Music  |  Overview  |  Scholarships

The Music Department offers a challenging and enriching curriculum for music majors, minors and students wishing to pursue music as an avocation. Music majors prepare themselves for one of a variety of careers in performance, education, music industry, or graduate school. Saint Mary’s University offers majors in liturgical music, music, music performance (all wind instruments, keyboard and composition), music education (K-12 Classroom and Vocal or K-12 Classroom and Instrumental), and music industry (either music business or music technology). A popular option for students is to complete the bachelor’s degree with a major in either music or music performance and continuing at Saint Mary’s in the Master of Arts in Instruction program; in a total of five years and one summer session qualified students, once certified, have a master’s degree and Minnesota teaching licensure.

General Department Goals

• Music degree programs develop the skills required for success in any of several career paths.
• Musical study provides students with opportunities to develop and enrich their personal and spiritual lives, explore the connection of music to various cultures and historical periods, and develop the basis for life-long participation in the arts.
• Music majors who complete graduation requirements from the Saint Mary’s Music Department demonstrate knowledge of music history, including western music, world music and contemporary musical styles.
• Music majors demonstrate analytical skills in the areas of music theory and aural skills, analysis of music from all historical periods, and develop skills and understanding in conducting, arranging, improvisation and technology.
• Music majors demonstrate performance skills appropriate to their major with their primary instrument or voice, as well as piano skills appropriate to their major emphasis.

The music faculty are active professionals and nurturing mentors for students. Faculty members and students present an ambitious calendar of recitals and concerts each year. Please see the course descriptions for complete listings of student ensembles, all of which perform on a regular basis, many of which tour regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Students anticipating majoring in music should take music fundamentals, applied lessons, ensembles, and experiencing music during their freshman year. Music, music performance, and music education majors should take MU125 Keyboard Musicianship I and MU126 Keyboard Musicianship II, normally in the sophomore year. Many courses are offered in a rotating biennial schedule; students are responsible for completing required courses when they are offered.

Students are officially admitted to majors within the music department on the basis of an audition and are expected to successfully complete a comprehensive sophomore review (MU299), which includes a portfolio assessment, essays, interview, and juried performance examination.

Why Saint Mary's

• Our students benefit from small class sizes and personal attention from faculty and staff.
• Faculty have work experience in the areas that they teach and spend summers participating in research and furthering their scholarly knowledge.
• Students have the opportunity to participate various vocal and instrumental ensembles, which perform on campus, across the country, and internationally.
• We offer a Music Industry degree in the context of a liberal arts education, a rare combination that allows for both a specialized skill set and a well-rounded education.
• All majors have a strong international component required or available, allowing our students to gain global perspectives.
• The Saint Mary’s Alumni Association works hard to maintain relationships with our graduates.

Internships

Saint Mary's University has been sending students off campus for internships since the music department was established in the early 1970's. At that time, most of the interships were at local retail stores. Now, our music business and music technology students have been branching out to sites at far reaching locations. For example, we've had music business and music technology internships in St. Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Mankato and Owatonna, MN in the last five years. Saint Mary's University music business majors are required to do at least a six credit internship off campus as part of their program. Music technology majors are required to do at least 3 credits of field study. Many of the music technology students at SMU earn additional off campus credits by working with professionals off campus. Most often, students find their own internship sites with the guidance of our office of off campus learning and the faculty members in the music industry program.