Music Major

Darrell Brown	Director of Instrumental Music
Letícia Grützmann	Director of Choirs and Vocal Music, Assistant Professor of Music
Joel Matthys	Assistant Professor of Music

The Music Program offers majors in music, music education and music therapy, as well as a minor in music.

Mission Statement and Program Goals

The music program at Carroll University seeks to provide instruction and high quality musical experiences to music majors and non-majors, and provide opportunities for Carroll and the larger community to experience high-caliber musical performances. We seek to develop graduates with exemplary musical skill and a strong body of knowledge suited to each individual’s musical and/or career interests through rigorous training in musicianship and theory, private instruction on individual instruments and voice, and a diversity of courses in various genres, styles, and approaches to professional music-making.

Music Department Goals

• Foster conceptual understanding of musical components and processes
• Provide opportunities for continued practice in creating, interpreting, presenting, analyzing, and evaluating music
• Develop increased understanding of musical achievements from various analytical, historical, and cultural perspectives
• Develop enhanced capacities to integrate musical knowledge and skills
• Foster a set of capabilities for independent work in the music professions

Music Major

The music major is a liberal arts degree with a broad overview of the field of music, with flexibility for the student. Students will take applied lessons on their primary instrument and perform in university ensembles, as well as study music theory, musicianship, and music history, and choose multiple electives for further study. Students in the music major will complete a half-hour solo recital in their final semester of study.

For the optional performance emphasis, students spend more time in applied lessons and receive additional coursework in musicianship and music theory. Two one-hour recitals are required in successive years, usually during the junior and senior year. Acceptance into the performance emphasis requires a special audition. Performance juries are required of all music majors and minors each semester.

There is no incoming freshman entrance audition at Carroll. We accept all students as provisional music majors for their first year of study. At the end of the first year, students audition for the faculty to be elevated to full music major status. At the end of the sophomore year, the music faculty meet with every student to discuss career goals and progress.

Learning Outcomes for Music

Students studying music will develop:

• The ability to hear, identify, and work conceptually with the elements of music such as rhythm, melody, harmony, structure, timbre, and texture.
• The ability to read, realize, and understand musical notation.
• An understanding of compositional processes, aesthetic properties of style, and the ways these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural forces.’
• An acquaintance with a wide selection of musical literature, the principal eras, genres, and cultural sources.
• The ability to develop and defend musical judgments.
• The ability to perform appropriate undergraduate level music with proficiency alone and in ensemble settings.
• Understanding of procedures for realizing a variety of musical styles.
• Knowledge and/or skills in one or more areas of music beyond basic musicianship appropriate to the individual’s needs and interests.
• Understanding of and experience in one or more art forms other than music