Music

Department Chairperson: Roxanne Stevenson

Email: rstevens@csu.edu

Phone: (773) 995-2155

Location: HWH 331

Department Overview

The Department of Music offers a Bachelor of Arts in Music, a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in either gospel music or music production, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education PK-12.

The department offers courses to all students to broaden their understanding and enjoyment of music as a fine art.
All students who qualify may participate for credit, or without credit, in the various performance groups sponsored by the department.
All students are encouraged to audition as early as possible for scholarship and financial aid consideration.

The Department of Music is a leader in the performing arts, providing a musical education grounded in experiential, historical, and cultural contexts. Our undergraduate programs in music, music education, gospel music, and commercial music and technology reflect the Chicago musical culture from which the department draws its strength.

The Department of Music maintains a commitment to increasing its cooperative links with the local community of musicians and music educators, while expanding its vision of a curriculum with a strong multicultural base, reflecting an increasingly diverse student body. The Department of Music, in providing fine arts education as part of a comprehensive general education, will promote the University’s tradition of a strong liberal arts education

Mission

The mission of the Department of Music is firmly rooted in the belief that music is an innate artistic expression of all humanity. The goals of the Department are accomplished through the training of music educators and the offering of general music instruction to the University at large.

Values

The Department of Music is committed to:

educating a culturally and economically diverse student body, with sensitivity to the musical backgrounds of all students;
training music educators at the primary and secondary levels;
providing continuing education for teaching professionals seeking to satisfy certification requirements;
preparing students for music studies at the graduate level;
providing all undergraduates the opportunity to experience music through performance and academic study;
serving the community as a resource in the discipline of music;
forming partnerships with musical organizations in the community;
and enhancing the position of Chicago State University in music research and performance.

Accreditation

All Department of Music majors and concentrations are accredited and approved by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Admission to the department of music is contingent upon the successful completion of an instrumental, piano, or vocal audition and a written music theory placement examination. Entering students who do not meet the minimum standards to be music majors may be admitted conditionally. Students must remove identified deficiencies within the first year of matriculation before being fully admitted as music majors.

Program Specific Policies

Program Admission

To be admitted to the Department of Music, you must successfully complete a performance audition and a written placement exam in music theory.

Admission to the College of Education requires a minimum grade point average of 2.5 in all program coursework. Enrollment in Student Teaching (MUSM 4076) requires successful completion of the Music Licensure Content Area Test (PK-12). The final grade for Student Teaching requires successful completion of the edTPA.

Program Progression

During enrollment in the university, all music majors are required to register for MUSM 1800 Performance Class. This zero-credit course is pass/fail and is based upon attendance at on-campus music recitals, concerts, or master classes.
Full-time enrollment requires attendance at a minimum of ten scheduled music events. Part-time enrollment requires attendance at a minimum of five scheduled music events. Students may substitute a maximum of two off-campus events with appropriate documentation.
Students who have no keyboard experience will be expected to acquire some proficiency in piano prior to completion of 60 credit hours.

Licensure Requirements

Completion of the Bachelor of Arts in Music Education qualifies students for an Illinois Special Professional Educator License (PEL) with an endorsement for teaching music grades PK-12.

Licensure requires the successful completion of the ACT or SAT (see College of Education Handbook), Music content area test and the edTPA. The program meets Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) standards for music education.

Honors Program in Music

Admission requirements

3.25 GPA or higher in music.
3.0 GPA or higher overall.
Completion of MUSM 1112 , MUSM 1116 , and MUSM 3020 .
Completion of honors application approved by the faculty mentor and department chair.

Program Requirements

Complete nine credit hours in designated honors classes selected from the following: MUSM 3021 - Music History & Lit II, MUSM 3800 - Junior Recital, MUSM 4014 - Orchestration, MUSM 4040 - Conducting, MUSM 4800 - Senior Recital.
CompleteMUSM 3000 - Independent Study (3.0 credit hours) with a faculty member in music who will guide the honors thesis or project.
Earn a B or higher in each honors class.
Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
Maintain a GPA of 3.25 in music.
Course requirements must be fulfilled over a period of at least three semesters. An honors course should be taken each semester.

Honors Classes

The designated honors classes will be offered in conjunction with existing courses. Honors students who have been accepted in the Honors Program in Music will be given additional reading and assignments in these classes

Programs

Bachelor of Arts

Music, B.A.

Minor