Department of Music

The Department of Music at Montana State University offers dynamic programs in music, music technology, and music education, preparing our students for various professions in music and music education, along with life-long musical enhancement.

Inspired by the belief that music is central to human ways of life, the Department affirms the University's mission to serve the people and communities of Montana by providing a musically enriched environment.

The Department is committed to contributing to the musical world through performance, scholarship, composition and leadership, and nurturing the musical expression, understanding, discovery, and creativity of its faculty and students.

The Department of Music offers classes to all students regardless of major. Some music courses satisfy University core requirements. Interested students may study band and orchestral instruments, voice, piano, guitar, and organ. Membership in Department of Music ensembles is open to all students regardless of major. Some ensembles require an audition. All incoming music majors must demonstrate their level of musicianship through auditions, a theory pre-test, and a keyboard placement exam prior to acceptance in the program.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC

The Bachelor of Arts in Music degree emphasizes the study of music within a broad program of general study. A non-teaching minor is offered by the Department of Music to non-music minors.

All music majors must enroll in Applied Music each semester of residency. All students will be placed, by audition, at the appropriate level of applied study. Advancement to the next level will be by performance jury and with the approval of the applied music instructor. A recital, or an appearance in a recital as soloist, must be completed before advancement to MUS 360. Successful completion of at least one semester of MUS 360 is required to graduate. All applied music students are expected to participate in the Department's band, choral, and orchestral ensembles.

Music majors are expected to attend, as a listener, eight recital/concert performances each semester. Music majors must attend twenty-four recital/concert performances prior to advancement to MUS 360, and attend a total of forty-two performances to graduate.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC TECHNOLOGY

The Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology offers undergraduate students an integrated experience in composition, sound design, audio technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration, within a broad program of general study. Music Technology courses provide students with the range of skills and experience they need to forge their own pathways in this constantly-changing field.

All Music Technology majors must enroll in Applied Music for a minimum of three semesters. Advancement to the next level will be by performance jury and with the approval of the applied music instructor. Successful completion of one semester at the MUS 260 level or higher is required for graduation. All students must successfully complete a minimum of two semesters of ensemble performance.

Students without previous experience reading standard musical notation may need to complete MUS 102 (Fundamentals of Musical Creation) before starting the Music Theory course sequence, as determined individually for each student in consultation with the Director of Music Technology and the Music Theory faculty.

All students will be placed, by audition, at the appropriate level of performance study. Placement in MUS 160 will be at the sole determination of the studio professor. Students with less previous experience on their principal instrument are responsible for obtaining preparatory instruction and basic music-reading skills to reach the 160 level. Basic preparatory skills on guitar may be obtained via MUS 153, 154, and/or 253 (Guitar in Class), as determined by placement evaluation with the Guitar faculty.

Music Technology majors are expected to attend, as a listener or recordist, eight recital/concert performances each semester. Music majors must attend a total of forty-two performances to graduate.

Other requirements for Music Technology majors: Music Technology majors must complete either MUS 310 or MUS 311. Music Technology majors must achieve an average grade of "C" in each of the Theory sequence pairs (MUS 103 & 104, MUS 105 & 106). Music Technology majors must complete either MUS 347 (Interdisciplinary Projects 2) or CAA 490R (Collaborative Research/Creative Activity).

The Music Technology major requires each entering student to declare the pre-major and complete an initial course sequence before applying for the major. This gate ensures that students will have sufficient studio time and individual instruction, and that Department of Music resources can meet the needs of the student population. For the Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology, the pre-gate requirements are:
a) MUS 103 and 104 (Aural Skills I and II)
b) MUS 105 and 106 (Theory I and II)
c) MUS 150 and 151 (Keyboard Skills I and II)
d) MUS 115 (Introduction to Digital Music)
e) MUS 230 (MIDI Sequencing and Notation)
f) Placement into MUS 160 in one of the applied studios, OR placement by audition in MUS 253 (Guitar in Class III), OR successful completion of MUS 153/154 (Guitar in Class I/II) with a grade of C or better, OR successful completion of MUS 150 and 151 (Keyboard Skills I and II) with an average grade of A- or better.

Each spring, any Music Technology pre-major who has successfully completed all of these requirements may submit an application and portfolio for the gate. Successful completion is defined as a grade of "C" or better, with an average of "C" or better in each of the Theory sequence pairs (MUS 103 & 104 and MUS 105 & 106).

Any student who is not admitted past the gate may re-submit one additional time the following spring. When any of the required first-year courses have been attempted at MSU, a student's grade may change only by retaking that specific course in the Department of Music (i.e., no transfer credits or other course substitutions will count toward re-submission).

Students admitted past the gate may declare the Music Technology Major. Evaluation for the gate is based on three components:
1) GPA in the pre-gate course sequence
2) Composition portfolio submitted with the application
3) Service credits for participation and volunteerism in the pre-gate year.

Undergraduate Music Technology majors are required to be enrolled for a minimum of nine credits each semester, and to make consistent progress toward the degree requirements each semester until graduation. Any exceptions will be at the sole discretion of the Department Head and the Director of Music Technology. (For example, post-baccalaureate students pursuing a second bachelor's degree in Music Technology may be exempt from the 9-hour requirement.)

Music Technology is a broad field encompassing a wide variety of topics, and Music Technology programs at different institutions vary significantly in emphasis and curriculum order. Therefore, transfer credits for Music Technology courses (MUS 115, 221, 230, 341, 347, 348, 349, plus Music Technology electives) will not generally be awarded. The Director of Music Technology and the Music Department Head reserve the right to award transfer credits in exceptional circumstances, at their sole discretion.

Course fees are assessed to all students enrolled in MUS 115 and MUS 230. Annual program fees (subject to annual increase) are assessed to all Music Technology majors admitted past the gate. Course fees and program fees support emergent equipment needs and maintenance of the computer lab and individual studios. These fees will enable Music Technology students to accomplish their work efficiently and to gain necessary experience with the most up-to-date tools of the trade.

Curricula in Music

• Bachelor of Arts in Music
• Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology
• Pre-Music Technology
• Music Minor (Non-Teaching)

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC

A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation; 42 of these credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC TECHNOLOGY

A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation; 42 of these credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above.

Of the available elective credits:
14 must be in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or Fine Arts except music.
3 credits must be in Computer Science or Business.
10 credits may be free electives (music or non-music).
The remaining 6 elective credits must be non-music.

* Guitar principals will be placed in the appropriate level of performance coursework (Guitar in Class I, II, III or MUS 160) by audition upon entry to the pre-major.

MUSIC MINOR (NON-TEACHING)

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