Dec 26, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

School of Music


Christopher Ulffers, Director

Admission

Prospective music majors and minors must be admitted both to the university and to the School of Music. Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to the School of Music. Admission to the School of Music is determined through a competitive audition process consisting of an acceptable personal or recorded performance and an evaluation of theory and aural skills. A satisfactory audition is required of all entering freshmen, transfer students, and students being readmitted. For detailed information, students should contact the School of Music Assistant Director for Student Services.

Performance Medium

Each music major or minor is required to have a major performance medium. The medium may be chosen in any of the following areas: piano, organ, voice, strings, woodwind, brass, or percussion. Applied lessons in the chosen medium is required throughout the program of study. Applied lessons may be repeated for credit. Minor applied students receive one half-hour lesson per week. Major applied students receive one hour lesson per week. Number of credit hours for applied lessons correspond with increased jury expectation as defined by course syllabi. Specific audition guidelines are listed in the materials for application to the School of Music. Basic entrance requirements in the major performance media are as follows:

Voice: An acceptable voice and the ability to sing with accurate pitch and rhythm.

Piano: The ability to perform acceptably major and minor scales and arpeggios and compositions representative of piano literature from three of the four style periods (baroque, classic, romantic, contemporary).

Other Instruments: A fundamental knowledge of the instrument, including an acceptable method of producing tone; awareness of intonation problems; accurate rhythmic feeling; some knowledge of solo literature available for the instrument; the ability to play major, minor, and chromatic scales with the proper fingering.

A student whose performance proficiency level is slightly below the minimum for entering freshmen may be admitted on probation in a major applied area. The student may take freshman music courses for credit and preparatory work in a major applied area for no credit for a maximum of one semester, as determined by the faculty in the major area.

Curricula

Placement Examinations

Transfer students are given placement tests in basic music knowledge at the time of their audition to determine their appropriate levels of study in music theory and history courses.

Transfer students are given jury examinations in their major applied areas at the end of the first semester to establish their appropriate proficiency levels.

General Recital Attendance Requirement for All Majors

Each music major is required to attend at least 75 percent of the total number of general recitals offered during his or her enrollment at East Carolina University. (Music education students will be exempted during the semester enrolled in MUSC 4325 .)

Piano Proficiency for All Majors

Music majors are required to complete satisfactorily the group piano sequence indicated in their concentrations or to demonstrate a comparable level of accomplishment.

Students should enroll in group piano each semester until the sequence is completed. Any student interrupting the sequence (either by dropping or by not enrolling) must retake the placement audition before enrolling in any subsequent piano course.

Applied and Core Music Regulations for Music Majors and Minors

A minimum grade of C (2.0) in applied lessons on a student’s major instrument will qualify as credit in the applied major guideline. A student will be disqualified as a music major or music minor the second time that he or she receives a grade lower than C in applied lessons on the major instrument.

A minimum grade of C (2.0) in the following MUSC courses (MUSC 1105 , MUSC 1115 , MUSC 1156 , MUSC 1166 , MUSC 1176 , MUSC 1186 , MUSC 1406 , MUSC 2156 , MUSC 2166 , MUSC 2176 , MUSC 2186 , MUSC 2248 , MUSC 2406 , MUSC 2416 , MUSC 3156 , MUSC 3166 , MUSC 3176 ) is required to receive credit toward the music major. A student will be disqualified as a music major or music minor for at least one semester the second time that he or she receives a grade lower than C (2.0) in the same MUSC course as listed above. A student may request consideration for readmission through the School of Music administration. Specific requirements for consideration will be determined by selected faculty and administration of the School of Music in consultation with the student no later than the second week of the fall or spring semester enrolled. If a student is reinstated, he or she will have one attempt to earn a grade of at least C (2.0) in the course(s) for which he or she was disqualified. Failure to do so will result in disqualification as a music major, necessitating the above procedure for readmission.

To be admitted to upper division courses in all degree programs, students must pass a qualifying exam as specified by the School of Music faculty.

Bachelor of Music Degrees

The School of Music offers the BM in music education and the BM in music. Concentration areas for the BM in music include: music therapy, performance (jazz studies [instrumental or voice], piano, sacred music [organ or voice], strings, voice, winds or percussion) and music theory-composition (theory or composition). For admission to upper level music education degree and music therapy and performance concentrations, a student must have a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA in music courses at the end of the sophomore year. For admission to upper level theory-composition concentrations, a student must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA in music courses at the end of the sophomore year.

Faculty and Staff

Programs

    Bachelor’sMinor

    Courses

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