I | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| CMUS 407 | Applied Music | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
| University Orchestra | ||
| Philharmonic Society | ||
| University Band | ||
| Jazz Orchestra | ||
| CMUS 414A | Performance Seminar | 1 |
| CMUS 415A | Music Seminar | 0 |
| CMUS 320 | African-American Music | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Free Elective | 2 | |
| CXXX | Free Elective | 3 |
| CMUS 408 or CMUS 408R |
Applied Music or Senior Recital |
1 |
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
| University Orchestra | ||
| Philharmonic Society | ||
| University Band | ||
| Jazz Orchestra | ||
| CMUS 414B | Performance Seminar | 1 |
| CMUS 415B | Music Seminar | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Church Music Methods | ||
| Jazz Composition & Arranging | ||
| Piano Pedagogy II | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Hours | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
CMUS 101 Fundamentals of Music is a preparatory non-degree credit course and is not part of the degree requirement. Required only for students who does not past the Theory Diagnostic Test.