Music

Faculty

Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Ray Robinson, D.Mus.Ed.

Professor

Dennis Hayslett, Ph.D.
Ken Phillips, Ph.D.
Tim Thompson, D.M.
Marlene Woodward-Cooper, M.M.

Associate Professor

Bryon Grohman, D.Mus.
Geoffrey Holland, D.M.
Michael O’Connor, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Patrick Clifford, M.M.
Roger Pontbriand, M.M.

Artist in Residence

Marilyn Mims, B.M.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the Department of Music is to develop intelligent musicians who combine artistic and musical integrity with Christian character. Graduates are expected to demonstrate general musicianship and keyboard skills, knowledge and application of historical and cultural contexts of musical works, and technical mastery in an applied area. The successful student combines these competencies to prepare and perform music artistically.

Programs of Study

The Department of Music offers programs leading to the Bachelor of Music and the Bachelor of Arts degrees. Students in the B.Mus. program may major in composition, music education, or performance (voice, instrument, or keyboard). The B.A. program with a major in music offers two tracks: applied music studies and, music theory and literature. The B.A. program with a major in popular music offers two tracks: music industry and worship leadership. The department also offers a minor in music and a minor in popular music. Unless specified in the course description, all courses offered in the Music Department are open to qualified students regardless of their major. Some applied music courses and ensembles require an audition before a student may be admitted. Students are encouraged to consult a music advisor for information about specific course offerings.

The Bachelor of Music degree is intended for students who seek to develop those skills, competencies, and general qualities that are essential to the life of the professional musician. Students in the Bachelor of Music program are expected to seek the highest level of technical competence in their major area, and students admitted to the program must demonstrate exceptional talent and potential for development in musicianship and discipline.

The primary focus of students majoring in music education is preparation for teaching at the elementary and secondary school level. Completion of the degree qualifies the student for certification in the state of Florida for teachers wishing to enter the public school system; Florida shares certification reciprocity with a number of other states.

The primary focus of students majoring in performance is preparation for a career as a performer or private teacher. Many students in the performance track continue directly to graduate school upon the completion of the undergraduate degree.

The primary focus of students majoring in composition is the study and incorporation of compositional techniques found in modern art music of the western classical tradition from earliest times through the present day in an effort to develop the student’s own unique modes of expression. Through private instruction and group seminars, the composition major receives instruction in the preparation of original works for performance. Students are also encouraged to explore music outside the western classical tradition.

The Bachelor of Arts degree is intended for those students who seek a thorough grounding in the literature and materials of music, including opportunities for performance experience, within the traditional, broad-based liberal arts curriculum. Unlike the Bachelor of Music degree, the BA degree in music allows a student to declare a minor or second major outside music or the arts. Students seeking a minor in another discipline pursue the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music. These students are fully considered music majors and follow the general requirements for majors in music. Their curriculum is less specified than the Bachelor of Music curriculum to allow the opportunity to include courses outside of music to become part of their degree plan.

Admission Requirements

In addition to University application procedures, prospective students seeking to major in music must file an application with the School of Music and Fine Arts. Approval for study in the B.Mus. program or the B.A. program is based on several factors, including an audition, interview, and review of previous work. All prospective students must complete a live audition and interview with the music faculty prior to the semester of initial enrollment. If a student lives too far from an audition site for a live audition to be practical, a digital recording may be submitted for provisional consideration, to be followed up by a live audition and interview when the student arrives on campus. Application materials should be received and auditions completed at least six weeks before the beginning of the student’s first term in the music major in order to ensure a place in applied music, ensembles, and required music courses. After a student has been approved for study in a major or principal area, any change requires faculty approval and a new audition/interview. Conditional acceptance in a major or principal area of study must be upgraded to full acceptance by the end of the student’s second term in the program. No audition or interview is required for the music minor.

