Department of Music

College of Arts and Letters
Location: Music/Mass Communication, 139
Phone: 931-221-7818; Fax 931-221-7529
Website: www.apsu.edu/mus

The Department of Music provides comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs designed to produce skilled, knowledgeable, creative, and articulate musicians by:

Providing training and experience for students preparing for careers in music performance and composition;
Providing music training and teaching experience for students seeking licensure in education to help meet the need for competent music teachers in the state and region;
Providing educational resources and musical experiences as part of a comprehensive liberal arts education;
Providing training toward the development of critical thinking in music; and
Providing a rich program of artistic and cultural events in conjunction with the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts to emphasize the importance of music in the lives of students and the community.

Accreditations

Programs in the Department of Music are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Requirements

Audition is required for admission to the Department of Music, as well as for a music scholarship. Contact the department for audition times.

Theory Placement - All entering music majors are required to take a theory placement exam at a designated time. An unsatisfactory score will result in students being required to successfully pass Introduction to Music Theory I and II before beginning the theory sequence.

Ensembles - A student majoring in music is required to participate satisfactorily every semester (on campus) in the performing organization deemed appropriate to his or her major performing medium. For woodwind, brass, and percussion majors, this will be this will be Marching Band (two semesters required), Symphonic Band, or Wind Ensemble; for vocal majors, (normally) the University Choir; for string majors, the Orchestra or Guitar Ensemble. Keyboard majors may choose any performing organization appropriate to their experience in order to fulfill this requirement.

Recital Attendance - During the academic year, all music majors are required to attend a predetermined number of recitals and programs sponsored or approved by the department. Students who are deficient in this requirement at the end of the sophomore year will not be eligible to take their Junior Level Examination; those deficient at the end of their senior year will not graduate.

Junior Level Exam - Music majors must pass a Junior Level Examination, ordinarily scheduled at the end of the sophomore year, before enrolling in upper division (3xxx level) individual Instruction. All majors will have a maximum of three (3) attempts to pass the Junior Level Examination. A minimum of three (3) semesters of upper division (3xxx level) instruction are required prior to the Senior Recital. Students whose background in performance is deficient may be required to take more than the normal amount of credit at the lower division level. Upper division credit in performance is granted only after the student passes the Junior Level Examination. Each music major is required to appear at least once each year in a recital, either in solo or ensemble performance.

Piano Proficiency - The piano proficiency examination is required for majors whose primary Individual Instruction is not piano.

Music Education Majors - Music Education majors with instrumental specialization must pass the following proficiency examinations: Strings; Woodwinds; Brass; and Percussion.

Vocal Performance - Students enrolled in the vocal emphasis of the Music Performance concentration must complete two semesters of intermediate foreign language.

Transfer Students - Students transferring from another institution must take a proficiency examination in music theory. Placement in music theory will depend upon the results of this examination. The transfer student’s placement in applied music must be approved during the jury examination at the end of the first semester at APSU.

Music Minor - Students who minor in music must belong to one performing organization for two years. A music minor must also pass a proficiency examination in his/her applied area.