Music Department General Information

The Music Department at Mount Union College offers high quality instruction for music majors and also fulfills its role in the liberal arts curriculum. Course offerings in music allow all students to acquaint themselves with the musical heritages of Western and non-Western civilizations.

Mount Union College is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. The College is also accredited by the North Central Association and the Ohio State Department of Education.

The Curriculum

Mount Union College offers three degrees in music: the Bachelor of Music in Performance, Bachelor of Music Education, and Bachelor of Arts in Music.

Bachelor of Music Performance:

The Bachelor of Music in Performance is a professional degree designed for the student whose goals are performance and applied teaching.

A partial junior and full senior recital are required.

Bachelor of Music Education:

This is a professional degree designed for the student wishing to teach music in the public or private schools. BME graduates are licensed by the State of Ohio to teach music from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Bachelor of Arts in Music Curriculum:

This degree allows more flexibility than the other two music degrees. Some students select the B.A. because it permits double majors with related fields such as business, communication, drama, or psychology. A typical double major in the B.A. degree would be a combination of music and theatre.

Music Minor

Eighteen hours in department coursework is required; this minor may be combined with most major areas of study.

Facilities and Equipment

The Music Department is located in Cope Music Hall of the Fine Arts Center, at the corner of Vincent and Union avenues. The facilities include classrooms, studios, practice rooms, offices, Presser Recital Hall, Sturgeon Music Library, and the Stauffer Courtyard Theatre. The Music Library houses 7,800 scores and miniature scores, 8,600 recordings and CDs, and 1,800 reference and method books. The department owns 3 pipe organs; 1 electronic organ; 3 concert grand pianos; a harpsichord; many practice pianos with both upright and grand pianos; numerous orchestral and band instruments; a collection of Renaissance and Baroque instruments; a collection of non-western instruments; and a Roland piano lab, with 14 electronic keyboards. The department also has acquired a fully-equipped state-of-the-art computer lab, Macintosh computers, and Kurzweill, Yamaha, and Korg synthesizers.

Performing Organizations

Majors and non-majors are invited to participate in all performance groups at Mount Union College: Concert Choir, Mount Union-Alliance Chorale, Symphony Orchestra, Marching and Concert Bands, Brass Choir, Clarinet Ensemble, Opera Workshop, Keyboard Ensemble, "Fire-Engine" Choir, Student Musical, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Band, Flute Ensemble, Women's Chorus, and Repertory Strings. Auditions are scheduled for these groups through the Music Office at Cope Music Hall at the beginning of each semester.