Music

General Information
Admission
Facilities

Act of Enrollment
Specific Music Requirements
Dual Major in Performance and Music Education

Professor Thomas Keck, Division Director

Professors: Edward Cumming, Jack Delaney, Andrés Díaz, Virginia Dupuy, Stefan Engels, Clifton Forbis, Samuel Holland, David Karp, Thomas Keck, Carol Leone, Barbara Hill Moore, Xi Wang
Associate Professors: Sarah Allen, Christopher Anderson, Robert Frank, Peter Kupfer
Assistant Professors: Kristina Nielsen, Daniel Tague, Margaret Winchell
Artists-in-Residence: Sergei Babayan, Michael Scarola, Alexander Sitkovetsky
Professors of Practice: Aaron Boyd, Chad Hoopes, Derrick Horne, Catharine Lysinger, Julie Scott, Leon Turner
Senior Lecturers: Mark Feezell, Kevin Gunter, Lane Harder, Janice Lindstrom, Michael Lively, Melissa Murray, Jason Smith
Lecturers: Hyae-jin Hwang, Eric Schmidt
Adjunct Professors: Christopher Adkins, Erin Hannigan
Adjunct Associate Professors: Steven Ahearn, George Baker, Kevin Finamore, Barry Hearn, Willa Henigman, David Heyde, Haley Hoops, Ronald Houston, Alexander Kienle, Diane Kitzman, Pierre LaPointe, Emily Levin, Annie Lin, George Nickson, Brian Perry, Andrey Ponochevny, Gregory Raden, James Romeo, Ted Soluri, Barbara Sudweeks, Kara Kirkendoll Welch, Wu Qian
Adjunct Assistant Professors: John Bryant, Bryan Burnes, Kim Corbet, Don Fabian, Lynne Jackson, Brian Jones, Camille King, Jon Lee, Darren McHenry, Naoko Nakamura, Chris Oliver, Jarrod Robertson, Brent Ross, Paul Schmidt
Adjunct Lecturers: Brian Bentley, Jonathon Jones, Drew Lang, Jamal Mohamed, Edward Smith, Rosalyn Story
Mustang Band Director: Charles Aguillon

General Information

The Division of Music is devoted to the advancement of music performance and scholarship; preparation of the next generation of music professionals; and service to the artistic life of the community, nation and world. Students in the Division of Music pursue the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Music degree. Majors and minors offered by the division are described below. All music programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Admission

Music is a dual admit program: in addition to meeting University admission criteria, first-year and transfer applicants intending to major in music must complete an audition prior to matriculation. Auditions assess a prospective student’s previous experience and potential for success in the intended major. Entering students intending to major in composition must submit a portfolio of original compositions and pass a performance audition. Both the Division of Music and the University must accept the candidate in order for the student to be classified as a music major. Information regarding auditions may be obtained at www.smu.edu/musicadmission. In decisions regarding advanced placement, the Division of Music considers transfer credits and AP test results; however, departments reserve the right to give additional tests to determine the most appropriate placement in any course sequence.

Non-degree students are those applicants for admission who wish to be enrolled in University courses for credit but are not intending to pursue an SMU degree program. Non-degree students are admitted through the Office of Undergraduate Visiting Student Services and are eligible to register in day and evening classes for which they have satisfied prerequisites and received departmental approval. Admission as a non-degree-seeking student does not qualify a student as a degree applicant. The presence of non-degree students in courses or ensembles may not displace an opportunity for a degree-seeking music major.

Departmental Placement in Music Theory/Musicianship and Class Piano

All entering undergraduate students (except transfer students from 4-year NASM schools) are required to take entrance examinations in written music theory and musicianship before classes begin. These exams include both online and paper-based components. The date and time of these exams are listed in the “Orientation Schedule” published by the Division of Music each year and emailed to students. Students are advised to make appropriate end-of-summer plans to be present and on time for these exams. Students must be available for the entire testing period, and these exams cannot be made up once the semester begins. Since the exams are used for course section placement, all students are required to take the exams whether or not they are seeking credit by examination.

All music degrees require coursework in Class Piano. Prospective music majors with no formal piano study should enroll directly in PERB 1131 - Class Piano I during their first semester. Prospective music majors with any amount of formal piano study must be tested individually for placement into the appropriate Class Piano course. Scheduling information for these tests is provided in the “Orientation Schedule” published by the Division of Music each year and emailed to students.

Facilities

Concert performances are presented in Caruth Auditorium, a 490-seat concert hall, the 168-seat Robert J. O’Donnell Lecture-Recital Hall, Perkins Chapel, and the Dr. Bob and Jean Smith Auditorium in the Meadows Museum. Opera productions are presented in the 400-seat Bob Hope Theatre. The Jake and Nancy Hamon Arts Library houses an inspiring collection of more than 110,000 books and scores, more than 31,000 audio and video recordings, and more than 100,000 items in special collections of research materials such as the Van Katwijk Music Collection.

Facilities available to music students include 45 newly renovated practice rooms in the Jeanne R. Johnson Practice Complex.

