SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Accredited by National Association of Schools of Music

Major in Music - Teacher Certification | Choral Emphasis | Instrumental Emphasis (teaching) | Instrumental Principal (non-keyboard) | Piano/Organ Principal | Vocal Principal| Music Literature | Music Theory | Music Therapy | Music Minor | Applied Music Instruction

Course Descriptions

Chair: James M. Bankhead (936) 294-1360

Faculty: Randy Adams, Wayne Barrett, Rodney Cannon, Patricia Card, David Clemmer, Barbara Corbin, Kathy Daniel, Peggy DeMers, Karen Epps-Miller, Trent Hanna, Allen Hightower, Kristin Hightower, Henry Howey, Kyle Kindred, Mary Kay Lake, Matthew McInturf, Christopher Michel, Sheryl Murphy-Manley, Sergio Ruiz, Scott Phillips, Scott Plugge, Carol Smith, Jay Whatley, Andrew Wilson

Website: www.shsu.edu/music/

Mission

The Sam Houston State University School of Music exists as a community of musician-educators whose mission is:

• To educate and train students for lives of service and contribution—as teachers, performers, composers, therapists and scholars;
• To provide and nurture a nucleus of musical life for the larger community;
• To educate the university student population regarding music’s intrinsic value as a part of the human experience and its central role in human culture; and
• To mutually encourage one another in professional growth and attainment

Our mission encompasses a variety of programs and curricula, traditional and innovative which are regularly examined for effectiveness, quality and relevance. It includes our commitment to a combination of:

• Classroom studies in music and
• The live performance of music, individually and collectively, as central to music study, development
and knowledge.

As an integral part of our mission, we commit ourselves to continuing steps toward realizing the full potential of community, both as teachers and as colleagues; further, we commit to interaction with our students that emphasizes personal attention and interest in their total musical/intellectual development.

Academic Programs

• Bachelor of Music:

Performance Track
Teacher Certification Track
Theory/Composition Track

• Bachelor of Music: Music Therapy Track

The School of Music offers instruction in the following applied areas: Bassoon, Clarinet, Euphonium, Flute, Guitar, Horn, Oboe, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Saxophone, String Bass, Viola, Violin, Violoncello, and Voice.

Highlights

All music majors receive training in applied music, music theory, music history, and, where appropriate,
professional training specific to a particular field. Each student receives private instruction in his
or her principal applied area (such as piano, trumpet, or voice), participates in musical ensembles
(such as wind ensemble, orchestra, choir, or jazz band), and is afforded a multitude of opportunities
to grow and develop as a musician. Students develop keyboard skills in a state-of-the-art piano lab
and have their musical training enhanced in a Computer Assisted Instruction lab.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the School of Music are successfully employed around the state, the nation, and internationally as:

• music educators
• music therapists
• musical performers
• music scholars
• music composers

Student Organizations

Numerous student organizations actively promote enrichment across a wide array of musical interests.

• American Choral Directors Association
• American String Teachers Association/Symphony Association—The group’s membership consists of string students at Sam Houston State University and was organized to support string pedagogy on the SHSU campus.
• Kappa Kappa Psi—National band fraternity. Provides valuable service to the school and
serves to promote excellence in band music.
• Music Educators National Conference—National organization for music education. Membership in this student chapter is open to music education majors.
• Mu Tau Omega—National organization for music therapy. Membership open to interested students committed to the study and/or advancement of music therapy in community, educational, and clinical settings.
• Phi Mu Alpha—International music fraternity for men. Provides valuable service to the school and community.
• Pi Kappa Lambda—National music honor society. Invitation to membership is limited to the top students from the junior, senior, and graduate classes by vote of the faculty members of Pi Kappa Lambda.
• Sigma Alpha Iota—International music fraternity for women. Provides valuable service to the school and community.
• Tau Beta Sigma—National band sorority. Supports band studies and provides valuable support
service to instrumental ensembles and to the school.

Internships

Following the completion of all coursework, the music therapy student must fulfill a 900-1040 hour (five-six month) clinical internship at an AMTA national roster internship site or an SHSU university- affiliated internship site. The intern must be supervised on-site by a qualified and approved MT-BC supervisor. The internship is the final requirement for graduating with the bachelor’s degree in music therapy. Once it has been completed, the individual is eligible to sit for the board certification examination. A passing grade on the exam will result in board certification and the credentials MT-BC.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available both from the School of Music and from the University to support student study. For more information regarding scholarships, prospective or current students should contact the Chair of the School of Music. Information on University scholarships may be obtained from the Office of Academic Scholarships website at www.shsu.edu/~sfa_www/scholarship.html or telephone (936) 294-1672. Interested persons may also gather more information from the School of Music website.

