Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Music [BA]


Do you plan to have a music-related career or pursue graduate music study? This program will equip you with musical expertise, within a broad liberal arts education, to meet your goal. It is an innovative degree program flexibly designed for real-world integration of music and the arts. You can combine the music major with a minor or second major in fields as diverse as arts management, communications, entrepreneurship, film studies, journalism, marketing, technology, etc. We are focused on inspiring 21st-century music professionals!

Learn

The students will demonstrate fluent musicianship skills, including an understanding of music theory, proficiency with aural skills and sight reading, competency as a soloist on her/his main instrument, basic piano skills, and the ability to rehearse and perform collaboratively and contribute to an ensemble. The students will define the eras of music history, identify and distinguish the musical styles and genres associated with each, accumulate music history vocabulary, concepts, and understanding as a basis for developing musicianship and as a foundation for professional expertise in music. The students will create original, insightful research into music history and analysis, resulting in an individual capstone project in the form of a research paper suitable for submission to graduate schools or publication in a relevant scholarly field.

Opportunities

Students choose the music major because they wish to combine music study with another area of interest, either a minor or a double major. The BA in Music is an innovative degree program flexibly designed to enable real-world integration of music and the arts. Many students combine the music major with a minor or second major in fields as diverse as arts management, communications, entrepreneurship, film studies, journalism, marketing, technology, etc. Others prepare for graduate or advanced professional studies in music-related fields. Students perform in multiple campus venues, including the historic Pease Auditorium, and readily access the arts-rich environment of Southeast Michigan.

For more information on specific music program policies, please refer to the School of Music & Dance Student Handbook.

School Information


Music & Dance N101 Alexander, 734.487.4380 

Christopher Barrick, DMA, Director

Advisor Information


Brandon Johnson, D.M.A, N101 Alexander, 734.487.0280

School of Music & Dance Admission


All prospective students (including transfers) must apply to the School of Music & Dance and complete an entrance audition. Admissions information and access to the School’s online application are available on the School’s website. Applications must be submitted at least seven days in advance of the requested audition day.

In addition to the degree requirements stated below, students must learn and abide by additional School of Music & Dance policies on the School’s website.

General Education Requirements:


For specific requirements, see General Education  or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .  

Major Requirements: 51–52 hours


In addition to the requirements listed below, this major requires students to satisfy a concert and recital attendance requirement (see below for details).

Major Ensemble: 6 hours


 Only one hour per semester counted toward degree.

Applied Music (principal instrument): 12 hours


Music majors enrolled in Applied Music will also participate in a weekly studio class. Studio class times vary; please contact the Applied Music teacher for schedule.

Concert and Recital Attendance Graduation Requirement


Each student must attend a specified number of recitals/concerts (events) to earn their degree, as described below.

Bachelor of Music Performance - 80 events (10 per semester for 8 semesters). For students who transferred to EMU, 10 per semester while studying at EMU.

All other music degrees - 72 events (9 per semester for 8 semesters). For students who transferred to EMU, 9 per semester while studying at EMU.

Procedure:

Please see the School of Music & Dance for applicable events (website).

  • Students are strongly encouraged to attend the indicated number of events per semester for their major. Students will receive credit for no more than 30 events per academic year.
  • Music Education and Music Therapy students should complete this requirement before student teaching or internship (exceptions approved by the School Director).
  • Students must attend an entire event to receive credit. Students who participate in more than 50% of an event as a performer may not count that event towards the attendance requirement.

EMU Events -

  • When available, please pick up an attendance card from a faculty greeter before the event start and return it to the faculty member after the event. The faculty member will initial your card and submit it to the Music & Dance office.
  • For events without a faculty greeter, a program signed by any faculty member after the event is also acceptable. Be sure that both your name and student number are listed on the program and submit it to the Music & Dance office within 14 days of the event.

Non-EMU Events -

  • Submit your ticket stub (for ticketed events) or program (for non-ticketed events) to the Music & Dance office within 14 days of the event. Your applied teacher must sign programs before submitting them (Students not currently enrolled in applied music may have their program signed by any faculty member). Be sure that both your name and EID are listed on the ticket stub or program.

Checking your concert and recital attendance credits:

You may check the number of events for which you have been credited on the School of Music & Dance website (emich.edu/music-dance/music/current-students/recital-credit). Enter your EID., click submit, and your personalized report of recital credits to date will be displayed on your screen.

When you are ready to graduate and your final audit is being completed, your advisor will approve your Concert and Recital Attendance requirement, and your U-achieve audit will reflect that this requirement has been met.

What to do if you still have questions about this policy? Contact the School Director or your faculty advisor.

Minor Requirement:


This major requires a minor. Please see Programs  for a list of available minors or contact your major advisor.

Program Total:


Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information


Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
    • Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
    • At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required. 
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.