Music, B.A. Program (120 units)
Program Description
The Music Department at CSUEB integrates rigorous academic training with a driving passion for the making of great music: the classics from the European-American tradition, great jazz, the new ‘classics’ of our own time, world music, experimental music and more. With a rich variety of opportunities for performing and composing and a deep commitment to teacher education, the Music Department offers something for all students seriously committed to pursuing a life in music.
Student performance groups are open to all qualified students and one need not be a music major to participate. There are more than twenty active ensembles including Wind Symphony, Jazz Orchestra, East Bay Singers, Orchestra, Vocal Repertory Ensemble, Singing Society, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Singers, and many small vocal and instrumental ensembles.
The Department of Music offers Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree majors which are fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. All music majors have the advantage of continuous applied lessons with instrumental, vocal, or composition teachers on the faculty. A music minor is also offered.
The Music Department occupies a large, fully-equipped, modern facility with a number of special resources: a Media Center for Music Technology; Music Resource Center, with thousands of scores and recordings; Choral Music Education Student Resource Center, with thousands of choral octavos and conducting resources; large musical equipment collection for student use; Recital Hall with custom acoustical design; and professional recording facilities.
The Music curriculum is designed to serve the needs of students who have career goals in performance, composition, music technology, jazz, public school or private teaching, or graduate study, as well as those who are pursuing other fields of study and choose music as an elective.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a B.A. in Music from Cal State East Bay will be able to:
- Aurally identify common rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic patterns; demonstrate pitch and rhythmic accuracy through singing and rhythm vocalization.
- Demonstrate stylistically appropriate sound quality, technical skills, and expression within their primary performance area
- Apply critical and creative thinking and analytical reasoning to address complex challenges in the theory, history, and performance of music of many cultures.
- Create, perform, and respond to musical works and ideas, and relate them to societal, cultural and historical contexts
- Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with others in classroom and performance settings
- Demonstrate an ability to integrate musical ideas, methods, theories, and practices, and communicate them to others clearly and persuasively.
Career Opportunities
Arranger • Choral Director • Composer • Concert Artist • Conductor • DJ • Film/Video Composer • Freelance Performer • Jazz Musician • Music Professor/Teacher • Musical Theater Director • Symphony Member
Scholarships
The Music Department annually awards a number of scholarships to entering and returning music majors. For more information, contact the Music Department office at (510) 885-3135.
Preparation
For Advanced Placement course equivalencies, see Registration & Enrollment chapter.
Admission
Students wanting to select music as a major are expected to have had a variety of pre-college cognitive and affective experiences, such as high school performance, high school theory programs, individual private instruction with music professionals, or music professional experiences. Admission to the major in music is determined by audition. Students must complete this audition and be accepted to the department prior to being accepted in the major.
Transfer students will be placed at the appropriate applied lesson level determined by their successful audition. Transfer students will also be subject to a proficiency examination as described below under “Special Requirements of the Department of Music, Section IV. Proficiency Examinations.”
Standards and Guidelines for Auditions
May be found on the Department of Music website.
Applied Lessons:
Each Music major will declare an applied music discipline (keyboard, voice, wind, brass, percussion, strings, jazz, guitar, harp, composition) with the department.
Majors wishing to choose composition as their applied music discipline are required to complete first year study in an instrumental or vocal discipline or demonstrate equivalent experience and submit a portfolio of written works for review. Students whose portfolios are accepted, will begin applied lessons in composition.
To receive applied lessons, an undergraduate student must be enrolled for a minimum of five (5) units, two of which must be in any music course other than major performance activities and applied music.
Registration for applied lessons requires concurrent enrollment in a major performance activity (MUS 351 - 355). Students who do not meet this requirement by the end of the add/drop period will not be eligible for applied lessons that semester. Ensembles that may be used to meet this requirement are listed in the Handbook for Music Majors.
All students enrolled in applied lessons must demonstrate their progress through periodic performances before a faculty jury as outlined in the Handbook for Undergraduate Music Majors.
Students are limited to a total of eight semesters of study in applied instruction (assuming a passing grade for each semester of instruction was given).
Recitals:
Music majors are to appear each year in regularly scheduled student recitals as determined by the department.
Specific recital performance requirements are outlined in the Handbook for Music Majors.
Music majors are required to attend ten DEPARTMENTAL recitals or concerts each semester on which they are not a required performer or participant. Recital attendance is recorded on a recital attendance card that may be obtained from the Music Department office.
Major Performance Activities and Chamber Ensembles:
Each music major is required to play his or her principal instrument (as determined by applied lesson enrollment) in one major music performance activity (MUS 351 - 355) each semester in which he or she is registered for applied lessons. Students may choose to perform on a secondary instrument or voice to fulfill the requirement if performance opportunities on the principal instrument do not exist.
The 2 units of chamber ensemble required for the Music major must be taken in 2 different semesters.
Proficiency Examinations:
Proficiency examinations may be required in any or all aspects of music performance skills, theory, and history and literature as a basis for determining placement in sequence courses.
An upper division transfer student who has completed most of his or her music major may be required to take remediation in certain courses in theory, history and literature, and performance based on the results of the proficiency examinations.
All new music majors (except keyboard majors) are required to take a piano proficiency exam. If the exam is not passed, the student must enroll in the appropriate level of class piano instruction until the proficiency exam or MUS 218b is passed. Freshmen music majors, including keyboard majors, are required to take for credit a minimum of MUS 118a and MUS 118b. They may challenge the course for credit if they believe their keyboard skills meet the demands of MUS 118a and MUS 118b.
Sample Program
A Sample Program for this degree can be found at the Department website.
Degree Requirements Unit-Outline
- A baccalaureate of arts degree requires a total of 120 units:
- The major requirements consists of 54 units;
- General Education (GE) & Graduation Requirements (GR) consists of 57 units;
- Free Electives may consist of 9 units (actual number of free elective units may depend on GE/GR units).
Note: It may be possible to double-count units within the graduation requirements or that a course may satisfy both a graduation requirement and a major requirement. Students should contact their program and AACE advisors for information.
Music Major Requirements (57 units)
Lower Division Core Courses
Students must complete 27 units of lower-division core coursework as outlined below:
Upper Division Core Courses
Students must complete 30 units of upper-division core coursework as outlined below:
Upper Division Applied Study Coursework
- An additional 4 units of upper-division Applied Study (MUS 461-469) are required. Placement in the Applied Study courses are determined by audition. Use this Course Type Music link to see all the Applied Study courses.
Major Performing Ensembles Coursework
- An additional 8 units of Major Performing Ensembles (MUS 351-355) are required. Placement in the Major Performing Ensembles courses are determined by audition. Use this Course Type Music link to see all the Major Performing Ensembles courses.
Chamber Ensembles Coursework
- An additional 2 units of Chamber Ensembles (MUS 361-370) are required. Placement in the Chamber Ensembles courses are determined by audition. Use this Course Type Music link to see all the Chamber Ensembles courses.
