School of Music

Office: 1151 Mason Hall

(716) 673-3151

David Stringham, Dean

Sarah Hamilton, Associate Director and Graduate Coordinator

Barry M. Kilpatrick, Assistant Director

Email: music.school@fredonia.edu

Website: https://www.fredonia.edu/academics/colleges-schools/school-music/music

Curricular Area Coordinators:

Academic Studies

Rob Deemer

Music Education

Christian Bernhard

Performance

Andrew Seigel

Music History/Literature

Michael Markham

Music Theory

Gordon Root

Music Composition

Robert Deemer

Music Therapy

Heeyoun Cho

Sound Recording Technology

Bernd Gottinger

Applied Studies

Sean Duggan, Keyboard

Kay H. Stonefelt, Percussion/Harp

Wildy Zumwalt, Woodwinds

Natasha Farny, Strings

Barry Kilpatrick, Brass

Joe Dan Harper, Voice

The State University of New York at Fredonia School of Music is internationally recognized for its programs at the undergraduate and graduate professional level. It provides the foundation of outstanding musicianship for all music majors and enriches the cultural life of the campus and community. Its mission is to provide the resources and guidance necessary to motivate students to seek excellence in their individual careers in music education, performance, composition, musical theatre, music therapy and sound recording. In an environment oriented to the individual, it endeavors to create musicians who will assume vigorous roles as leaders and participants in significant musical experiences.

An audition is required for admission to a degree program in the School of Music. All first-year students have essentially the same course work, and specialization increases in each subsequent year of study.

All students pursuing a degree program in the School of Music take private lessons on their principal instrument (Applied Music) and will be involved in ensembles.

Statement on Applied Study: A grade of "F" in any semester of private applied study or a grade of "D" in two consecutive semesters of private applied study will result in the removal of the student from the School of Music curriculum.

Statement on Ensembles:

No undergraduate student will be allowed to enroll in more than two 1-credit ensembles in a given semester.  Undergraduate students enroll in up to four curricular ensembles (1-credit and ½-credit) in a semester.  Any student may be asked to be in more than one 1-credit ensemble in a semester, but they cannot be required to do so.  This does not pertain to the choral requirements for instrumental Music Education majors, as that is a requirement of the major. 

Each undergraduate student pursuing the General BA track as well as the MusB-Performance and MusB-Composition degree programs in the School of Music is required to audition for and enroll in a 1-credit ensemble each semester.  See below for requirements for the other BA tracks. 

Each undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree program in the School of Music is required to audition for and enroll in a 1-credit or ½-credit ensemble during the semesters of private applied study. 

If an undergraduate student is in residence at Fredonia in a fifth (or later) undergraduate year, the ensemble participation requirement remains in force if the student is taking private lessons.

All students required to enroll in a 1-credit ensemble will do so on the instrument correlating to the primary studio assignment unless specifically exempted by the administration of the School of Music.  Graduate students taking private lessons may be involved in ensembles as advised by their graduate advisor in consultation with their private instructor.

Exemption from any ensemble policy requires agreement between the ensemble director(s) and the studio instructor, and may be appealed to the Director of the School of Music.

Specific Degree Program Requirements

• Bachelor of Arts in Music – General:  8 semesters of 1-credit ensemble (8 credits total).
• Bachelor of Arts in Music – Jazz:  4 semesters of 1-credit ensembles, and 4-credits of jazz-orientated ensembles (8 credits total)
• Bachelor of Arts in Music – Music Technology, Entrepreneurship, History and Literature:  4 semesters of 1-credit ensembles (4 credits total)
• Bachelor of Music in Composition:  8 semesters of 1-credit ensemble, of which at least two will be choral (8 credits total)
• Bachelor of Music in Music Education (if an undergraduate student is in residence at Fredonia in the fifth (or later) undergraduate year, the ensemble participation requirement remains in force if the student is taking private lessons).

• Choral/General Music Concentration (and the principal instrument is voice):  7 semesters of 1-credit choral ensembles (7 credits total)
• Choral/General Music Concentration (and the principal instrument is piano):  3 semesters of Piano Ensemble and 4 semesters of 1-credit choral ensembles (7 total)
• Choral/General Music Concentration (and the principal instrument is neither voice or piano):  4 semesters of 1-credit choral ensembles and 3 semesters of elected 1-credit and or ½-credit ensembles (7 credits total)
• Instrumental Concentration:  7 semesters of 1-credit instrumental ensemble, 2 semesters of 1-credit choral ensembles and 1 semester of ½-credit chamber music ensemble (9.5 credits total)

• Bachelor of Music in Performance
  • Instrumental Concentration:  8 semesters of 1-credit ensemble (8 credits) plus 3 credits earned in ½-credit ensembles (at least 2 credits of which will be in chamber ensembles (11 credits total)
  • Voice Concentration:  8 semesters of 1-credit ensemble (8 credits) plus 3 credits earned in ½-credit ensembles (at least 2 credits of which will be in Opera Practicum (11 credits total)
• Bachelor of Science in Sound Recording Technology or Music Therapy:  4 total credits in any combination of 1-credit and ½-credit ensembles as deemed appropriate by their private instructor in consultation with the head of their degree program.

Master of Music (MM):  by advisement

Statement on Music Theory and Aural Skills: to begin the theory sequence, new and transfer students take a placement exam. Following initial placement, students must earn a grade of C- or higher in each course to pass into each successive level.

Statement on the Graduate Program: The School of Music offers five masters degrees: Music Education, Music Education Studies, Music Performance, Music Therapy and Music Theory-Composition.

Statement on Accreditation: The State University of New York at Fredonia is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST).