Department of Music

Department Chair: Professor Paul Murphy
Professors: Conner, Ovens
Assistant Professor: Helm
Lecturer: Schnack
Pianist-in-Residence: Petit

The mission of the Music Department is to prepare students for lives as musicians, critical and creative thinkers, and responsible members of society. We teach students to develop self-discipline, analyze evidence, integrate knowledge from diverse fields, make judgments, and create new knowledge. We believe these abilities help our students develop into skilled musicians and informed listeners, and more broadly, prepare themselves for productive and successful lives. Our program goals and learning objectives are grounded in the liberal arts tradition, and we are committed to teaching music as a way of understanding ourselves and the world in which we live.

The required course work of the major program engages students in the artistic and intellectual processes that will enable them to make and understand music. By studying music theory, history, and performance, and undertaking advanced work in composition, analysis, and technology, students emerge with extensive knowledge of the artistic and scholarly literature and with the abilities to add to these fields.

Many performances are organized each semester, enabling students to integrate and contextualize the varying aspects of their music study. Students with a serious interest in musical theater may study voice in the Music Department and supplement this study with courses offered in the Theater and Dance Departments.

Our concerts are presented in the Dorothy and Dexter Baker Center for the Arts, designed by Philip Johnson, and the Egner Memorial Chapel. All Muhlenberg students are eligible to participate in the ensembles and/or take lessons in the department.

The Department of Music encourages students to take any and all music courses that interest them. Many courses are open to students without prerequisite. Applied music may be completed at any level from beginning to advanced.

Following requisite preparation and with the permission of the appropriate instructor, more advanced study in various areas in music may be undertaken through independent study. Students interested in applying for graduate study or in meeting certification requirements for public school music teaching may be advised to complete courses in addition to those required for the major.

Special Programs

Music Education

There are currently a limited number of music majors who are also participating in the teacher certification program at Moravian College. The requirements for teacher certification are available upon request from the Department of Music. Students intending to enter the music education certification program in collaboration with Moravian College must register for MUS 111 - Music Theory I during their first semester. It is extremely unlikely any student will be able to complete their studies in four years if they do not follow this advice.

Programs

Major

Music, A.B.

Minor

Music Minor

Courses

Music

Applied Music

Study in voice, piano, organ, and the various string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Departmental permission is required for enrollment. Depending on the instructor, students take either thirteen 45-minute lessons or ten 60-minute lessons per semester. A minimum of five hours individual practice time per week is expected from each student. Attendance at recitals, concerts, and/or studio classes may be required. An additional fee is charged for this instruction which is not refundable after the drop deadline. Applied Music may not be taken on a pass/fail basis and may only be taken as an audit when it constitutes an overload and when it does not constitute the initial semester of a student’s applied music study; permission from both the instructor and department chair is required in this exceptional case. Two semesters of Applied Music may be used to complete the general academic requirement in the Fine Arts (A or AR).

Performing Ensembles

Ensembles are offered only as zero course unit experiences graded on a satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U) basis.