Music [BA]

Do you plan to have a music-related career or pursue graduate music study? This program will equip you with musical expertise, within a broad liberal arts education, to meet your goal. It is an innovative degree program flexibly designed for real-world integration of music and the arts. You can combine the music major with a minor or second major in fields as diverse as arts management, communications, entrepreneurship, film studies, journalism, marketing, technology, etc. We are focused on inspiring 21st-century music professionals!

Learn

The students will demonstrate fluent musicianship skills, including an understanding of music theory, proficiency with aural skills and sight reading, competency as a soloist on her/his main instrument, basic piano skills, and the ability to rehearse and perform collaboratively and contribute to an ensemble. The students will define the eras of music history, identify and distinguish the musical styles and genres associated with each, accumulate music history vocabulary, concepts, and understanding as a basis for developing musicianship and as a foundation for professional expertise in music. The students will create original, insightful research into music history and analysis, resulting in an individual capstone project in the form of a research paper suitable for submission to graduate schools or publication in a relevant scholarly field.

Opportunities

Students choose the music major because they wish to combine music study with another area of interest, either a minor or a double major. The BA in Music is an innovative degree program flexibly designed to enable real-world integration of music and the arts. Many students combine the music major with a minor or second major in fields as diverse as arts management, communications, entrepreneurship, film studies, journalism, marketing, technology, etc. Others prepare for graduate or advanced professional studies in music-related fields. Students perform in multiple campus venues, including the historic Pease Auditorium, and readily access the arts-rich environment of Southeast Michigan.

For more information on specific music program policies, please refer to the School of Music & Dance Student Handbook.