Music (BM) in Performance with an Emphasis in Orchestral Instruments

This program is offered by the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts/Department of Music and is only available at the St. Louis main campus.

Program Description

The bachelor of music in performance is a pre-professional degree designed to prepare students who wish to pursue a future in the professional music world as a performing artist or studio teacher. This degree requires an emphasis in orchestral instruments, jazz, piano or voice.

Extensive applied instruction and classes on technique, coaching and various performance styles, as well as ensemble experience, constitute the core of the curriculum.

For the emphasis in orchestral instruments, students may choose classical guitar, or any orchestral wind, brass, or string instrument, or percussion as their performance area. Private instruction is provided by outstanding artists/teachers on the faculty.

Music majors with an orchestral instruments emphasis will perform in Webster University ensembles, and may be assigned to assist with choral concerts, musical theatre performances, or Opera Studio as designated by the faculty.

Students whose performance area is organ follow the curriculum for the bachelor of music in performance with an emphasis in orchestral instruments except that MUSC 4030 and 3 credit hours of music electives replace the 6 credit hours of piano.

The bachelor of music in performance conforms to the guidelines specified by the National Association of Schools of Music for accreditation. Webster University is a full member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate competency in these areas at an emerging professional level:

• The ability to hear, identify and work with musical elements: rhythm, pitch, harmony, structure, timbre and texture.
• The ability to read, comprehend and apply musical notation fluently in performance settings.
• The ability to recognize and articulate an understanding of compositional process and musical style with reference to artists technologies, events and cultural forces through the major periods of music history.
• The ability to use research tools and analysis independently to develop, defend and write musical judgments.
• The ability to apply technical, musical and interpretive skill in a variety of solo and ensemble performance settings.
• Familiarity with a core of appropriately representative body of solo and ensemble music repertoire.
• The ability to apply both recognized and historically accurate performance practices.
• An ability to be creative in expanding personal knowledge and practices in new musics.
• Basic-level experience with the fundamentals of instrumental of vocal pedagogy and pedagogical resources.

Admission and Audition Requirements

To be admitted as an undergraduate music major or music minor, applicants must complete an audition/interview with the music faculty and complete various diagnostic examinations. Auditions are arranged through the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Specific information on the audition requirements for each music degree program is available from the department’s website. Priority consideration for performance scholarships is given to students who complete all admission requirements before February 28 of the application year.

Performance Requirements

Much of the music that we make is collaborative in nature, with a mix of keyboard, wind, brass, string and percussion instruments and voices. So that performance majors develop an ability to work with others beyond an accompanist, all performance majors presenting junior and senior recitals will include on each recital or in a Thursday student recital at least one 3-minute work that includes collaboration with a performer other than or in addition to piano. Works longer than 3 minutes are encouraged.

Degree Requirements

For information on the general requirements for a degree, see Baccalaureate Degree Requirements under the Academic Policies and Information section of this catalog.

• 89-90 required credit hours
• Applicable University Global Citizenship Program hours, with accommodations for the bachelor of music
• Electives

Global Citizenship Program for Bachelor of Music

• GLBC 1200 Global Cornerstone Seminar
• 6 credit hours from courses designated ‘Roots of Cultures’ (One course with the MUSC prefix can fulfill GCP and major requirements simultaneously.)
• 3 credit hours from courses designated ‘Social Systems & Human Behavior’
• 3 credit hours from courses designated ‘Global Understanding’
• 3 credit hours from courses designated ‘Physical & Natural World’ or ‘Quantitative Literacy’
• KEYS 4XXX Global Keystone Seminar

NOTE: Except where specified otherwise, the above courses must not also satisfy major requirements. GCP skills requirements may be fulfilled with the courses above, courses in the major, or electives. 'Arts Appreciation' is satisfied in meeting the requirements for the major.

Required Courses

Core Music Courses

• MUSC 1010 Music Theory and Aural Skills I (4 hours)
• MUSC 1020 Music Theory II (3 hours)
• MUSC 1820 Aural Skills II (2 hours)
• A minimum of 6 credit hours chosen from the following:
  • MUSC 1370 Jazz Keyboard Theory I (3 hours)
  • MUSC 2050 Songwriting Theory (3 hours)
  • MUSC 3060 Topics in Music Analysis (2-3 hours)
  • MUSC 3065 Topics in Music Analysis (2-3 hours)
  • MUSC 4030 Eighteenth-Century Counterpoint (3 hours)
• MUSC 2060 Social and Cultural Approaches in Music (3 hours)
• MUSC 2070 Music in Western Culture (3 hours)
• A minimum of 4 credit hours chosen from the following:
  • MUSC 3160 Topics in Musicology (1-3 hours)
  • MUSC 3165 Topics in Musicology (1-3 hours)
  • MUSC 3170 Jazz History (3 hours)
  • MUSC 3520 History of Popular Styles (3 hours)
  • MUSC 4040 Music of the Twentieth Century (3 hours)
• MUSC 4700 Advanced Topics in Music (taken in junior or senior year only) (2-3 hours)
• MUSC 0200 Candidacy Examination (0 hours)
• MUSC 0500 Senior Overview (0 hours)

Performance Courses

• MUSC 2604, MUSC 3004, MUSC 4004 Applied Music (major instrument) (eight semesters required) (20 hours)
• MUSC 2004 Applied Music (minor lessons for literature and pedagogy study) (eight semesters required) (8 hours)
• MUSC 0890 Recital Attendance (six semesters required) (0 hours)
• MUSC 0990 Master Class (taken every semester) (0 hours)
• MUSC 0300 Junior Recital (0 hours)
• MUSC 0400 Senior Recital (0 hours)

Major Ensemble
8 hours over 8 semesters, as approved by advisor, to be selected from:

• MUSC 4940 Webster University Orchestra (1 hour per semester)
• MUSC 4980 Webster University Wind Ensemble (1 hour per semester)

Supportive Courses

• MUSC 1080, MUSC 1085 Class Piano I, II (may be waived on the basis of placement exam results) (4 hours)
• MUSC 2001, MUSC 2501 Applied Piano (four consecutive semesters required) (4 hours)
• MUSC 3070, MUSC 3080 Orchestration I, II (5 hours)
• MUSC 3410 Conducting I (3 hours)
• MUSC 3420 Advanced Instrumental Conducting (3 hours)
• MUSC 4190 Orchestral Literature (3 hours)
• MUSC 4950 Webster University Chamber Music Ensembles (4 hours)