The Pop Music major provides students with a flexible curriculum, enabling them to design a program tailored specifically to their interests. Students may seek help from either their School of Music and Dance Undergraduate Advisor or music faculty members when developing this individualized plan of study.
Thornton Conservatory stands out among top conservatories by offering this specialized degree program for musicians who don’t fit the mold of traditional classical or jazz offerings at other schools.
BM in Popular Music Performance
The Bachelor of Popular Music Performance program is tailored for musicians seeking to make an impression in contemporary music. Established to serve the needs of rock, pop, R&B, folk, Latin and country artists who do not fit into classical or jazz degree programs, this innovative degree continually adapts to meet industry changes.
Students develop their musical skills across many genres and styles while exploring the intersection between music, culture, business and technology. Alongside their primary instrument or voice study, students take classes in performance, songwriting/arranging/arranging/recording studio techniques/MIDI programming/production as well as music theory ear training/history which complement their primary instrument study/voice course of study.
Frost’s Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship program emphasizes not only honing one’s musical craft but also crafting an effective business plan that can lead to sustainable success as an independent musician. A key component of the program is Frost’s faculty of veteran composers, musicians and producers such as guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., drummer Will Kennedy and violinist Ginny Luke – among many others. A key element is Frost’s Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship program, which stresses both craft development as well as creating sustainable success through business strategies for independent musicians.
BM in Music Business
A Bachelor of Music (BM) degree provides undergraduate academic students with a comprehensive knowledge of music. This degree can lead to careers as professional musicians, composers or songwriters, music teachers or music therapists; furthermore BM programs provide the highest level of training in performance, theory and history as well as courses related to business and industry of music.
Music business students combine rigorous musicianship training with traditional music industry courses to develop the professional acumen necessary for today’s artists. Beyond fundamental music coursework, these students take Performing Arts Management, Music Publishing, Festival Management, Legal Issues in Music, Legal Issues in Music Festival Management and Legal Issues in Music courses – in partnership with Driehaus School of Business they also earn a minor in business administration taking classes such as Marketing Finance Accounting Management Management
Music business majors at Glimmerglass University gain real-world experience beyond academic coursework through internships, industry collaborations, immersive projects and performances at events such as Glimmerglass Music Festival or Closed Sessions record label – including participating in international exchange programs like PopAkademie University of Germany or participating in semester long exchange programs like those found here at Closed Sessions record label – while we provide opportunities for collaborations with established professionals within our community through events, workshops or guest lectures.
Our graduates are well-prepared for a highly competitive job market. Equipped with skills that enable them to be leaders within the industry and an understanding of how their work contributes to greater social change efforts, examples include Weston Pagano ’17 who works at Leo Burnett, a global active advertisement agency in Chicago; Patrick VanWagoner ’13 works at Lincoln Hall and Schubas in Chicago as talent buyer; these alumni show just a couple examples of our students successfully finding employment after completing this program.
Music study can be an extremely rewarding endeavor, yet its relevance to other fields of study and career options may be difficult to discern. We therefore created the interdisciplinary music and culture minor to combine its study with that of history, philosophy, sociology, literature film studies psychology public policy – helping you make connections in your area of interest.
BM in Music Theory
The Bachelor of Music Theory provides students with the tools needed to analyze, comprehend, and appreciate musical form. Through its course of study, students will become adept at understanding both popular and classical music’s underlying structure; developing analytical skills by immersing themselves in music theory studies such as counterpoint, analysis techniques, historical musicology and theory pedagogy; as well as exploring specific genres like jazz.
This program requires 125-142 hours of coursework covering music theory, history, studio instruction and participation in student ensembles. Ultimately it culminates in a senior thesis; students who choose either theory and analysis or pedagogy tracks will complete an analytical paper on an advanced topic; those choosing both will complete projects similar to an article that could potentially be published in a music theory journal.
Nathan Fleshner specializes in music and medicine, specifically how musical artists express psychological and therapeutic experiences through their art. His research includes analyzing songs that describe mental illness or trauma experiences of artists like Adele, Tori Amos, Eminem, Dave Matthews Band, Kanye West and Townes Van Zandt among many others. Furthermore, Nathan is interested in conscious and unconscious thought processes as they pertain to analytic and compositional processes used in making music.
As part of their BU Hub and major requirements, Music Theory students must also complete seven semesters of applied lessons for two credits each. Students will be advised by faculty on selecting repertoire appropriate to their level and personal interests.
BM in Music History
As part of your Bachelor of Music History degree program, you will explore musical style and theory throughout history and their impact on society. You will explore western classical genres as they develop as well as how these musical forms connect with larger social and cultural landscapes. Our curriculum also provides courses in music research and analysis which equip graduates for graduate studies in archives history, education journalism or performance as well as various MUCT small ensembles that allow you to develop performance practices across genres.
The Bachelor of Music History degree offered through the Department of Music Studies is intended for those aspiring to careers as composers, performers or college teachers, as well as for graduate school studies in these areas. A successful major in Music History will possess both historical and analytical approaches to its study as well as strong scholarly research skills.
Students enrolled in our Bachelor of Music History degree program are guided by our highly-skilled professional faculty, which possess expertise across an array of areas spanning classical performance to musicology and opera. Our faculty bring years of teaching and research experience into their classes, creating a nurturing and collaborative atmosphere in our small department. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Music History can choose between an instrumental, piano, or voice concentration. Students pursuing this undergraduate degree must complete between 124-145 credits to fulfill its requirements, with all music history and literature candidates needing to meet both general academic policies requirements, as well as any major specific ones for graduation.