Auditions and Placement Examinations

Audition requirements are listed below in the major areas. All freshmen and transfer students will be evaluated for piano study, music theory, and musicianship skills placement. Tests in other areas of music may be required in order to place the student in the appropriate course level. Transfer credit for courses in music theory will be evaluated by the Department of Music upon completion of the entrance examinations.

Auditioning students may supply their own accompanist, or may request that the School of Music and Fine Arts provide one. Taped accompaniment tracks, or any other form of prerecorded accompaniment, are allowed when auditioning for the Popular Music program. At the discretion of the audition committee, all prospective students may be asked to sight-read. A separate audition may be required for certain ensembles.

B.A. Students and B.Mus. Students in Music Education

Auditions in this area are less stringent than those in performance. Students should prepare two contrasting pieces from the classical literature, demonstrating their technical and interpretive abilities in a principal area. Instrumentalists and keyboardists will be asked to play scales as well as sight-read.

Prospective B.A. Students in Popular Music

It is understood that applicants will come with a variety of experiences, including areas of prior work (songwriting, arranging, performing, engineering), genre and stylistic interests (pop, rock, jazz), and hopes of outcomes. All applicants are expected to demonstrate certain musical skills. Applicants will perform two selections of contrasting style that represent the genre of music that the applicant hopes to study. Instrumentalists will play major and minor scales and sight-read. Applicants with experience in areas such as songwriting, arranging, performance, and recording may wish to present items or a portfolio to the audition panel. Items of interest may include a performance history, a demo CD, song lyrics, and original scores. Students will participate in an interview and complete a music theory assessment.

Prospective B.Mus. Students in Performance and Composition

Students interested in the highly specialized areas of performance or composition must have had considerable prior private study and developed other musical competencies in order to pursue these areas. Such students must prepare an audition according to the following guidelines:

Voice: Two contrasting pieces from the standard repertoire are to be performed from memory: one in English and one in Italian, French, or German.

Keyboard: The following are to be performed from memory:

all scales and arpeggios (major and minor);
a Prelude and/or Fugue from The Well-Tempered Clavier, or two movements from a French Suite or English Suite by J. S. Bach;
a movement from a sonata by Mozart, Beethoven, or Haydn; and
a representative composition from the 19th or 20th century repertoire.

Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello: All major and minor scales in three octaves; prepare an etude representing current level of technical development; one movement from J. S. Bach unaccompanied sonatas, partitas or suites; one movement from a standard concerto; two orchestral excerpts.

Bass: All major and minor scales in two octaves; prepare an etude representing current level of technical development; two solo pieces in contrasting style with piano accompaniment; two orchestral excerpts.

Harp: Any major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scale four octaves in 16th notes; an etude from Grossi or Pozzoli; classical era sonata movement or concerto movement; twentieth-century piece; two orchestral excerpts.

Woodwinds and Brass: All major and minor scales; two solo pieces in contrasting style; an etude representing current level of technical ability; two orchestral excerpts.

Percussion: Snare Drum: Etude of choice from Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony Cirone; demonstration of rolls, open and closed. Keyboard: Suggest performance of J. S. Bach Violin Concerto in A minor (Allegro moderato) as found in Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba, and Vibraphone by Morris Goldenberg; all scales, two octaves. Timpani: Etude of choice from Modern Method for Tympani, by Saul Goodman; demonstration of tuning skills. Accessories: Demonstration of basic techniques on cymbals, bass drum, triangle, and tambourine.

Guitar: All major scales, two octaves, any Carcassi etude, or equivalent solo piece by Guilanni, Sor, Tarrega, or other major composer for classical guitar.

Composition: Perform two contrasting works on an instrument or voice from classical literature. Submit scores of two original works. Interview with the composition faculty.

Scholarship Information

The University offers scholarships in varied amounts to a select number of highly talented and promising students. These scholarships are available through a competitive process that includes an interview and an audition with the music faculty. Students who accept these grants-in-aid must normally declare a major in music during the period of the grant and maintain a 2.75 grade point average in all music courses attempted at Palm Beach Atlantic University. PBA music grade point averages below 2.75 will result in a reduction in music scholarships. Scholarship recipients will be required to participate in at least two assigned ensembles each semester. In addition, applied keyboard students will be given accompaniment duties. More specific guidelines for maintaining scholarships are available from the office of the Dean. Students seeking music scholarship must audition prior to April 1st.

