Music: Performance or Composition

A Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) from the nationally-accredited Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho gives you the advanced training and well-rounded knowledge you need for a professional career in music. Personal instruction from leading faculty, in-depth musical study and diverse performance opportunities in a wide range of ensembles will help you reach your highest level of achievement in your area of musical performance or composition.

You may earn one of the following degrees:

• Bachelor of Music in Performance: Areas of specialization include voice, keyboard, guitar, orchestral instruments, and band instruments. An optional emphasis in jazz performance is available for instrumental performance majors.
• Bachelor of Music in Composition: Prepares you to reach your highest possible level of achievement in music composition. There is an optional emphasis in jazz composition/arranging.

As a music major, you’ll learn by performing, listening to, analyzing, and creating music. You’ll undergo intensive professional training in your area of specialization, enhanced with one-on-one attention and expert guidance from our accomplished faculty. Courses in theory and history give you a broad understanding of musical styles and techniques of all eras, including contemporary music. You’ll also dedicate significant time in instructional studios and practice sessions developing your talent, honing your technical skills and perfecting your techniques. The B.Mus. degree is professionally oriented and it is the normal preparation for graduate study in music performance.

The Lionel Hampton School of Music, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, offers outstanding opportunities to perform in an array of ensembles and performance groups, with the flexibility to explore a wide variety of performing media – which is sometimes not an option in larger music schools. You’ll also give solo and possibly chamber performances, or performances of your own compositions. The program’s strong ties to the region’s active arts community also create performance opportunities.

Additionally, the annual University of Idaho Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and performances by other guest artists give you the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the greatest professional musicians in the world.

Prepare for Success

The music program at the University of Idaho Lionel Hampton School of Music is not just a course of study, it’s a lifestyle. The Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) is an extremely rigorous program that demands tremendous dedication and unwavering focus. You will spend hours, both in and outside the classroom, perfecting your skill and developing your talents. To succeed, you must be entirely committed to the program, to your talent and to your growth as a musician. To prepare while still in high school, take private lessons in music.

Candidates for the B.Mus. must be capable performers on at least one instrument or voice. Admission into the program requires an audition.

Your First Year

During your first year in the B.Mus. program, you will enroll in university general requirements, music foundation courses and studio instruction. You are also required to attend recitals throughout the year. Depending on your area of specialization, you may take:

• MusC 139 and140 – Aural Skills I & II
• MusC 141 and 142 – Theory I & II
• MusA 115 and 124 – Studio Instruction
• MusA 145 and 146 – Class Piano
• MusA – Major Ensemble
• MusX 140 – Convocation
• MusX 101 – Orientation for Majors
• MusH 111 – Intro to Music Literature
• English 101 and 102 – College Writing
• Core Discovery

What You Can Do

Depending on your area of specialization, you may pursue a career as a:

• Professional musician
• Composer
• Arranger
• Conductor
• Soloist
• Opera singer
• Orchestra member
• Band member
• Vocal instructor
• Instrument instructor
• Recording artist
• Studio musician

• Master of Music
• Master of Arts in Music History

Opportunities

A Bachelor of Music from the renowned Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho will open doors to many exciting opportunities. Many of our students use their education as a springboard to a successful career as a professional musician. A degree in music, however, also prepares you to succeed in many other fields. When you study music, you develop valuable transferable skills – creativity, leadership, analytical and critical thinking, attention to detail, discipline, perseverance – all of which are highly desired in business, law and other professions.

Most importantly, a degree in music gives you the ability to effectively communicate through music. You’ll graduate empowered to use your talent to make a positive impact on others.

Current Research

Faculty members in the University of Idaho’s Lionel Hampton School of Music are recognized worldwide as accomplished soloists, orchestral musicians, chamber musicians, conductors, composers and teachers. They are leading experts in education, piano, voice, guitar, and orchestra and band instruments, with extensive experience performing professionally in classical, jazz, operatic and popular ensembles. Current faculty research interests and areas of expertise include:

• Performances with Lyric Opera San Diego, Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre and other regional theatres
• Performances with Tacoma Symphony, Spokane Symphony, Walla Walla Symphony, Washington Idaho Symphony and other regional and national ensembles
• Compositions and arrangements for symphonic bands, wind ensembles, orchestral winds, choirs, jazz bands, symphony orchestras and marching bands
• Composition of music for video documentaries and interactive CD ROM educational software, and chamber music
• Jazz performance and education
• Theory, history and criticism of film music
• Theory pedagogy and analysis
• Mental skills and techniques for training and presentation 
  
• Music entrepreneurship
• Pedagogy, 19th century chamber music, and the music of Francis Poulenc
• 19th and 20th century American music, including historiography, criticism and the community band movement in the West
• Effects of instrumental music participation on middle and high school students and on senior adults
• Pedagogical works of Godowsky, the transcriptions of Franz Liszt
• Piano teaching and performance
• Stages of growth of new teachers, music education in one-room schools, vocal physiology and Byzantine music notation
• Neurological and physical bases for human finger independence
• Music of Abel Carlevaro, Maximo Diego Pujol and Bryan Johanson
• Music of the 19th century virtuoso-composer Johann Kaspar Mertz

Activities

Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI): Sigma Zeta Chapter, the international fraternity for women in music
Phi Mu Alpha: A music fraternity for men
Collegiate Music Educators' National Conference (CMENC), University of Idaho Chapter
Pi Kappa Lambda: An honorary music society
Student Advisory Board: Acts as liaison between students and music administration

Hands-On Experience

Musical performance is an integral part of student and campus life at the University of Idaho. You’ll have many opportunities to perform, both on and off campus.

• Recitals: Music majors perform solo recitals, and composition majors present recitals of their own compositions.
• Ensembles: We have musical organizations to fit the interests of almost everyone, including the University Chorus, Vandaleers Concert Choir, Opera/Musical Theatre Studio, Vandal Marching Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, jazz ensembles and many other performing groups. We produce more than 170 recitals per year.
• School of Music Internships: Internships include production management, arts management, jazz festival audio technician, and jazz festival site management.
• Undergraduate Teaching Assistants: Students may apply as teaching assistants in music theory, aural skills and music history.
• Convocation-Recital Attendance: Because listening experiences are important in the study of music, all music majors are required to attend 10 recitals per semester for seven semesters.
• Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival: This widely popular, four-day event draws hundreds of top jazz artists and spectators from around the world to the University of Idaho each year. Visiting professionals and students in the Lionel Hampton School of Music give evening concert performances and conduct clinics for elementary, junior high and high school students. Lionel Hampton School of Music students perform throughout the event.
• Auditorium Chamber Music Series: The series presents some of the world's finest chamber ensembles in concert, and it also places these extraordinary musicians in university and public school classrooms and community centers in our region.
• Dancers, Drummers and Dreamers: This spring performance is presented in collaboration with the University of Idaho Department of Dance. All dances are performed to original, live music composed by faculty and students in the Lionel Hampton School of Music.
• Community Performances: The region’s active arts community creates many opportunities for students to perform in a variety of venues.

Facilities

The Music Building houses the Schuldt Music Library, faculty studios, ensemble rehearsal areas, classrooms, an electronic music lab, a music education materials center, a listening center and a recital hall. Individual practice rooms are available in nearby Ridenbaugh Hall. Recording, radio-television, language listening lab and computer facilities on the campus are also available to music students.

In addition to organ, harpsichord, harp and piano practice instruments, the school maintains two performance pipe organs, three concert grand pianos and a concert harpsichord.