Music
Mission Statement: The faculty of the Swinney Conservatory are committed to facilitating student growth. Daily, we create opportunities for engaged students to develop musical maturity, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to the community.
Our graduates demonstrate professional and musical excellence, creative and analytical thinking, articulate and thoughtful communication, and a commitment to service and leadership.
The Conservatory serves three constituencies: scholar-musicians preparing for a career in music, students participating in music as an additional dimension to their studies, and those who participate in music to increase their knowledge and aesthetic sensitivity.
Baccalaureate Degrees in Music: The Swinney Conservatory offers three degree programs for students preparing for a career in music: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music-Performance (Voice or Piano), and Bachelor of Music Education (Instrumental or Choral Emphasis). All three degrees center around the same core curriculum. All three degree programs are designed to give excellent preparation for a profession or for entry into graduate studies. The Conservatory also offers an academic minor in music. Students elect the degree program which best suits individual life-long goals. Ensembles and applied lessons are open to any students, regardless of major.
Music Program Outcomes (and alignment to ULOs)
1. Students will analyze musical works from diverse historical periods, styles, and cultures.
ULO #2 – Students will demonstrate curiosity.
2. Students will perform artistically as soloists and ensemble members.
ULO #1 – Students will communicate effectively.
3. Students will teach musicians with appropriate pedagogical techniques.
ULO #3 – Students will engage in their community
Accreditation: The Central Methodist University has been a member of the National Association of Schools of Music since 1950.
Entry-Level Audition: Each degree-seeking student must complete an entry-level audition. This audition should be completed at the end of the first semester of study. The auditioning committee will prepare a memorandum stating the degree sought and its findings. The committee will distribute its findings to the student, the student's advisor, and the Dean of the Conservatory. A student who fails the entry-level audition must audition again the following semester.
Upper-Level Review: Prior to enrolling in 300-level applied lessons, each music major must pass an upper-level audition and review. The faculty of the Conservatory will prepare a memorandum stating the degree sought and its findings. Students who have not passed all portions of the Upper-Level Review by their sixth semester of residence will be guided to another degree.
Upper-Level Review Criteria:
Academic Progress
For the BA and BM, the student must have:
o Successfully completed the first four semesters of the music academic sequence (Music Theory I-IV and Aural Skills I-IV)
o Have a 2.0 cumulative GPA
o Turned in a degree plan to the Dean of the Conservatory
For the BME, the student must have:
o Successfully completed the first four semesters of the music academic sequence. (Music Theory I-IV and Aural Skills I-IV)
o Progress in math and English courses, with attention to ACT sub scores
o Must have a 2.5 in the content area and a 3.0 in professional education courses.
o Turned in a degree plan to the Dean of the Conservatory
Performance
For the BA, the student must:
o Show the capability of developing a creditable major instrument
o Successfully perform a literacy piece
For the BM, the student must:
o Show promise as a recitalist and/or as a graduate student in music
o Demonstrate the capability to prepare a half junior recital, a full senior recital, and sufficient personal musicianship as to be able to sustain a part in an ensemble and perform incidental solos as part of a large ensemble
o Have passed Piano Proficiency
o Successfully perform a literacy piece
• For the BME, the student must:
o Show promise of being able to present a creditable public half senior recital and sufficient personal musicianship as to be able to sustain a part in an ensemble and perform incidental solos as part of a large ensemble
o Have passed Piano Proficiency
o Successfully perform a literacy piece
Pedagogy
For the BA, the student must:
o Have passed
MU214 Conducting
• For the BM, the student must:
o Have passed
MU214 Conducting
o Have completed a foreign language
o Have completed diction classes
For the BME, the student must:
o Have passed
MU214 Conducting
o Have successfully completed
ED101 Foundations of Education and
ED102 Field Experience I
o Have completed of
ED105
o Have passed the pedagogy courses for their area of concentration appropriate for the first four semesters (see 8-semester models)
o Have submitted an application to the CMU Education Department
GPA requirements for the BME: The student must have the following minimum GPA prior to student teaching and graduation: at least a 2.0 GPA overall, a 2.5 GPA in the content area, and a 3.0 GPA in professional education courses. For the BA and BM, the student must have a 2.0 GPA overall.
Applied Music (ML): Applied Music means individual study through private lessons. Those enrolled in one credit hour of applied music are required to take one 30-minute private lesson per week. Those enrolled in two or more credit hours are required to take one 60-minute lesson per week. Students are only allowed to enroll in applied music lessons with the permission of the instructor and Dean of the Swinney Conservatory. All students enrolled in applied music are required to take a jury examination at the end of each semester.
Recitals: B.M. (performance) degree candidates in performance are required to present a half recital during the Junior year and an hour recital during the Senior year. B.M.E. degree candidates are required to present a half recital during the Senior year. An examination will precede every such recital by at least two weeks. B.A degree candidates have the option of presenting a half recital as their
BA Capstone (with consent of applied instructor).
Piano Proficiency: BME and BM students must continuously enroll in piano class or applied piano until the piano proficiency requirement is passed. The piano proficiency exam must be passed in its entirety before a BME student may enter the student teaching block.
Small Ensembles: Students enrolled in applied music (private lessons) may be asked to to learn and to perform literature for small ensembles. Credit may be earned by enrolling in Chamber Ensembles.
Recital Attendance: Recitals are an integral part of private study at Central Methodist University. Therefore, all students enrolled in applied music are required to concurrently enroll in
MU010 (Recital Attendance) and to attend required number of recitals each semester.
CMU has five student organizations for Music:
1. National Association for Music Education-Collegiate (NAfME-C) is a national organization of students interested in professional development in the field of music education
2. Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is a national professional music fraternity for men of the Professional Inter-fraternity Conference and the National Music Conference
3. Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) is an international fraternity for women in music. A student must have high scholastic standing and must have taken or enrolled in a music class to be eligible for membership
4. Student-National Association of Teachers of Singing (SNATS) has fostered the formation of student chapters in order to advance knowledge about the professions of teaching and singing. The Student NATS chapter is an organization of students who can meet, hold events and discussions, participate, practice, and learn more about voice teaching as a profession and singing.
5. Student-American Choral Directors Association works to inspire excellence and nurture lifelong involvement in choral music for everyone through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.