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School of Music

School of Music

These degree descriptions apply to students entering Fall 2015 and after.

DePauw University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

The School of Music prepares music majors for a variety of careers, in music and other fields, and provides opportunities for all students to study music as an essential part of a liberal arts education. The School of Music offers several degree options so students can tailor their educations to match their levels of interest and future plans. All students receive careful and close advising from faculty members in order to choose the program that best suits their needs.

Students are admitted to the School of Music by audition.

DEGREES

The following degree options are available to students interested in majoring in music:

  • Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
    • Performance
    • Performance with a Second Major
    • Performance with an Emphasis in Business
    • Five-year Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Arts Double Degree Program (B.M./B.A)
  • Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.)
    • Choral/General Music Emphasis
    • Instrumental/General Music Emphasis
  • Bachelor of Musical Arts (B.M.A.)
    • General Music Emphasis
    • Emphasis in Business
    • Second Major
  • Bachelor of Arts in Music (B.A.)

The following options are available to students interested in minoring in music:

  • School of Music students
    • Minor in Instrumental Jazz Studies
  • College of Liberal Arts students
    • Minor in Music
    • Minor in Jazz Studies

DESCRIPTION OF MUSIC DEGREES

Detailed degree requirement worksheets for all majors within the School of Music can be found at https://www.depauw.edu/academics/music/prospective/degrees/

Bachelor of Music in Performance

The Bachelor of Music degree (B.M.) is ideal for the student who wishes to pursue music as a career. The B.M. is the most common professional degree in music and the most music-intensive of all options, with approximately two-thirds of all coursework in music and one-third in other liberal arts courses. Individual and ensemble performance standards are high for all majors. Students choosing the B.M. generally practice several hours daily on a primary instrument, in addition to carrying a normal class load. With careful planning, students in the B.M. degree program may also complete a second major in a liberal arts discipline or an emphasis in business.

Students are admitted to the B.M. degree program by meeting all academic prerequisites and the successful completion of a qualifying performance examination at the end of the sophomore year. For additional information on the Sophomore Proficiency Examination, visit the School of Music Handbook. Performance majors complete a half recital in the junior year and a full recital in the senior year. Students pursuing the B.M. degree satisfy the senior capstone requirement by successfully completing the senior recital jury and the subsequent presentation of a senior recital that is 55-60 minutes in length.

Completion of the B.M. degree requires a total of 36 course credits, including ensembles, lessons and recitals.

Five-year Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Arts Double Degree Program: Students who wish to complete the professional study in music required for the Bachelor of Music degree as well as the full liberal arts curriculum required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in a discipline outside of music have that option. The program requires five years of study. Unlike the B.M. and B.M.A. degrees with a second liberal arts major, the double degree program requires that students fulfill all College of Liberal Arts degree requirements, including the distribution area requirements and the competency requirements, as well as complete work in a College of Liberal Arts major. A minimum cumulative liberal arts GPA of 2.8 and a minimum cumulative music GPA of 2.8 are required. Completing the requirements for both degrees will require at least 43 course credits, including ensembles, lessons and recitals. Students in the double degree program are expected to take lessons and participate in ensembles each of their five years in the program.

Bachelor of Music Education

The Bachelor of Music Education degree (B.M.E.) is designed for students who wish to become certified music teachers. The program meets requirements for P-12 teaching certification in Indiana and reciprocal states. The curriculum for the B.M.E. degree involves approximately one-half of the coursework in music (performance and musicianship studies) and approximately one- half in liberal arts courses and professional education courses. Two majors are available: an instrumental/general music emphasis and a choral/general music emphasis.

All students who wish to complete the B.M.E. degree must be admitted to the Music Teacher Education Program, preferably by the end of the sophomore year. Please confer with the music education faculty about requirements for admission and certification. (A GPA of 2.8 is required to be admitted to this program.)

Students pursuing the B.M.E. degree, must successfully complete 14-weeks of full-time teaching experience in an approved music department of a school district. Students are under the supervision of a cooperating teacher and, at least, one University supervisor. In conjunction with student teaching, students enroll in the music education senior seminar, which stresses a professional examination of principles of classroom management, legal rights and responsibilities, certification, accountability, and current issues in education.  Students participate in a final exhibition that involves a formal presentation of personal growth and competence via the electronic portfolio process.

Completion of the B.M.E. degree requires a total of 36 course credits, including ensembles and lessons.

