Program Codes:
BAMUSIC
Bachelor of Arts
Introduction
Mercyhurst University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The D'Angelo Department of Music is dedicated to assisting young musicians realize their potential as performing artists, educational leaders, and music therapists. With its distinguished faculty, the Department fosters musical achievement and cultural growth through its rigorous curriculum; its membership in the National Association for Music Education; its Faculty Recital Series; its numerous ensembles, productions, and solo performance opportunities; and by presenting special master classes and guest artists through its Roche Guest Artist Series. The D’Angelo Music Building is located on the south end of the campus. The three-level facility and was opened in September of 1988. In 1996, the university opened the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center. This state-of-the-art facility adjacent to the music building showcases many of the performances and productions of the D’Angelo Department of Music. The Department also utilizes the Walker Recital Hall in the Audrey Hirt Academic Center. This 240-seat hall serves as an additional concert and rehearsal space.
Mission Statement
The D’Angelo Department of Music strives to provide an undergraduate curriculum with comprehensive instruction to students seeking degrees in Performance, Music Education, Composition, Music Therapy, or a Bachelor of Arts in Music. We are committed to encouraging non-music majors to enroll in our department ensembles and courses. Successful completion of degree programs will enable our music students to take a meaningful place within their communities. It is our goal to assist our students to become well-rounded, healthy individuals and life-long learners in the arts. The Department seeks to do this within the context of a liberal arts university and with a deeply personalized approach to learning.
Vision of the Department
The D’Angelo Department of Music strives to be a nationally competitive and well-respected institution of learning. We seek to have a diverse student body that is intellectually curious, and motivated to learn in our rigorous, high quality curriculum. With a faculty of visionary educators, scholars, and musicians, we believe our students will be challenged to achieve these high scholastic and artistic goals. Faculty and students work together in an atmosphere of professional awareness, mutual support, and outreach. As a result, our graduates will be versatile musicians, prepared to pursue successful, fulfilling careers of their choosing.
Music Minor - 19 Credits Required
The D’Angelo Department of Music welcomes any student to audition as a Music Minor (see Audition Requirements below). You will take 30-minute weekly private lessons on your instrument/voice; study Music Theory, Aural Skills, and Music History; and participate in one of our large ensembles. Scholarships are also available to Minors (see Scholarships and Financial Information below).
One Music History course (3 cr) chosen from the following:
Applied Music Lesson Fee
This lesson fee applies only to certain types of students: 1) Non-music majors who wish to enroll in private lessons taught by department faculty, 2) Music Minors who desire to take private lessons beyond the required two years, 3) Current music majors who register for lessons in a secondary area that is not part of the specific degree program.
Description of Degree Programs
The D’Angelo Department of Music enrolls undergraduate students in the following degree programs: Bachelor of Music in Performance, Bachelor of Music in Music Education, Bachelor of Music in Composition, Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy, and Bachelor of Arts in Music. Applied study is offered in the following areas: Brass (Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Euphonium, French Horn), Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass), Woodwinds (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Saxophone), Composition, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, and Voice. A minor in music is also available to students from other disciplines (see Music Minor above). Each of these degree programs has a minimum GPA requirement.
Scholarships and Financial Information
Majors
Talent-based scholarships are awarded through the audition process at the discretion of the faculty and the Chair of the Department of Music. Any prospective student is eligible to compete for scholarship assistance, regardless of financial status. Students wishing to apply for financial assistance must also apply to the Student Finanical Services ofice. Students who do not meet required academic and performance levels during their time at Mercyhurst may have their scholarship reduced or eliminated.
Minors
Non-music majors are accepted as music minors through the same audition process described above and are awarded a scholarship for their participation in the music department’s large ensembles: Concert Choir, Civic Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, or Jazz Ensemble. Minors are also welcome to participate in the department's small ensembles at the discretion of the ensemble's director. Small ensembles are: Clarinet Choir, Saxophone Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Piano Ensemble, Chamber Choir, String Chamber Ensemble, Composers Workshop and Opera Workshop.
Non-Music Majors
Students at Mercyhurst University who wish to participate in the large and small ensembles are invited to do so at the discretion of the ensemble conductor. A limited number of scholarships are available through an audition process early in the Fall Semester.
Sophomore Review
At the end of the Sophomore year, a formal review is made by the entire full-time music faculty to evaluate whether the student will be retained in the program. Based on grades, progress on the major instrument/voice, juries, and other criteria established by the faculty, the Sophomore Review must be passed successfully for the student to continue working toward a music degree.
Graduation Recitals
Student Best Practices and Procedures
A student guide outlining all policies of the D’Angelo Department of Music is provided to all music students. It is the responsibility of the student to adhere to guidelines and policies set forth in the document.
Admission
In addition to the Mercyhurst University application and admission process, students applying to the D’Angelo Department of Music must
Audition Requirements (for BM Music Therapy, see Music Therapy page)
The Bachelor of Arts in Music provides students with the opportunity to pursue a full major in Music together with an expanded emphasis on the liberal arts. The additional elective courses built into this degree allow students to incorporate a minor in another field of study without adding overload credits. Music majors benefit from the same general departmental offerings as those in the performance and education degrees—weekly private lessons, regular participation in ensembles, opportunities for stage roles, and the full range of music core classes—with the additional flexibility to design a broader four-year liberal arts curriculum, add a minor, or even double major with another field of study. This degree provides a solid preparation for graduate study in music, and, in some cases, professional performance opportunities, along with a strong grounding in the broader humanities. Concentrations within the Bachelor of Arts in Music are available in all areas of approved study (winds, piano, percussion, strings, and composition).
