Bachelor of Arts in Music - General

Requirements for the major can be found at Music - Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

The Department of Music Theory, History, and Composition offers a wide variety of courses, allowing students to pursue various professional and intellectual goals. We welcome students from throughout the university community to join our ensembles, take private lessons, enroll in music history and theory courses, and attend our performances. The study of music is both a way of thought and way of being, which informs one another and further supports a student’s development as a liberally educated individual. Toward these ends, we offer Bachelor of Arts degree programs, including general studies in music and the liberal arts as well as specific majors in performance and music history and literature. These programs are recommended for students who desire basic music training within a broad liberal arts education, as opposed to the more specialized preparation provided by the Bachelor of Music degree. This track is ideal for students who want to study music and pursue either a double major or multiple minor degrees.

Analogous to an English major who writes, the study of music requires playing and singing, and, while performance may not be the goal, it is an essential part of the learning process. The applied skills acquired during private instruction, ensemble practice, and Class Piano illuminate and vivify the underlying musical principles and precepts. We do not expect all of the Bachelor of Arts majors to become proficient performers; rather, we want them to be able to fully participate in the musical and scholarly conversation.

Entrance into the Bachelor of Arts programs does not require an audition, but students are invited to audition if they would like to be considered for a music scholarship. All applicants for the Bachelor of Arts in Music must include in the application their musical activities and reasons for wanting to study music, as these are important criteria for admission into the School of Music.

Students may not choose a specific major within music until the end of the first year of study. During the first year, all students follow the same program of general musical and liberal arts studies. At the end of the second semester of study, students, in consultation with the music adviser, decide whether to pursue a specific major or stay within the music and liberal arts track. Those opting to pursue a specific major must then be accepted into the major; those wishing to major in performance (including composition) must audition for the appropriate applied faculty, and those wishing to major in music history and literature must submit a formal paper to the musicology faculty. Students who chose to remain in the general (no emphasis) Bachelor of Arts program will, at the end of the second year of study, be thoroughly evaluated by the music adviser (in consultation with relevant faculty, including private music instructors and ensemble directors) to determine whether the student may continue as a music major. This determination will be based on (but not limited to) such factors as overall degree progress, the student’s growth as a musician, and the student’s positive contributions to ensembles and the School. Students may choose to apply and audition for Bachelor of Music programs at any time before the end of the sophomore year; however, because of the large number of specialized courses required in those programs, students should be aware that switching programs will likely lengthen the amount of time for them to complete the degree.

All Bachelor of Arts students must complete a minimum of four semesters of private instruction in a performance area at either one or three semester hours of credit per semester, depending on the student’s interest and qualifications. Before registering for private instruction, students must perform a hearing for the appropriate applied faculty; the hearing will determine teacher placement as well as whether the student is qualified for three-credit lessons. All students must also complete a minimum of four semesters of any music performing organization, such as University Symphony Orchestra, CUA Chamber Choir, University Singers, or Wind Ensemble. Students will select the appropriate ensemble in consultation with the music adviser. All ensembles require the student to pass an audition before being permitted to register.

All students are required to study piano, as keyboard skills are crucial for gaining a full understanding of musical concepts. Beginners will normally take Class Piano I and II, though more advanced students may audition for private instruction; in this case, the piano lessons may count toward both private instruction and piano requirements, and the two prerequisite credit hours of Class Piano will be waived.

Music elective credits, when used as substitutes for music course credits, may be satisfied by either MUS or MUPI. In order for MUPI credits to count toward the degree, a jury is required. Students who take private piano instruction in lieu of Class Piano are not required to perform a jury.

	Prerequisites	Credits
MUS 121	Ear Training and Sight Singing I	2
MUS 122	Ear Training and Sight Singing II	2
MUS 123	Harmony I	2
MUS 124	Harmony II	2
MUS 223	Harmony III	2
MUS 224	Harmony IV	2
MUS 183	Class Piano I	1
MUS 184	Class Piano II	1
	Prerequisites total credits:	14
	Major Area	Credits
MUPI 4XX	Private Instruction (min. 4 semesters @ 1 or 3 credits)	4 (or 12)
MUS ___	Performing Organization (minimum 4 semesters)	4
MUS 321	Form and Analysis I	3
MUS 325	History of Music I	3
MUS 326	History of Music II	3
MUS 327	History of Music III	3
MUS and/or MUPI	Two Music Electives	6
	Major Area (excluding prerequisites) total credits:	26 (or 34)
	General Studies
ENG 101	Writing: Logic and Rhetoric (Freshman year)	3
___ ___	Literature Elective (English or other language)	3
PHIL 201, PHIL 202	The Classical Mind, The Modern Mind (3 credits each) (Freshman year)	6
PHIL ___	One Philosophy Elective	3
TRS 201	Foundations in Theology: The Scriptures and Jesus Christ (Freshman year)	3
TRS 202A / TRS 202B	Foundations in Theology II: The Church and the Human Person	3
TRS ___	Theology Elective	3
	Foundations of History or Political Theory (to be chosen from a pool of general education courses)	3
	Two Intermediate Language Courses in an Ancient or Modern Foreign Language	6
	One Mathematics Elective	3
	One Natural Science Elective	3
	Foundations in Social Science	3
	Fourteen Free Electives (if music courses are elected, they must be MUS)	42
	General Studies total credits:	84
	Total program credits:	124 (132)