Bachelor of Musical Arts

The Bachelor of Musical Arts degree (B.M.A.) is an interdisciplinary music degree which requires students to develop a secondary area of emphasis outside of music. Students personally design these interdisciplinary liberal arts components through a process of individual advising with faculty members. The program culminates in a capstone experience relating studies in music to the secondary area of emphasis. As with the B.M. degree, students complete a rigorous core curriculum in theory, musicianship, music history and literature.

Three tracks are available. For the general music emphasis, students individually design an interdisciplinary liberal arts component. The second major curriculum combines the general music emphasis with another major in a liberal arts discipline. (A minimum GPA of 2.8 is required to complete the second major.) For the emphasis in business, the liberal arts curriculum combines core and career-related elective courses. Students will complete approximately half of their courses in music and half of their courses in liberal arts.

The B.M.A. degree provides an education that is more general than the B.M. degree while still emphasizing music. This degree differs from the B.A. degree in that it generally requires more music theory and history classes. The B.M.A. effectively prepares students for graduate study in music.

Students pursuing the interdisciplinary B.M.A. degree fulfill the capstone requirement by satisfactorily completing MUS 450, Senior Seminar.  Students discuss a common set of readings designed to help synthesize their diverse experiences in music and complete a major research project on an approved topic, which consists of a written thesis and oral presentation.

Completion of the B.M.A. degree requires a total of 36 course credits, including ensembles and lessons.

Bachelor of Arts in Music

Students in the School of Music may pursue the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Music degree. Any student wishing to pursue a B.A. in Music, who has not previously auditioned for the School of Music, must successfully complete an audition to officially declare the major. Students fulfill all general University requirements, including the specified distribution area and competency requirements expected of students in the College of Liberal Arts, and must complete 21 credits in courses other than music. Approximately one-third of the curriculum is the music major, which comprises required sequences in music theory as well as music history and literature, performance requirements and music electives. The B.A. degree in music provides an excellent liberal arts experience.

Students pursuing the B.A. in Music fulfill the capstone requirement by satisfactorily completing MUS 450, Senior Seminar.  Students discuss a common set of readings designed to help synthesize their diverse experiences in music and complete a major research project on an approved topic, which consists of a written thesis and oral presentation.

 

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC MAJORS

Detailed degree requirement worksheets for all majors within the School of Music can be found at https://www.depauw.edu/academics/music/prospective/degrees/

Total Credits and Grade Point Average

B.M. and B.M.A. degrees: minimum of 36 course credits, with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

B.M. and B.M.A. degrees with second major: minimum of 36 course credits, with a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher.

B.M.E. degrees: minimum of 36 course credits, with a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher.

B.M./B.A. double degree: minimum of 43 course credits, with a 2.8 or higher cumulative music GPA and a 2.8 or higher cumulative CLA GPA.

General Course Work

Theory and Musicianship

  • MUS 111, Theory I
  • MUS 112, Theory II
  • MUS 121, Musicianship I
  • MUS 122, Musicianship II
  • MUS 211, Theory III
  • MUS 212, Theory IV
  • MUS 221, Musicianship III
  • MUS 222, Musicianship IV
  • MUS 360, Conducting I

History and Literature

  • MUS 265, History of Western Music I
  • MUS 266, History of Western Music II
  • Upper-level history course (usually a MUS 390 topics course)

21 CM (21st-Century Musician) Courses

  • MUS 130, First-Year Seminar: Understanding Music
  • MUS 240, State of the Art
  • MUS 340, Entrepreneurship (required for B.M. and B.M.A. only)
  • MUS 444, Practicum (required for B.M. and B.M.A. only)

Applied Music

  • Primary instrument: weekly hour-long lessons every semester in residence
  • Completion of Piano Proficiency Exam

Ensembles

  • Major Ensemble: every semester in residence
  • Chamber Ensemble
    • B.M. and B.M.A. degrees: six semesters for instrumental students; MUS 283, Performing Opera, and MUS 284, Performing Musical Theatre, for voice students

Recital Attendance

  • Every semester in residence

Other General Requirements

  • Competency Requirements
    • W certification: all students, by end of junior year
    • S certification: all students
  • Extended Studies: two experiences
  • Residency: 15 courses (including six of the last eight courses) in residence or in a University-approved program

 

Minors

Detailed degree requirement worksheets for all music minors can be found at https://www.depauw.edu/academics/music/prospective/degrees/

Students in the School of Music may complete a minor in instrumental jazz studies. The minor requires 4 1/4 credits of academic courses and performance in jazz studies, most of which may not overlap with the music major.

Students in the College of Liberal Arts who are majoring in disciplines other than music may complete a minor in either music or jazz studies. The completion of a successful audition is required before a student can be certified as a minor.