Total Credits Required to Graduate in the Major Music - 121 Credits
REACH Curriculum 40 credits
Music Core Curriculum 47 credits (43 credits for piano concentration)
Plus the following:
MUS 206 | Music History Orchestral Music/Chamber | 3 credits |
MUS 248 | Class Piano III | 2 credits |
MUS 249 | Class Piano IV | 2 credits |
47 Credits Required for BA Music, BM Music Therapy, BM Music Education (43 credits for piano concentration)
55 Credits Required for BM Performance and BM Composition (51 credits for piano concentration)
This course provides a broad understanding of the Western Art Music tradition from the music of antiquity through the Baroque. Students will be guided through listening, score analysis, and engagement with written scholarship in order to attain knowledge about key pieces of the Western Art Music canon as well as the historical context in which this music was written and performed.
This course provides a broad understanding of the Western Art Music tradition from the music of the Classical period to the present. Students will be guided through listening, score analysis, and engagement with written scholarship in order to attain knowledge about key pieces of the Western Art Music canon as well as the historical context in which this music was written and performed.
The purpose of this course is to introduce basic and essential technologies often used by musicians. Students will have multiple opportunities to immediately apply new knowledge in realistic and useful settings.
Required for all first-year theory and aural skills students. Supplemental guided practice for academic concepts and practical skills covered in the Music Theory I & II and Aural Skills I & II curriculum. 0 credits.
Required for all first-year theory and aural skills students. Supplemental guided practice for academic concepts and practical skills covered in the Music Theory I & II and Aural Skills I & II curriculum. 0 credits.
An introduction to sight-singing, rhythm and ear training. The students will apply solfege to major and minor modes using a diatonic melody, perform rhythms in simple and compound meter, and identify intervals isolated and within a melodic dictation.
An introduction to sight-singing, rhythm and ear training. The students will apply solfege to major and minor modes using a diatonic melody, perform rhythms in simple and compound meter, and identify intervals isolated and within a melodic dictation.
The first of a four-semester sequence of class instruction that will develop functional piano skills and incorporate elements of applied theory. Topics covered include proper technique habits, five-finger patterns, major scales, major and minor triads, basic chord progressions, intro to harmonization and improvisation, easy repertoire pieces, and sight-reading.
The second of a four-semester sequence of class instruction that will develop functional piano skills and incorporate elements of applied theory. Topics covered include major and minor scales and arpeggios in two octaves, harmonization and transposition using all primary and secondary chords, repertoire pieces of increasing difficulty, chord progressions using secondary chords, improvisation to elicit kinesthetic responses, and sight-reading.
A four-year course of individual instruction with, emphasis on the thorough development of, musicianship, technique, style, interpretation, and repertoire. Credits determined by student's, degree program. 1-2 credits.
A four-year course of individual instruction with, emphasis on the thorough development of, musicianship, technique, style, interpretation, and repertoire. Credits determined by student's, degree program. 1-2 credits.
First year of a four-year course of individual, instruction with emphasis on the thorough, development of musicianship, technique, style,, interpretation and repertoire. Credits determined, by student's degree program. 1-2 credits.
Course offers individual instruction with, emphasis on the thorough development of, compositional creativity and techniques. 1-2, credits.
This is a requirement of all music majors. Attendance at weekly Student Forums and certain faculty/guest recitals is required. Students will register for Attendance Requirement each semester for all four years.
This is a Fall requirement of all music majors. Attendance at weekly Student Forums and certain faculty/guest recitals is required. Students will register for Attendance Requirement each semester for all four years.
This course is designed to broaden the student's knowledge and appreciation of non-Western music and jazz. The world music portion examines music of the world’s major cultures, with an emphasis on style, instrumentation, and the cultural influence those societies had on music, both locally and globally. The jazz history segment examines the origins of jazz through the mid to late twentieth century, with an emphasis on identifying historical figures and the styles of jazz they represent.
Uses the skills achieved in MUS 111/112 to sing and dictate melodies that are diatonic, modal, chromatic, and modulate in various clefs and keys. In addition, students will perform rhythms that are more advanced in simple and compound meters and will be introduced to music that is more metrically complex.
Uses the skills achieved in MUS 111/112 to sing and dictate melodies that are diatonic, modal, chromatic, and modulate in various clefs and keys. In addition, students will perform rhythms that are more advanced in simple and compound meters and will be introduced to music that is more metrically complex.
Required for BA in Music
The third of a four-semester sequence of class instruction that will develop functional piano skills and incorporate elements of applied theory. Preparing for the Piano Proficiency Exam is a main focus. Topics covered include all major and minor scales and arpeggios in two octaves, instrumental and vocal accompaniments, harmonization and transposition with or without chord symbols or Roman numerals, more advanced chord progressions, improvisation, sing and play exercises, sight-reading, and memorization of solo repertoire at the mid to late-intermediate level.
The fourth of a four-semester sequence of class instruction that will develop functional piano skills and incorporate elements of applied theory. Preparing for the Piano Proficiency Exam is a main focus. Topics covered include all major and minor scales and arpeggios in two octaves, instrumental and vocal accompaniments, harmonization and transposition with or without chord symbols or Roman numerals, more advanced chord progressions, improvisation, open choral and instrumental scores, sing and play exercises, sight-reading, and memorization of solo repertoire at the mid to late-intermediate level.