Students pursuing a degree in popular music may, under certain circumstances, apply for music scholarship if they prepare an additional audition using traditional performance literature and follow the guidelines for a traditional music audition in the B.A. track. Applicants should understand that music scholarship is granted based on the needs of music ensembles, and the ability of the applicant to meet that need. Students seeking scholarship must demonstrate advanced ability with the instrument or voice. Music scholarship involves a commitment to two traditional ensembles every semester of full-time enrollment in addition to the requirements for popular music ensembles. If the applicant wishes to follow these additional guidelines and apply for music scholarship, then that must be specified at the time of the scheduling of the audition.

Advanced Standing in Music Theory

Upon application to the department, a student may be examined in Tonal Harmony I and II and/or Musicianship Skills I and II for the purpose of gaining advanced standing in music theory. A student seeking advanced standing must earn a high pass (equivalent to a B or A) in an examination provided by the music faculty. Students granted advanced standing must choose substitute music theory courses in place of the excused credit hours. No student may place out of a music theory or musicianship course if they have previously registered for the course at PBA. An advanced standing examination may only be taken once. A student who took a Music Theory Advanced Placement course in high school and scored 3 or 4 on the Music Theory Advanced Placement Examination will receive credit for MUS 1113 - Tonal Harmony I and MUS 1131 - Musicianship Skills I. Students who scored 5 on the Music Theory Advanced Placement Examination will receive credit for MUS 1123 - Tonal Harmony II and MUS 1141 - Musicianship Skills II. The final decision on all applications for advanced standing rests with the music faculty.

Music: Departmental Regulations

Review of Satisfactory Progress

All music majors will have their progress in all work in the major area of study reviewed annually, and must maintain a 2.75 grade point average in all music courses attempted at Palm Beach Atlantic University in order to continue in good standing. Admission to upper level study is determined on the basis of the student’s cumulative GPA in music courses completed by the end of the fourth semester, the recommendation of the fourth semester applied jury, the recommendation of the student’s applied instructor, and the satisfactory completion of an interview with the music faculty committee. The music faculty reserves the right to dismiss any student from a major in music if he or she fails to meet departmental standards. Decisions to dismiss a student from a major will be reviewed automatically by the executive committee of the School of Music and Fine Arts, and a student may make appeal to the Dean. Every attempt will be made to counsel a student into a more suitable major in the event that he or she is unable to meet the standards of the department.

Residency Requirement

All music majors must complete a minimum of two years in full-time residence at PBA, including the senior year. Transfer students will not be admitted beyond the first semester of the junior year. Majors may not use transient study to fulfill courses in the Music Core or Major Requirements and Electives.

Ensemble Requirements

The School of Music and Fine Arts is committed to ensemble performance as an essential means of instruction in musicianship. Music majors participate in ensembles as required by their degree programs and scholarship requirements. Additional ensembles may be taken, but will not meet elective requirements. Most music majors must earn a minimum of 8 semester hours in ensemble performance while enrolled at PBA. Music minors must earn 4 semester hours in ensemble performance. Music scholarship recipients are required to be in at least 2 ensembles every semester they receive scholarship.

Ensemble Retreat Attendance

All students enrolled in Concert Choir, Women’s Chorale, and Symphonic Band are required to attend an annual retreat. These ensemble retreats are usually scheduled on a weekend in September.

Ensemble Credits, 1000 and 3000 Level

For each ensemble, the student will register for 1000-level credit until the student earns four semesters of credit in that ensemble or the student is ranked a junior by the university.

