Music
Pamela Keele Cress, Interim Chair; Albert R. Diaz, Associate Chair; Brandon Beck, Jinhyang Park, Lyn Ritz, Kraig Scott.
Instruction and experiences in music are provided to prepare students for careers in music, guide in the development of performance skills, heighten aesthetic sensitivity, and enhance the cultural setting of both campus and community.
The department offers the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees. In each the main purpose is to develop in the student a conceptual understanding of historical and theoretical perspectives in music and their interrelationships as they affect listening, composing, and performing.
The Bachelor of Music degree is a professional program with a choice of two majors: Music Education or Music Performance. The Bachelor of Arts is a liberal arts degree. Formal acceptance as a music major or minor is accomplished by passing a performance audition before the music faculty and completing Theory I and Ear Training 1.
Requirements for minimum piano proficiency must be completed before students can be advanced to upper-division performance standing in their major applied area. Students whose major performance emphasis is in a keyboard instrument are exempt from this requirement. Standing as a music major or minor is a prerequisite for enrollment in upper-division music courses.
All students pursuing music degree programs will participate in a primary departmental music organization (ensemble) during each quarter in residence. Music minors must participate in a primary music organization during each quarter that they take lessons from departmental faculty. All students will enroll for either credit or zero credit. University Singers (MUPF 215) serves as the primary ensemble for students whose performance area is voice; Wind Symphony (MUPF 255) for brass, wind, and percussion students; Symphony Orchestra (MUPF 266) for string students.
The department lists a number of requirements for its majors which must be met without credit. These include concert and recital attendance, and performance classes. Detailed information regarding these and other requirements is included in the Handbook for Students and Teachers, available at the music office and online at music.wallawalla.edu.
Transfer students majoring in music must take a minimum of six quarter hours in applied music at Walla Walla University. All majors must continue study in their primary applied area until completion of the Senior Recital.
Senior students are required to take the Music MFT (as a departmental exit exam), and an exit survey.