Music

Degree: B.A., Music
Department of Music

The Department of Music functions as one component of the liberal arts institution. Cognizant of its mission the department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music that allows students to focus the major with elective courses.  Students might use these electives to develop a specialization in composition, history, performance, technology, or theory. Additionally, students may pursue licensure to teach music through the College of Education. The music minor offers structure for students seeking a formalized music education to supplement another major. A number of ensembles offer performance opportunities for the University as well as community musicians. The department also serves the community at large through its offerings of cultural events — lectures, workshops, and concerts. This liberal arts orientation defines the goal of the major program — to allow students to pursue a specialized interest in music beyond a specific core of courses.

The objectives of the major program in music involve preparing students for graduate study as well as for careers in the performing arts, public school teaching, and many other areas. The music department’s Pollard Hall includes a small recital hall, a class piano laboratory, practice and rehearsal facilities as well as a recording studio, electronic music lab and media collection. Nearby duPont Hall houses the department’s music production lab. The music department regularly presents public events in the Weatherly Wing of Seacobeck Hall and Dodd Auditorium.

The department presents a wide variety of public musical performances throughout the academic year. Students and faculty appear in general recitals, senior and faculty recitals, and chamber programs. The department and the University also sponsor visiting performers, composers, and lecturers in recitals, concerts, and master classes. The music department offers individual instruction in all traditional wind, string, and keyboard instruments and voice based on competitive auditions. A maximum of 12 credits in individual instruction and 10 credits in performing ensembles may be counted toward the minimum 120 credits required for a degree.

Students should balance their total program before exceeding these limits. Students planning to major in music should take MUTC 100 Technology for Musicians, MUTH 191 Diatonic Music Theory and MUTH 101 Aural Skills I in the first year.  Prospective majors also should audition for admission to individual study in their performance area and to a musical ensemble. Incoming majors also should audition in the winter months for the Aurelia B. Walford and the Henry and Grace Spicer Scholarships, awarded to outstanding performers.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will recognize, imitate, and critique standard practices of melody, harmony, part-writing, and musical notation.

2. Students will appraise the merits of different interpretations of verbal and musical texts.

3. Students will demonstrate adaptability in their interaction with new challenges.

4. Students will demonstrate increasing mastery of technique and expression in applied studies.

5. Students will immerse themselves in a pre-professional experience. 

Major Requirements

¹

Refer to College of Education program information for details about music licensure.

²

MUPR 208 Piano Proficiency Preparation is specifically intended to assist students preparing for the piano proficiency exam. Students with little or no piano background may wish to enroll in MUPR 205A Class Piano I , MUPR 206 Class Piano II, MUPR 207A Class Piano III , MUPR 305A Private Piano , and/or MUPR 405 Advanced Private Piano instead.

General Education Requirements

The general education requirements for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degrees apply to all students who are seeking to earn an undergraduate B.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. degree.

Students seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree have a separate set of BLS general education requirements.

Electives

Elective courses are those that are not needed to fulfill a general education requirement or major program requirement but are chosen by the student to complete the 120 credits required for graduation with a B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. degree or the BLS degree. These courses may be taken graded or pass/fail (or S/U in the case of physical education and 100-level dance). No student in a regular B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. program may count more than 60 credits in a single discipline toward the 120 credits required for graduation.

Total Credits Required for the Degree: 120 credits

Plan of Study - Music Major

This suggested plan of study should serve as a guide to assist students when planning their course selections. It is not a substitute for a student's Degree Evaluation or the Program Requirements listed for this major in the catalog. Academic planning is the student's responsibility, and course selections should be finalized only after speaking with an advisor. Students should familiarize themselves with the catalog in effect at the time they matriculated at the University of Mary Washington. Students should also familiarize themselves with general education requirements which can be fulfilled through general electives as well as major/minor course requirements. Course requirements and sequencing may vary with AP, IB, CLEP, Cambridge or previous coursework, transfer courses, or other conditions. To be considered full-time, an undergraduate student must be enrolled in 12 or more credits for the semester.

¹

If needed

²

Attempt Piano Proficiency Exam.

³

Music electives must total at least 7 credits.

Plan of Study - Students Pursuing Licensure to Teach Music Through the College of Education

¹

If needed.

²

Attempt Piano Proficiency Exam.

³

Students pursuing Vocal/Choral licensure should take an Ensemble course.

⁴

Students pursuing Vocal/Choral licensure should take MUPR 215 or MUPR 261.

Music Faculty

James Brooks Kuykendall, Chair
Douglas T. Gately, Career Advisor

Professors

James Brooks Kuykendall
Christopher O. Ryder

Associate Professors

Robert L. Wells

Senior Lecturer

Douglas T. Gately