Overview

The music performance degree program provides professional-level performance training for students who aspire to be professional musicians. Performance experience lies at the heart of the program. You'll perform constantly — in concerts, recitals, and collaboratively with fellow students, while sophomore and senior solo recitals are required.

In addition, a wealth of extracurricular performance experiences include master class and recital performances, faculty/student outings to the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and other concerts.

Unique to the performance degree is the study of pedagogy — the art of teaching — that includes a studio teaching sequence. Under faculty supervision, you'll practice giving other students music instruction, which helps you learn more about your art as well as prepares you for graduate school assistantship opportunities or music teaching.

Our goal is to develop musical ambassadors — performers, teachers, and clinicians — who extend the art of music through musical performance, masterful teaching, and creative leadership.

Highlights

• You have numerous opportunities to perform and benefit from our new, 550-seat Glazer Music Performance Center. The state-of-the-art building is designed to provide excellent acoustics for large instrumental and vocal ensembles, to integrate multimedia collaborations, and to enable live recording.
• Attend weekly hour-long private lessons and studio classes.
• Guest concert performances, master classes, and faculty recitals expose you to a wide variety of music and opportunities to meet performing professionals.
• You have the opportunity to participate in an annual concert/aria competition.
• Train at a conservatory in Athens, enhance opera vocal techniques with a private instructor in Florence, learn West African percussion in Ghana, and more.
• The emphasis on applied music study enables you to assume leadership roles as an independent professional musician and prepares you for entrance into graduate degree programs.
• Graduates have been awarded scholarships and teaching assistantships for graduate study and are employed as teachers and performers in public school, collegiate, community, and church settings.

Careers

• Orchestral musician
• Private music teacher
• Community orchestra
• Band musician
• Church music director
• Conductor
• College faculty member
• Professional accompanist