Music

Mission Statement of the Ohio University School of Music:
The School of Music is committed to developing confident, creative, and skilled professional musicians. Undergraduate and graduate students are prepared for careers in music education, performance, music therapy, composition, musicology, and music theory. The School of Music provides opportunities for students of all majors to enhance their musical knowledge and skill through participation in a wide variety of academic courses, performance studies, university ensembles, and field experiences. It enriches the cultural life of the university and the surrounding region through public performances and educational outreach by its students, faculty, and guest artists. As a vital part of the College of Fine Arts, the School of Music promotes the musical arts within the university, regional, national, and international communities.

Overview Statement—Music
The curricula of the School of Music, culminating in the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Music, or the Master of Music degrees, are designed to prepare students for careers in teaching, music therapy, performance, or scholarship. The School of Music makes provision for individual study in vocal and instrumental music and offers a wide range of courses in the fields of theory, composition, electronic music, music history and literature, music education, and music therapy. Opportunities are provided for individual participation in student recitals and for performing experience in various organizations, such as the Choral Union, University Singers, Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensembles, and many small chamber ensembles. While the School of Music curricula are largely shaped by the demands of professional preparation for a music career, a large number of courses are offered that provide musical opportunities for the wider university community.

While some proficiencies will be unique to specific music major programs (e.g., Music Education, Performance, Music Therapy, etc.), all music majors upon graduation should possess competencies in the following broad areas (these Learning Outcomes are mandated by our accrediting body and are taken from the NASM Handbook, 2003-2004):

Performance

• Technical skills requisite for artistic self-expression in at least one major performance area at a level appropriate for the particular music concentration.
• An overview understanding of the repertory in their major performance area and the ability to perform from a cross-section of that repertory.
• The ability to sight read with fluency.
• Knowledge and skills sufficient to work as a leader and in collaboration on matters of music interpretation.
• Keyboard competency.
• Growth in artistry, technical skills, collaborative competence and knowledge of repertory through regular ensemble experiences.

Aural Skills and Analysis

• An understanding of the common elements and organizational patterns of music and their interaction, and the ability to employ this understanding in aural, verbal, and visual analyses.
• Sufficient understanding of musical forms, processes, and structures to use this knowledge in compositional, performance, scholarly, pedagogical, and historical contexts, according to the requisites of their specializations.
• The ability to place music in historical, cultural, and stylistic contexts.

Composition and Improvisation

• Rudimentary capacity to create derivative or original music both extemporaneously and in written form.
• The ability to compose, improvise, or both at a basic level in one or more musical languages.

History and repertory

• A basic knowledge of music history through the present time.
• An acquaintance with repertories beyond the area of specialization. This is acquired not only through classroom study but also by attendance at a varied array of concerts, recitals, opera performances, etc., throughout the student’s course of study.

Technology

• A basic overview understanding of how technology serves the field of music as a whole.
• Working knowledge of the technological developments applicable to their area of specialization.

Synthesis
While synthesis is a lifetime process, by the end of undergraduate study students should be:

• Working independently on a variety of musical problems by combining their capabilities in performance; aural, verbal, and visual analysis; composition and improvisation; and history and repertory.
• Forming and defending value judgments about music.
• Acquiring the tools to work with a comprehensive repertory, including music from various cultures of the world and music of their own time.
• Understanding basic interrelationships and interdependencies among the various professions and activities that constitute the musical enterprise.