Music Department Goals and Objectives

Goal #1: To encourage the individual student’s musical, artistic and intellectual development.

Objective: Students will develop an understanding of a musical notation
system, building a theoretical foundation and understanding of standard
melodic, rhythmic and harmonic structure

Objective: Students will be familiar with musical styles and genres from
different cultures and historical periods.

Objective: Students will acquire an understanding of the compositional processes, aesthetic properties of style and the ways these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural forces. Students will learn how to make original musical and scholarly contributions through a variety of compositional and analytical techniques.

Goal #2: To provide students with an academic environment rich in opportunities for personal challenge, musical interaction with other musicians and with audiences and civic responsibility.

Objective: To teach students to use their musical skills and knowledge to
enrich their own lives and the lives of others through performance, instruction and service to the community.

Objective: To help students retain and enhance their own, individual love of
music.

Objective: To encourage students to use technology in their coursework and
to acquire skills they can use to pursue further knowledge on their own.

Objective: To help students develop appropriate and informed critical, analytical and research skills for their own music and for the music and
performance of others.

Objective: To teach students principles and practices of solo and
ensemble-based musical performance, organization and promotion of live and
recorded performance.

Goal #3: To provide an education that will enable students to succeed in the fields of music and entertainment industry professions.

Objective: To encourage students to acquire the career development and
entrepreneurial techniques necessary to advance themselves according to
their area of specialization and their own career objectives.

Objective: To help students examine ethical issues related to the music and
entertainment industry professions.

Objective: To prepare students for graduate school and/or careers in their
chosen area of specialization.

Goal #4: To provide a minor in Audio Production

Objective: Students who have studied Audio Production will have:

1. An understanding and appreciation of the artistic quality found in music
   recordings.
2. A method to evaluate the sound source and sound environment in the live
   room as well as heard through the control room loudspeakers.
3. Completed a comprehensive study of practical modern recording methods
   including microphone technique, multi-track recording, midi sequencing,
   sound synthesis, sampling, and synchronized sound for film/video.
4. Completed several guided creative music production studio projects.

Goal #5: To provide a minor in Music Literature

Objective: To provide structured training for students who are not Music majors but who want to continue their study of music literature from a variety of time frames and culture. Music Literature goals include training in theory and musical performance.

Goal #6: To provide a minor in Theory

Objective: To provide a specified series of courses for students who wish to study form and analysis of music, including special projects involving composition, but who are not Music Majors. Theory studies reflect additional studies in performance and literature.

Goal #7: To provide a minor in Music Performance

Objective: To provide courses in performance opportunity for students who wish to begin or continue their involvement with music performance but who are not Music Majors. Performance training includes studies in music literature and theory.