Music

Professors P. Shangkuan, J. Witvliet
Associate Professors T. Engle, T. Steele, B. Wolters-Fredlund (chair)
Assistant Professor F. Wakeman

The Calvin Music Department welcomes both majors and non-majors to create and investigate music with us, whether in ensembles, private lessons, or music courses. All music-making in our department is understood as rooted in the belief that God created human beings to be musical, that musical activity allows for a unique mode of expression, understanding, and social connection not found elsewhere in culture, and that Christians are called to cultivate and renew this part of God’s creation.

We want our majors to become well-rounded and versatile musicians who are prepared to bring their musical skills, knowledge, and virtues to a wide variety of vocations. Our Bachelor of Arts major and minor include an introduction to the important subdisciplinary fields of the academic study of music, including theory, musicianship, musicology, performance, and collaboration. All of our students will graduate with career-ready skills, including basic fluency in sight reading, keyboard musicianship, conducting, and music technologies (notation and sound editing). Within the music major students may choose their own music electives or focus them by choosing a performance emphasis or composition emphasis.

Music Major Approval

Students who wish to declare a major in music must complete the following minimum requirements, usually during the first year:

Overall GPA of at least 2.5.
A grade of C or better in MUSC 100 .
A grade of C or better in two semesters of MUSC 260 - Private Lessons for Credit in the student’s principal area of performance.

Note: Students who wish to do the performance emphasis must also pass an approval jury, usually at the end of the spring semester of their sophomore year. See the Music Department Handbook for details.

Programs

Major

Minor

Music Minor

Courses

Music

Music: Private Lessons

All full-time Calvin College students may enroll in private lessons. Registration for lessons is done through the music department; interested students should go to the department website to fill out an online form to express an interest in taking lessons. Part-time students and dual-enrollment students must first receive permission from the department chair before enrolling in private lessons.

An additional fee will be charged for all private music lessons, based on the type and length of the lesson; see music department website for current rates. Refunds will be issued to students who drop lessons, according to Calvin’s reimbursement guidelines for tuition refunds. No refund of lesson fees will be issued after 38 calendar days. See the Financial Information pages in this catalog and the Music Department Handbook for details.

Students enrolling in private lessons for the first time at Calvin College may be required to take a placement audition. For a complete description of private music lesson policies and expectations, please see the Music Department Handbook.

Music: Ensembles

Membership in ensembles is open to Calvin students who meet the requirements of musicianship. All students who want to participate in any of the music ensembles at Calvin may audition by arrangement with the conductor prior to each semester.

All ensembles carry academic credit. Ensembles may not be audited. If a student is already registered for a full credit load, they may register for the ensemble for 0 credit to avoid the overload fee. See the Music Department Handbook for more details.