Information on Music Concentrations
Click the concentration name to review the Plan of Study of your intended area of interest.
The General Music Studies concentration is designed for students who wish to pursue a broad education in music while exploring a variety of musical interests. The curriculum provides a strong foundation in music theory, history, aural skills, and performance, while allowing students the flexibility to tailor their studies to their individual academic and career goals.
This concentration is well suited for students interested in areas such as music performance, history, musicology, arts administration, interdisciplinary studies, or graduate study in music-related fields. Students continue to develop their performance skills through applied lessons and ensemble participation while gaining a comprehensive understanding of music from historical, cultural, and analytical perspectives.
The Music Technology concentration combines musical creativity with emerging technologies to prepare students for careers in today's evolving music industry. Students develop skills in music production, recording, digital audio workstations (DAWs), music notation software, audio engineering, sound design, AI in Music and music programming while building a strong foundation in musicianship.
Through hands-on projects, students create original compositions, arrangements, recordings, and multimedia works using industry-standard software and equipment. The curriculum encourages collaboration with performers, composers, and other creative disciplines while exploring innovative applications of technology in music creation, performance, education, and research.
Graduates are well prepared for careers in music production, audio engineering, media composition, game and film audio, live sound, music software development, and related fields, as well as for graduate study in music technology or related disciplines.
The Music Composition and Theory concentration is designed for students who are passionate about creating, analyzing, and understanding music. Students develop their compositional voice while gaining a strong foundation in music theory, harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, form and analysis, and contemporary compositional techniques.
Through individual instruction and collaborative projects, students compose original works for a variety of instrumental, vocal, and electronic ensembles while refining their analytical and critical thinking skills. The curriculum encourages exploration of diverse musical styles and creative approaches, preparing students to communicate artistic ideas effectively through composition.
Graduates are well prepared for careers in composition, arranging, film and media scoring, music publishing, arts organizations, and music education, as well as for graduate study in composition, music theory, and related fields.
The Jazz Studies concentration is designed for students who are passionate about jazz performance, improvisation, and the rich traditions of the genre. Students develop advanced performance skills while building a strong foundation in jazz theory, improvisation, ear training, jazz history, and ensemble performance.
Through applied lessons, jazz ensembles, and performance opportunities, students explore a wide range of jazz styles, from traditional and bebop to contemporary and fusion. The curriculum emphasizes artistic expression, creativity, collaboration, and professional musicianship, preparing students to perform confidently in a variety of musical settings.
Graduates are well prepared for careers as performers, composers, arrangers, educators, and freelance musicians, as well as for graduate study in jazz performance, composition, music education, and related fields.