Applied Music Policies (Private Lessons)

Students in the Bachelor of Music programs in performance and composition register for an applied major area and receive 60 minutes of private instruction per week. Students in other music programs register for an applied principal area and receive 45 minutes of private instruction. All students attend a one-hour studio class and one-hour Recital Seminar each week. Secondary study in an applied area may count as an elective in the first semester after the proficiency barrier in that applied area has been fully passed. The Department of Music maintains a minimum standard of 5 hours per week of practice for each credit hour earned in the major or principal area of applied music. This standard shall be understood to reflect a “C” average. Individual instructors may set higher minimum practice standards. No credit will be given in applied major or principal studies unless the semester jury is satisfactorily passed.

Applied Lesson Credits, 1000 and 3000 Level

For each applied lesson, the student will register for 1000-level credit in applied lessons, as appropriate for the student’s major, until the student earns four semesters of applied lesson credit or the student is ranked a junior by the university.

Piano Proficiency Examination

Piano competency is required and is measured by means of the Piano Proficiency Exam. All music majors must pass all parts of the piano proficiency exam. Non-keyboard majors or principals must register continuously in piano class or piano secondary until they pass the exam. No student will be approved to present a senior recital or project or to submit a second-screening application for student teaching unless the piano proficiency exam has been passed. No student may graduate at the end of the semester in which he or she passes the piano proficiency; the piano proficiency must be completed at least one semester prior to graduation.

Recital Performance Requirements

Students preparing to present a recital should register for the appropriate course number (MUS 2480 - Studio Recital; MUS 3480 - Junior Recital; MUS 3490 - Graduating Recital; or MUS 4480 - Senior Recital/Project) and, in the case of junior, graduating, and senior recitals, arrange a recital jury. The studio recital should be at least 15 minutes in length, the junior recital and graduating recital at least 30 minutes, and the senior recital at least 60 minutes. Projects require the preparation of a prospectus and approval from the student’s major professor and a project committee. Students should seek guidance from their applied teacher or major professor when preparing for recitals and/or projects.

Graduating recitals for music education majors and Bachelor of Arts students are at least 30 minutes in length. Minimum recital requirements for Bachelor of Music students are as follows. Performance majors: one studio recital, one junior recital, and one senior recital; music education majors: one studio recital, one graduating recital; composition majors: one studio recital in a solo performance area, one junior composition project and one senior composition project.

Bachelor of Arts music majors will present a studio recital and a graduating recital or project under the supervision of a major professor and committee selected from the music faculty. Length, content, and type of recital/project will be tailored to the individual student’s needs and interests. No recital is required for the music minor.

Recital Attendance Requirements

All music majors must attend at least 10 departmentally sponsored performances each semester of full time enrollment (a total of 80 over the course of the four-year degree, prorated for transfer students, students graduating in less than eight semesters, and student teachers). Attendance at off campus recitals and concerts presented in professional arts venues is encouraged to satisfy a portion of the annual required performances, but must be approved by the student’s major applied professor. Students pursuing the popular music curriculum will have 50% of their recital attendance requirements dictated by their major professor. Performances in which a student is required to participate for ensemble course credit will be accepted for recital attendance credit. If a student transfers to PBA with or without an AA degree having finished freshman and sophomore theory requirements, the number of documented attended recitals for graduation must be 40. If a student transfers to PBA with or without an AA degree only having finished freshman theory requirements, the number of documented attended recitals for graduation must be 60. If a student transfers to PBA with or without an AA degree not having finished freshman theory requirements, the number of documented attended recitals for graduation must be at least 10 per semester the student was matriculated from entrance to graduation. Students who fail to meet recital attendance requirements during any year of enrollment must make up the required number during the summer or subsequent semester. Students who fail to meet the departmental requirement for recital attendance by the end of their senior year will not be approved for graduation.

Recital Seminar

Music majors must register for and pass Recital Seminar each semester of applied principal or applied major registration. Transfer students entering after the sophomore year must pass 4 semesters of recital seminar. Music minors must pass 4 semesters of recital seminar.