Music Department

College of Arts and Humanities
Ellensburg
Jerilyn S. McIntyre Music Building
Mail Stop 7458
509-963-1216
Fax: 509-963-1239
www.cwu.edu/music
See website for how these programs may be used for educational and career purposes.

Faculty and Staff
Chair
Todd Shiver, DMA

Associate Chair
Nikolas Caoile, DMA

Professors
Joseph Brooks, MM, clarinet, saxophone, woodwind methods
Chris Bruya, MM, jazz studies
Nikolas Caoile, DMA, orchestra, conducting
Mark Goodenberger, MM, percussion
John Harbaugh, MME, trumpet, jazz studies
Daniel Lipori, DMA, music history, bassoon, double reed methods
Carrie Rehkopf-Michel, MM, violin, chamber music, Kairos Chamber Ensemble
John Michel, MM, cello, chamber music, pedagogy, Kairos Chamber Ensemble
Hal Ott, DM, flute, literature
John F. Pickett, DM, piano, literature, pedagogy
Vijay Singh, MST, jazz studies, choir, choral arranging, voice
Jeffrey Snedeker, DMA, French horn, music history
Gary Weidenaar, DMA, choir, conducting, music education

Associate Professors
Gayla Blaisdell, PhD, voice, opera
Martin Kennedy, DMA, theory, composition
John Neurohr, DMA, trombone, brass pedagogy, brass literature
Bret Smith, PhD, music education, string pedagogy

Assistant Professors
Paul Bain, MM, bands, music education, conducting
Lewis Norfleet, MM, bands, music education, conducting
Mark Samples, PhD, musicology, general education
Melissa Schiel, DMA, voice, pedagogy

Lecturers
Tor Blaisdell, MM, voice, opera, history of rock
Scott Erickson, DMA, oboe, theory
Teresa Harbaugh, MM, class piano
Aaron Hirsch, MM, orchestra, conducting
Anna Jensen, MM, string bass
David McLemore, MM, tuba, euphonium, history of jazz
Adam Pelandini, DMA, saxophone, theory, chamber music
Scott Peterson, DMA, wildcat chorus
Barbara Pickett, MM, piano, class piano
Michelle Rahn, DMA, viola, chamber music
Maria Roditeleva-Wibe, PhD, theory, world music
Leslie Schneider, MM, music education
Emelie Spencer, MM, voice, theory
Norm Wallen, MM, theory

Staff
Caleb Montgomery, temporary program assistant
Allen Larsen, hall manager, audio technician, web manager
Teresa Larsen, secretary supervisor
Shannon Martin, fiscal specialist
Kirsten Neurohr, advisor/recruiter
Harry Whitaker, piano technician

Mission
The Department of Music is a community of artists, scholars, and educators dedicated to achieving the highest standards of musical knowledge, performance, and teaching. The department is committed to preparing students for careers in music, providing the opportunity to become literate, skilled, knowledgeable, and confident music educators, performers, and practitioners, able to influence and enrich the musical lives of the communities in which they serve. The department provides opportunities for the general student to study music as an essential part of a liberal arts education and engage in artistic experiences, serve as a leader for K-12 music education, and provides opportunities for the general public to experience music performances of the highest quality in a broad range of styles and genres.

Vision
The Department of Music will be recognized and respected for its challenging  curriculum and supportive environment, for the excellence of its student, ensemble and faculty performances in a broad range of styles and genres, and for the fulfillment of  its motto: “Where teaching is a performing art.”

Core Values
As a community of practicing musicians and scholars, we believe that the department’s mission is best realized when we:

Hold each student’s greatest good as our primary concern
Provide models of the highest ethical and moral standards
Deem outstanding teaching to be the most important attribute of the faculty
Implement a rigorous curriculum in each degree program
Regard each degree program as equally valid, with no program intrinsically superior to any other
Create an intellectually and emotionally safe environment in which students can learn, develop and mature
Respect and embrace diversity in all its forms
Respond creatively and thoughtfully to the inevitable changes of the fluid society in which we live

Accreditation
The department is an institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

Admission Requirements
All entering students who plan to pursue either a major or minor in the music department must audition for acceptance into the program before a faculty committee. See the department’s website for audition information.

Common Exit Requirements
All music majors must pass a keyboard proficiency exam as a graduation requirement. Music education majors will not be scheduled for student teaching until this proficiency is completed.

Standards
All music majors must earn a grade of C or higher in each music course required for their respective degree.

Music education majors must meet the standards for acceptance into the Teacher Certification Program.

Required Participation:

All entering music majors with no previous college music theory credits must pass an online exam in music fundamentals as a prerequisite for MUS 144, the first quarter of the theory sequence (fee required).
All entering music majors with college credits in music theory must take an in-house diagnostic theory exam, which will be given during the transfer student orientation sessions and before the fall quarter begins. Credit for previous college theory courses may be given based on the results of this exam. Details about both exams can be found on the department website.

Graduation Requirements

All music majors must pass the required piano proficiency exam. MUS 154A (Piano Class III) must be retaken until this requirement is fulfilled.
All music majors must attend four (4) convocations and an average of eight (8) recitals/concerts for each quarter, (Fall, Winter, and Spring) that they are in residence.

Departmental Honors
Consult the department website for information about the departmental honors program.

