Commercial Music BM
Program Purpose
This is a limited-enrollment program requiring departmental admissions approval. Please see the college advisement center for information regarding requirements for admission to this major.
The Commercial Music degree offers students the opportunity to learn about today's music technology and production practices. Coupled with a strong academic music core, the wide range of elective classes give students a diverse range of theoretical and hands-on experience in MIDI sequencing, audio recording, jazz studies, studio and live performance, producing, arranging, songwriting, post scoring for film and video, broadcast audio, entrepreneurship, and other skills needed to prepare to work in today's music industry.
The Commercial Music core provides the necessary foundation to understand today's commercial music environment and provides a basis upon which the student can build toward his or her own unique focus. The Commercial Music Degree consists of the University Core Requirements, The School of Music Core Requirements, and a set of electives that allow students to concentrate on selective studies relevant to their interest and career path.
On-campus resources include two state-of-the-art recordingstudios and dozens of digital audio workstations featuring the latest recording and production software. Knowledgeable faculty who are skilled industry professionals bring real world experience into the classroom.
Learning Outcomes
Technology
Students will be able to utilize the latest technological developments and industry-standard production, recording, and mixing techniques to produce meaningful, high-quality professional-level projects.
Students will be able to produce and perform meaningful, high-quality professional-level projects and performances in a variety of genres, contexts, venues, and distribution channels.
Students will be able to apply numerous business, production, and performance skills and techniques to effectively guide projects through from conception to completion.
Students will be able to effectively evaluate their projects and performances to determine the potential impact for good that their artistic endeavors may have on individuals, families, communities, the profession, the Church, and the world at large.
Evidence of Learning
The successful candidate for graduation from the Commercial Music Program will demonstrate an acceptable level of technical, creative and producing proficiency in their chosen track as evidenced by multiple levels of direct and indirect assessments.
Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement
Through class assignments, written exams, projects, and performances, a direct assessment of a students progress and ability will be evaluated.
Indirect assessments will come from in-class student evaluations of the courses effectiveness, general discussion with faculty members and industry professionals who the students interface with both currently and post graduation, and the level of freelance opportunities that students are offerred.
This particular field of study is subject to the rapidly advancing and changing technology used in its production. While the essence of music composition and production has, at it's core, a fundamental sets of musical skill, the way in which musical ideas are organized and presented has been given all infinite possibilities through the technological world in which we live.
As a program, we will need to continually evaluate the relevance of the material being taught in the class room to be sure it is not antiquated. It is also very important to balance the book learning with the actual hands-on experience that goes along with it in the class room. Student work, mid-course evaluations, occasionally a student award or contest will help in evaluating course and program effectiveness. The capstone class project is designed to showcase the best of the students skills and provide an overall evaluative tool to access the student in their chosen track and skills set.
The success rate with which our students are able to make their way into the business, as compared to other institutions and historical data will also be a helpful evaluative tool.
Having facilities that allow us to keep pace with that change and to teach the most applicable and wide reaching skills will be key in the continual improvement of student learning and abilities.