Faculty:

• Mark A. Boyle, D.M.A.
• Kathleen M. Campbell, M.M.
• Ted A. DiSanti, D.A.
• Laurie Fox, M.M.T., M.T.-B.C., L.P.C.
• Edward Kuhn, M.F.A.
• Christopher M. Marra, Ph.D.
• Sarah McMeekin, M.A., M.T.-B.C.
• Jessica Vaughan-Marra, Ph.D.

Learning Objectives: Commercial Music

1. Perform at the degree required level on the major instrument from a cross-section of the appropriate repertoire.
2. Demonstrate the skills necessary to work as a leader and in collaboration on matters of musical interpretation through ensemble leadership and performance.
3. Perform at the degree required secondary proficiency level on piano and voice.
4. Demonstrate growth in artistry, technical skills, collaborative competence, and knowledge of repertory through regular ensemble participation, as well as attendance at concerts and recitals.
5. Employ the common elements and organizational patterns of music and their interactions through aural, verbal, and visual analyses.
6. Sight-read music at the degree required proficiency level.
7. Create derivative or original music both extemporaneously and in written form.
8. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of music history from antiquity through the present time, including music of Western and global cultures through written and scholarly discourse.
9. Integrate emerging technologies in music through performance and coursework.
10. Synthesize a broad range of musical knowledge and skills as well as the Music and University objectives through self-directed study and the capstone assessment.
11. Perform in a variety of non-traditional musical styles, including but not limited to: Rock, Latin, R & B, Hip Hop, and Disco.
12. Compose and arrange music in a variety of non-traditional musical styles, including but not limited to: Rock, Latin, R & B, Hip Hop, and Disco.
13. Demonstrate a practical knowledge of the entrepreneurial strategies necessary to function as a professional musician through experiential projects and coursework.
14. Demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of acoustics and live performance sound reinforcement techniques through applied sound mixing experiences.
15. Demonstrate a working knowledge of legal issues concerning the performance, reproduction, and distribution of original musical compositions, including both traditional and digital musical outlets through experiential projects and coursework.
16. Manage and coordinate various aspects of live concert promotion.
17. Integrate emerging technologies in music through performing, composing, and arranging.

Admission to the program in music is based on the successful completion of an audition for the music faculty, as well as admission to the University. Auditions are scheduled by appointment throughout the academic year. Consideration for music scholarships is determined by the quality of the entrance audition.

All candidates for the Bachelor of Music degree in commercial music must complete the Liberal Arts Curriculum requirements, the capstone assessment requirement, and the required courses for the major.

All music students are evaluated in the sophomore year for a formative review. Students complete and present the Year Two Self-Assessment on the Attainment of the Integration of Music/University Learning Objectives, and academic and music performance benchmarks are reviewed by the music faculty during the spring semester of the sophomore year. Upon successful completion of this evaluation, students continue through their upper-divisional major coursework.

The capstone assessment includes successful completion of coursework and assignments; successful completion of juries in the applied major; completion of all designated proficiencies in piano and voice. Students must also successfully complete the Senior Performance Test and Recital with accompanying program notes and musician’s statement on how the attainment and integration of major and University learning objectives informed the performance.

A minimum of 120 credits is required.

In addition, all music majors will have a performance examination (jury) on their major instrument each semester and perform in at least one student recital every semester. They must also participate in one music department major ensemble each semester and otherwise complete all requirements as identified in the ensemble documents.