When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Learning Goals
- Performance—Students integrate technical skills and knowledge to be able to complete a successful performance in a particular area of concentration.
- Aural skills and analysis.
- Music history—Students can place music in historical, cultural and stylistic contexts.
- Composition and improvisation.
- Technology—Students identify and employ appropriate technology applicable to their area of specialization.
- Synthesis—Students integrate their music studies through a means appropriate to their curriculum.
Students in the music department may, with department head approval, complete a music technology minor in addition to a major in music.
Double-counting restriction
Students pursuing a major in the music department may double-count a maximum of 8 semester hours toward another major or minor.
Music Opportunities for Non-Music Majors
The department provides a variety of music opportunities for all students, regardless of their majors and career goals. Nonmajors may take upper-level music courses with permission of the instructor. The department also welcomes nonmajors in performing groups and private study upon a successful audition or permission from the instructor.
Bachelor of Music in Composition
Bachelor of Music in Composition. Music students who desire a specialized emphasis in composing original works may choose this degree option. Accepted majors must possess skill in a standard performance area and also demonstrate potential as composers through a portfolio of notated works. Students explore a wide variety of musical styles with an emphasis on understanding compositional techniques that may be less familiar to them, such as those of 20th-century art music. Students who complete this program typically pursue graduate study leading toward professional activities as a composer, arranger or teacher. Candidates complete the university Central Curriculum requirements plus the following courses with a minimum grade average of C. Each course below must be completed with a minimum grade of C-.
12 Music Literature
2 MUSC-152 Survey of World Music
4 MUSC-245 The Music of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Eras
4 MUSC-250 The Music of the Classic and Romantic Eras
2 MUSC-350 20th-Century Music
20 Music Theory
2 MUSC-161 Theory I: Diatonic Harmony
2 MUSC-162 Theory II: Chromatic Harmony
2 MUSC-163 Ear Training I
2 MUSC-164 Ear Training II
2 MUSC-261 Theory III: Advanced Harmony
2 MUSC-262 Theory IV: Form and Analysis
2 MUSC-263 Ear Training III
2 MUSC-265 Ear Training IV
2 MUSC-361 Counterpoint
2 MUSC-370 Orchestration
5-6 Skills
2 MUSC-369 Beginning Conducting
1 MUSC-034 Piano Class I (instrumental/vocal concentrates)
1 MUSC-035 Piano Class II (instrumental/vocal concentrates)
1 MUSC-037 Piano Class III
2 MUSC-066 Collaborative Piano (keyboard concentrates; third semester for keyboard concentrates who are exempt from MUSC-037)
36 Applied Music
10 Composition lesson (may be a combination of one- and two-credit lessons)
10 Applied lesson in one studio area (minimum of six semesters)
2 MUSC-500 Full Composition Recital (capstone)
0 Forum (eight semesters)
6 Large Ensemble (six semesters)
8 Music Elective (other than applied study and ensembles and 4 SH chosen from MUSC-355, MUSC- 356, MUSC-367 or MUSC-368)
Applied Music Lessons
Lessons carry one or two semester hours of credit. Students earn credit of one semester hour for a weekly half-hour lesson. Bachelor of Arts majors take a one-semester-hour lesson on their major instrument. Music education majors and performance majors take a weekly one-hour lesson on their major instrument and receive two semester hours of credit.
A fee is charged per semester for individual lessons that are not stated specifically as curricular requirements (nonmajors or extra lessons for majors). Such lessons are contingent upon faculty availability within the normal teaching load.
