Opportunities

Performance

• Instrumental Ensembles: Civic Symphony, Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony.
• Vocal: Chamber Choir, College Choir, College Chorus, Women's Ensemble.
• Each semester, qualified students are chosen to be concerto soloists with instrumental ensembles or to give solo and joint recitals.

Independent Study

With one-on-one faculty supervision, students can explore areas not offered in the standard curriculum. Examples of recent Independent Studies include:

• Synthetic Analogs of Vocal Sound
• Fourier Analysis of Vocal Formats
• Form and Analysis
• Debussy and Ravel
• Chopin Mazurkas
• Brahms' Chamber Music

Field Study

Annually, the department schedules trips to hear visiting artists and performing groups in the nearby cities of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Erie, and Buffalo.

Touring Ensembles

Some performing groups, including the Wind Symphony, the Wind Ensemble and the American Music Ensemble, go on tours, usually during semester breaks.

Public Events

In a typical semester, there are six or seven recitals by music students and faculty as well as three or four performances by visiting artists such as the Kronos Quartet, Richie Havens, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Some guests hold residencies in addition to performing on campus. The Alexander String Quartet, for example, has had annual residencies on campus since 1990. The Silberman Series offers four concerts annually, featuring artists such as Trio Lyra, the Bachmann-Klibonoff-Fridman Trio, the Cleveland Duo, the Rembrandt Trio, and the San Juan Chamber Music Festival, among others. Upcoming performances for the current semester can be found on our on-line arts and lectures calendar.

Honors and Prizes

• Flavia Davis Porter Award, to most talented instrumental musician
• Morten J. Luvaas Prize to choral music student
• Ethyl Moore Miller Prize to a junior or senior who shows exceptional progress and ability in musical studies and performance (first Miller Prize recipient was Dr. Richard A. Smith '50, a chemistry major who has achieved great distinction as a chemist and professor of chemistry)
• Edith Mead Osborne Prize to the individual who shows marked musical ability, talent, or direction in voice, piano, or organ.

Other Opportunities

• Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band
• Cooperative projects with public schools
• Accompaniment for services in local churches
• Paid teaching assignments with area youth

Graduate School

• About 95% of our majors attend graduate or professional school eventually. About 90% go on directly, with a 100% acceptance rate.
• Top schools include:
  • Eastman School of Music
  • Cleveland Institute of Music
  • University of Illinois
  • University of Massachusetts
  • Old Dominion University
• The most popular field of study include: music education, music therapy.

Career Data

• About 10% of our majors seek jobs directly after graduation, and many secure work in a field of interest right away.
• The most popular fields with a bachelor's degree: education, military performance.
• Our graduates are as likely to earn advanced degrees in geology, mathematics or medicine as they are to pursue graduate studies in music. The list of alumni gives some indication of the variety of career paths music majors pursue.