Program Specific Requirements

General Requirements for Music Majors

• Students desiring to major in music must have previous musical experience. All students entering the School of Music as music majors must audition in their major performance area and be accepted for a specific degree plan (e.g Bachelor of Music: Performance, Teacher Certification, Theory/Composition; Bachelor of Music: Music Therapy).

• All applied music students must take jury examinations at the end of each semester.• Before students majoring in music are allowed to enroll for 300 level courses in applied music, they must pass a proficiency examination, normally administered at the end of their fourth semester of study.

• As a component of all music degrees, students must pass a proficiency examination in piano. Students who do not have the requisite skills may enroll in piano classes, which are designed to prepare students for the proficiency exam.

• Concert attendance (12 per semester) is required of all undergraduate music majors for at least six semesters of their college study. Transfer students may receive a credit or waiver for up to three semesters. Details of this requirement are printed in the School of Music Student Handbook.

• Enrollment in a major ensemble is expected of full-time students each long semester. The minimum requirement is seven semesters for B.M. with teacher certification or eight semesters for other majors. For piano principals (non-performance majors), accompanying (ENS 110) will satisfy a portion of this requirement. For piano performance majors, accompanying (ENS 110) satisfies the major ensemble requirement. Further details are printed in the School of Music Student Handbook.

Curriculum

Required Courses for Majors

Bachelor of Music:

Performance Track, 75 hours
Teacher Certification Track, 70 hours
Theory/Composition Track, 82-86 hours

Bachelor of Music: Music Therapy Track, 86 hours

Teacher Certification Track
Bachelor of Music

A curriculum for the Bachelor of Music degree with teacher certification, when successfully completed, qualifies a candidate for All-Level State Certification to teach music in early childhood through twelfth grade.

Programs with Choral or Instrumental Emphasis
Choral Emphasis
(for students preparing to teach vocal music)

Instrumental Emphasis
(for students preparing to teach instrumental music)

* class instrument requirement will be reduced by one semester in the student’s applied area

Performance Track
Bachelor of Music

The curriculum in music performance is designed to challenge and develop students with exceptional performance ability and potential. Among other goals, students who pursue this degree may be seeking careers as professional performers and/or planning to further their studies with graduate work.

Instrumental (Non-Keyboard) Principal

Piano or Organ Principal

Vocal Principal

Literature Track
Bachelor of Music

The major in music literature curriculum, strongly concentrated on the study of music history and literature, is designed principally to prepare the student for entry into graduate study in musicology.

Theory/Composition Track
Bachelor of Music

The major in music theory/composition is designed to prepare the student for graduate study in the field. Students who normally pursue this degree are those who have career interests as composers or as teachers of theory/composition.

* For piano principals, this requirement is satisfied by applied lessons

Music Therapy Track
Bachelor of Music

The music therapy curriculum prepares the student for a career as a music therapist and includes the requisite professional certification. A one-semester internship concludes this course of study.

Minor in Music

Students who elect music as a minor must complete a minimum of eighteen hours in theory, applied music, or music literature, six of which must be advanced (300 level and above). Up to twelve hours of applied music may be used in the minor. Students who desire to enroll in private instruction must audition for the school in their respective applied areas.

Students who choose music as a teaching minor must complete the following courses.

MUS 122, 123, 124, 125MUS 138MUS 367, 368Applied Music (4 hours)Music Electives (6 hours)Piano Proficiency Examination Ensemble Enrollment for five semesters

All-level certification to teach music is not available to students who minor in music.

Music Course Descriptions

ENSEMBLES

The following performance groups are open to all students of the University who qualify by audition:

Not more than eight hours earned in ensembles may be counted toward a degree unless specified.

Applied Music Instruction

Applied Music Fees. Students enrolled in Applied Music Instruction are required to pay a fee at the time of registration on a per-course basis as follows:

For information regarding Common Course numbers for Ensemble courses, please refer to the Common Course listing in this catalog.

There is no additional charge for use of practice rooms.

Course Descriptions:

• Music (MUS)