Certification Programs
Students enrolled in music education degree programs will be concurrently enrolled in the Teacher Certification Program through the College of Education and Professional Studies, and upon completion of all requirements will be recommended to Washington’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for the Residency Teacher Certificate with endorsement in K-12 Choral, General, and/or Instrumental Music. The department also offers post-baccalaureate students the opportunity to earn teaching certification in these three endorsement areas. To enter the post-baccalaureate certification program, a baccalaureate degree in music is required. Candidates must be fully admitted to the Teacher Certification Program and be admitted by the Department of Music after application and transcript review. Recommendation for certification requires completion of all courses listed in the CWU curricular requirements for the Bachelor of Music: Music Education specialization with a “C” grade or above. Consultation with the faculty music education specialist and department advisor is mandatory for students entering the post-baccalaureate program.

Department Fees
All fees are billed to students’ accounts.

$15 fee for each MUS 154 (Class Instruction) course (all sections except B and H).
$125 fee for 1 credit and $250 fee for 2 credits each quarter of enrollment in MUS 164, 264, or 364 (Individual applied instruction).
$250 fee each quarter of enrollment in MUS 464 (Individual applied instruction).
$125 fee for 2 credits and $250 fee for 4 credits each quarter of enrollment in MUS 564 and 664 (Individual applied instruction).
$125 fee each quarter of enrollment in X71 (Secondary applied instruction).
$40 fee each quarter for students enrolled in Vocal Jazz I
$50 fee for each scheduled student recital
$15 fee for each MUS 252, 253, and 254 (Class Instrumental Methods) course
$5 annual locker fee (Optional if you choose to get a locker)
$5 fee for students enrolled in Percussion Ensemble
$25 university tech fee covers use of electronic equipment used in all music courses. Part-time students enrolled in theory, class piano, composition, or electronic music courses will be assessed this fee.

Applied Music (Individual Lessons)
Student advancement through performance levels (164-464) is determined by jury examination. This is done at the end of the quarter when a level change is attempted. Students studying at the 364 level must present a one-half recital as a graduation requirement. Students studying at the 464 level must present at least a full recital as a graduation requirement. See the Undergraduate Handbook for policies regarding applied music study. The handbook is available on the department website at www.cwu.edu/~music. Applied music requirements differ according to the degree.

Large Ensemble Participation
Participation in performance ensembles is an essential part of the music major experience. Rehearsing and performing as part of a band, orchestra, or choir provides many benefits. It develops musical listening and performing skills, expands knowledge of repertoire, including contemporary and traditional works, provides the opportunity to learn the style characteristics of historical periods and elements of musical structures, and promotes cohesiveness in the musical community.

Students must be enrolled in a large ensemble connected to their major applied area every quarter they are enrolled in lessons in that applied area.
This concurrent enrollment requirement must be maintained until the credit requirement in either area has been met. Enrollment in the other area must continue until its credit requirement is met.
If a student is enrolled in more than one large ensemble in a quarter, only one large ensemble enrollment will be considered as meeting this requirement. Additional large ensemble enrollments will be treated as elective credits.

When circumstances justify not being in a large ensemble, a large ensemble participation waiver form must be submitted to the department chair for approval. These forms are available in the music department office and must be signed by the applied instructor, large ensemble director, and music department advisor.

Once ensemble credit requirements are met, students are encouraged to continue in these groups for the sake of their own pedagogical and performing experiences, as well as leadership opportunities.

Only the following are designated as large ensembles: Wind Ensemble, MUS 266/466; Choir, MUS 267/467; Chamber Choir, MUS 268/468; Symphonic Winds MUS 269/469; Orchestra, MUS 277/477; Marching and Concert Band, MUS 287/487 (fall quarter only); Symphonic Band, MUS 288/488. Enrollment in either Women’s Choir (MUS 211/411) or Men’s Choir (MUS 228/428) can be substituted for enrollment in a choral large ensemble for a maximum of three quarters.

Bachelor of Music - Composition Major
Bachelor of music in composition is intended for students whose primary interest is in composition and for those who intend to pursue graduate work in music theory or composition. Audition requirement: Submit 2 or 3 short contrasting compositions and demonstrate proficiency on a primary instrument. (Formal declaration of a major in composition cannot occur until the end of the first-year theory sequence 146 and 146A with the grade of at least a B- in all theory courses. Students must also, complete MUS 120, and have instructor.) Transfer students may bypass MUS 120 with permission based upon composition knowledge, submissions, and a successful audition on their primary instrument. It will normally take transfer students three years to complete the degree requirements.

Bachelor of Music - Music Education with Specializations
All students majoring in music education will work with the department Advising Specialist and faculty music education specialist during the program. At the end of the sophomore year, students will meet individually with members of the music education faculty to review academic status and progress toward program completion. All music education majors must pass the required piano proficiency examination prior to endorsement for student teaching. Students in this major must apply for admission into the Teacher Certification Program housed in the College of Education and Professional Studies. This is typically done at the beginning of the student’s second year. Transfer students should apply prior to or during their first quarter on campus. Students are required to complete the Professional Education Program requirements offered through the College of Education and Professional Studies.

Music Courses
Performance activities are designated by the following code:
A. Piano
B. Voice
C. Strings
D. Woodwinds
E. Brass
G. Percussion

Program Outcomes
For information on program outcomes, please go to: www.cwu.edu/mission/assessment-improvement/slo-assessment-plans.

Course Offerings
Frequency of course offering information can be found at the department website: www.cwu.edu/music or by contacting the department directly.

Programs

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Music Major, BA

Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.)

Certificate A

Jazz Studies Certificate

Minor

Courses

Music (MUS)

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