The electronic keyboard laboratory, used for class instruction in piano, theory and improvisation, is equipped with 17 Yamaha Clavinova 88-key digital pianos, an MLC 100 Communications Center and state-of-the-art audio-visual technology, including high definition projectors, screens and sound system.

Student recitals and faculty and ensemble performances are digitally recorded in formats that are acceptable for auditions, competitions and archival purposes.

The Group and Individual Music Therapy Clinics, connected by an observation room, offer student therapists opportunities for clinical practicum experiences under faculty supervision.

The Division of Music maintains an inventory of 30 Steinway grand pianos, three harpsichords and eight pipe organs, including a celebrated three-manual 51-stop tracker organ built by C.B. Fisk located in Caruth Auditorium.

The Electronic Music Studio is a comfortable, multitrack, MIDI and digital audio facility featuring hardware and software on a Macintosh platform. The studio is well equipped to support algorithmic composition, interactive performance, synthesis, sampling, sequencing, signal processing, video post scoring and digital recording with stereo, quad and 5.1-surround monitoring.

Act of Enrollment

By the act of enrolling in the Meadows School of the Arts Division of Music for participation in a music course – whether as a music major, music minor or through elective study – and in consideration of the right to participate in such course, the student

Acknowledges his or her willingness to accept and comply with the standards and policies set forth in the Division of Music Handbook and all other University rules and regulations.
Assigns to the University the exclusive right to use the proceeds from any curricular or extracurricular promotional, publicity or entertainment activities associated with the course, including but not limited to photographs, television, recordings, motion pictures, concerts and theatrical productions, and any right the student may have to receive any royalties and/or other sums that may be due to the student from such activities.
Releases the University, its trustees, officers, agents, employees and assigns from any obligation to pay any proceeds, royalties and/or other sums that may be due to the student in connection with the course.
Agrees, on request of the University, to periodically execute all documents necessary to acknowledge the assignment and release set forth herein.

Specific Music Requirements

All first-year students are premusic majors. Status as a music major after the first year is not automatic. Undergraduate students who wish to declare a music major do so officially during the spring term of their first full year of residence.

During the fourth semester of study, each music major or transfer student must apply for upper-division degree/major status. The appropriate department faculty and the Director review all upper-division applications.

All full-time music majors are required to enroll for MUAS 1010 each term of residence, for which they will receive a grade of Credit/No Credit. In the fall of their first year of study, music majors enroll in MUAS 1020 instead of MUAS 1010 . Minors must enroll in MUAS 1010 each semester in which they are registered for required music courses.

All B.M. students, with the exception of majors in guitar, piano, organ, composition and music therapy, are required to enroll in large ensemble (wind ensemble, orchestra or choral ensemble) each term of residence. Woodwind, brass and percussion students perform in both Meadows Symphony Orchestra and Meadows Wind Ensemble at the discretion of the ensemble directors. Exemptions may be granted by written approval of the ensemble director and the Director of the Music Division.

Transfer students will not be exempted from the large ensemble requirement based on transfer credits. Music artistic scholarships may require enrollment in a large ensemble each term of residence. Exemptions may be granted by written approval of the Director of the Music Division.

Required recitals must include a cross section of the repertory in the student’s major performance area. The performance of contemporary works is encouraged.

The Division of Music requires attendance at all scheduled class meetings, lessons and ensemble rehearsals. The instructor determines the extent to which absences affect a student’s grade. Students should become thoroughly acquainted with the class attendance policy established by their teachers and ensemble directors. Except for official University-excused absences, instructors are not obligated to make special arrangements for any student to accommodate an absence. All reasons for absence should be submitted to the instructor in advance. Failure to do so may result in a student being dropped from a course with a grade of W (before the calendar deadline to drop) or receiving a grade of F for the course.

All undergraduate music majors and minors must receive a minimum grade of C- in all courses specified in the major or minor. The major or minor consists of all courses listed in the student’s degree plan with the exception of Common Curriculum courses, free electives and coursework in a minor or second major outside music. Students must retake major or minor courses in which a grade below C- is received. A course may be repeated only once.

All undergraduate music education majors who are seeking teacher certification must receive a grade of C or better in courses required for teacher certification (24 hours in the content area, as defined by the Texas Education Agency). A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.500 for all University courses leading to the degree and a minimum GPA of 3.000 in courses required for teacher certification are required for student teaching.

Dual Major in Performance and Music Education

Students who meet degree candidacy criteria in both performance and music education can pursue dual majors in these fields. If begun by the second or third term, the second major can usually be achieved with a range of nine to 17 additional credits (approximately one term) through careful selection of electives and curricular planning. Students considering these plans should consult their adviser and the department heads as early as possible in their academic program.

Programs

Major(s)

Minor(s)

Courses

Bassoon

Cello

Clarinet

Double Bass

Flute

French Horn

Guitar

Harp

Harpsichord

Music Pedagogy

Music Repertoire

Accompanying

Music Arts and Skills

Conducting

Music Education

Musicology

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