Grow as a Musician and Vocalist Under the Guidance of Dedicated Teachers
All your practice pays off as a musician when you take the stage and give a polished performance. In IUP's Music Performance program, you'll expand your mastery of your primary instrument or voice under the expert guidance of the faculty. You'll benefit from private, weekly, one-hour lessons with an experienced faculty member throughout your time in the program, covering eight semesters for a total of 32 credits.
You'll also deepen your skills through a series of eight classes in music theory and a variety of other courses.
You'll gain first-hand experience in IUP's Music Performance program: you'll be required to take part in ensembles throughout your studies, like those in IUP's four other music bachelor's degree programs. You'll choose from more than 20 groups, including vocal and instrumental ensembles.
You'll also be expected to regularly attend recitals in concert halls on campus, growing in your knowledge and appreciation of music.
Imagine Your Future
Our experienced faculty specialize in numerous families of instruments. Our hands-on approach to education, along with the concentration options, allow for IUP students to succeed after graduation.
With a BFA in Music Performance, you can become a professional musician and perform in:
- Symphony orchestras
- Opera and musical theater companies
- Churches
- Nightclubs
- Weddings
- Recording studios
Classes and Requirements
You'll grow to understand broad trends in Western music history and discover a diverse body of musical literature. You'll evaluate the function and meaning of music-making across various cultures and historical eras and write effectively about the history of music.
In IUP's Music Performance Program, you'll learn how to examine and interpret the materials, forms, and conventions of Western art music. You will develop comprehensive musicianship skills, including score-reading ability and basic keyboard proficiency.
You will demonstrate advanced proficiency with voice or a musical instrument, interpret benchmark compositions, and prepare at least one solo recital. You will recognize expectations associated with professional activities such as auditions and interviews.
You'll also collaborate with your peers by performing regularly in small and large ensembles. You'll master basic conducting and rehearsal techniques and grow to recognize the value of performance as a means of community engagement and enrichment.
Full Academic Catalog Listing
The course catalog is the official reference for all our degree and course offerings. Check it out for a full listing of the classes available and requirements for this degree.
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Our Faculty
The Music Department at IUP offers a faculty of 26 full-time and seven part-time professors. They are all scholars and active musicians, who perform on the national and international stage. Unlike many other schools with adjunct professors who come in only on days when they teach, our individual instrument professors are on campus full time, interacting with their students, encouraging them to reach their full potential.
We have professors who specialize in brass, keyboard, percussion, strings, voice, and woodwinds. We have nationally and internationally recognized ensemble directors and composers. And we have scholars who bring a wealth of knowledge to lead you through music education, history, theory, and composition.
But most importantly, our faculty is dedicated to teaching and mentoring their students. All music majors are advised by a faculty member in their performance area.
Students examine and interpret the materials, forms, and conventions of Western art music and develop comprehensive musicianship skills, including score-reading ability and basic keyboard proficiency. They also learn to write effectively about the technical features of music.
Before graduating, students must demonstrate competency with instruments of K-12 instruction, including elementary classroom instruments. With this skill set, they create strategies for instrumental and vocal instruction that are developmentally appropriate and based upon sound pedagogical models.
Throughout the course of the program, students learn to understand broad trends in Western music history and discover a diverse body of musical literature. They evaluate the function and meaning of music-making across various cultures and historical eras and write effectively about the history of music.
Students also learn how to design and implement curricula, lessons, and assessment tools by drawing on the above skills and conducting research in education. They also draw from their own experience and outlined professional standards. In this way, they learn to cultivate classroom environments that are inclusive and inspirational.
Student Opportunities
Check out our more than 20 ensembles. Instrumental groups include Marching Band ("The Legend"), Symphony Band, Wind Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra. Jazz groups include Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble.
Vocal Groups are Chorus, Chorale, Chamber Singers, and Music Theater. Area Groups include Percussion Ensemble and Brass Ensemble.
There are also additional groups such as the Trombone Choir and Clarinet Choir.
We have active student chapters of Phi Mu Alpha, An all-male music fraternity; Sigma Alpha Iota, an all-female music sorority; and Delta Omicron, a co-ed, professional fraternity. All three groups participate in service activities for the Music Department. You can also join our student chapter of the Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators Association.
If you are planning a career in music education, you may want to help with the String Project, which gives children the chance to learn to play a string instrument and perform in a concert. We also have a new Community Music School that coordinates requests for college students to teach music lessons and conducts youth choral groups.
Facilities
- Performing Arts Center
- Gorell Recital Hall
- Cogswell Hall
- Orendorff Music Library
- Fisher Auditorium
Auditions
- Apply to IUP first
- Department of Music admission is contingent upon successful admission to the university.
- Register for an Experience IUP: Fine Arts Audition/Portfolio Day
- Once accepted to the university, register for an Experience IUP Day.
- Schedule an audition
After registering for your Experience IUP: Fine Arts Audition/Portfolio Day, the Department of Music will need just a little more information about you to schedule your audition.