Music Department

Professor Sauerwein, Interim Chair
Professor Girtmon
Professor Xie
Specialty Instructor Geihsler
Specialty Instructor O. Rockwell

The Music Department seeks to produce transformational leaders in the musical arts who will have profound influence in their homes, workplaces, communities, concert stages, cultures, Christ’s Church and the world. Music majors will gain a real-world experience through public performance required in all degree paths.

Studio Policy
All private studio instruction is governed by the Music Department Studio Policy, which also addresses departmental standards and expectations for end-of-semester juries, weekly practice hour requirements, Junior and Senior recitals, participation in Music Studio Class and area meetings, concert attendance, and the like. Students should read this document carefully when enrolling in Private Music Applied Lessons, and review it whenever it is updated (typically at the beginning of each semester).

Elective Private Music Applied Lessons (Audition required.)
A non-music major student may enroll in private music lessons in Private Music Applied Lessons in all band, keyboard, orchestra and vocal performance areas as well as guitar and composition for elective academic credit (one hour per semester) with approval granted from the Music Department on the basis of audition. The comprehensive list includes Brass - trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba; Composition; Guitar (Classical, Jazz, Bass); Harp; Keyboard - organ, piano, jazz piano; Percussion; Strings - violin, viola, cello and bass; Voice; Woodwinds - flute (including piccolo, flute and alto flute), clarinet (including soprano, alto and bass), oboe (including oboe and English horn), bassoon, and saxophone (including soprano, alto, tenor and baritone). Students may take private music lessons each semester of enrollment at Belhaven University based on teacher availability. All private studio instruction is governed by the Music Department Studio Policy. This document should be read carefully before a student enrolls for private instruction. Beginning students are required to take the appropriate fundamentals sequence in guitar, piano, and voice before enrolling in private lessons; exceptions may be allowed by audition. Completion of a fundamentals sequence does not guarantee admission into private study. Students must still be able to demonstrate that they have sufficient musicianship skills (including music literacy) and sufficient talent to make reasonable progress and to perform a successful jury. All students enrolled in private music lessons at Belhaven University are required to also enroll in MUS 100 Music Studio Class  (see description below). All students enrolled in private music applied lessons will be assessed a supplemental instruction fee each semester.

Number Designations for Private Music Applied Lessons
After the MUS designation, private music applied lessons are designated for transcript/registration purposes by three digits: the first a letter indicating the specific instrument or family of instruments (B for brass, C for composition, G for guitar, H for harp, O for organ, P for piano, R for percussion, S for stringed instruments, V for voice, and W for woodwinds); the second and third combine to form two digit number denoting an instructor for that specific instrument or family of instruments.

Piano Proficiency Juries
Most music majors need to pass Piano Proficiency Juries. These students should enroll in MUS 117 Piano Fundamentals I , MUS 118 Piano Fundamentals II  and/or MUS 119 Piano Fundamentals III  until all required Piano Proficiency Juries are passed. Piano Proficiency Juries occur during piano juries at the end of each semester. Students are strongly recommended to be studying piano during the semester that they take Piano Proficiency Juries. Piano Proficiency Juries are in seven levels. Refer to the Music Studio Policy for details on these levels. Any combination of levels may be presented at one time. These juries must be completed to meet graduation requirements.

Vocal Proficiency Juries
Vocal Proficiency is required for some music degrees and individual emphases. Some latitude is allowed based on natural vocal potential of students but reasonable proficiency is expected. Requirements are listed in the Music Department Studio Policy. Vocal Fundamentals courses (MUS 110 -MUS 111 ) may be utilized as preparation for passage of Vocal Proficiency Juries.

Language Requirements
Music majors pursuing the Bachelor of Music degree in Performance (Voice) are required to study one year of a foreign language. German or French are preferred. Exceptions must be approved by Music Chair and Voice Faculty.

Ensemble Requirements
Music majors are expected to be in one ensemble per semester until graduation requirements for their course of study have been fulfilled. Music ensembles should be chosen that are appropriate to the principal instrument. Up to sixteen credit hours count toward graduation.

Theory and Musicianship Placement Examination
When enrolling initially in Theory and Musicianship courses, students must take an examination to determine their placement in each sequence. Theory and Musicianship placements are independent of one another: for example, a student may be placed in Theory I and Musicianship II.

Musicianship Requirements
Courses in the musicianship sequence (Musicianship I-IV, see below) are repeatable for credit, and advancement to successive levels depends on the student receiving a grade of C or better in each level. Music majors must enroll in and complete four semesters of musicianship courses advancing to level IV (that is, passing Musicianship III with a grade of C or better) in order to meet graduation requirements.

Concert Attendance
All students enrolled in performance courses are expected to attend concerts sponsored by the music department. Music majors and minors will also be required to assist in concert production. All of this is specified in the Music Department Handbook.