Department of Music

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Mission
The music department offers a comprehensive array of programs and services to students and the surrounding community, including professional and liberal arts degrees in music and an active schedule of live music. The department supports large and small ensembles in vocal and instrumental music, houses up-to-date facilities for electronic music production, and provides course offerings in Western classical music, jazz, musical theatre, audio & media production, ethnomusicology, composition, arranging, song writing, and American vernacular music.

Learning Outcomes

• Develop artistic proficiency for careers in music as performers, composers, writers, producers and academics.
• Develop an awareness of the role of musical arts in society and increase the student’s potential as a professional.
• Engage in musical performances that provide experience for the students themselves, as well as providing a cultural resource for the University and the community.

General Information
The music program at Western Oregon University, fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), gives students an opportunity for broad study in music, as well as a concentration in an area of particular interest, including vocal and instrumental performance studies, conducting, jazz studies, studio teaching, composition and arranging, and electronic music. Students graduating with a music degree from Western Oregon University can pursue graduate degrees in music, pursue careers in the music industry, or seek teacher certification.

Western Oregon University offers the following degree programs in music:

• Master of Music in Contemporary Music
  
• Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Music
  
• Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Music with an emphasis in Musical Theatre
  
• Bachelor of Arts in Music
  
• Bachelor of Science in Music
  
• Music minor
  
• MAT: Initial Licensure
  

The Edgar H. Smith Music Hall includes lecture rooms, rehearsal rooms, practice rooms, a piano lab, an electronic music lab, a digital-music production studio, and a 200-seat recital hall for chamber music recitals and performances. The Leonard W. Rice auditorium seats 619 and serves as the venue for the orchestra, chorus, musical theatre, and the Edgar H. Smith Fine Arts Series.

Western Oregon University offers opportunities for students to perform with numerous ensembles, including the wind ensemble, symphony orchestra, Western Hemispheres jazz ensemble, percussion ensemble, concert choir, Soulstice jazz choir, chamber singers, music theater, and opera workshop.

In addition to university awards, scholarships are available through the music department for students majoring or minoring in music. For more information visit the scholarships page (application forms and guidelines are available in PDF format).

Contact

The Music Department (503) 838-8275 | or e-mail: lcaligu@wou.edu
Location: Smith Hall