MUSIC. THEATRE. Undergraduate DANCE. Programs 2019 1 As Virginia’s first and flagship music school, Shenandoah Conservatory has played a prominent role in educating artists throughout the region for over 140 years. Our uniqueness lies in the diverse programs we offer across the disciplines of music, theatre and dance, and the collaborative opportunities that exist between them. Our students are immersed in rigorous professional training, participate in numerous premier ensembles and explore cross- disciplinary projects that capitalize upon the rich resources of the university’s other schools. Whether they are seeking careers on stage, behind the scenes, or out in the community, our young artists are prepared to make valued contributions to the worlds in which they engage. Shenandoah has grown into an institution of international significance, offering exceptional arts education in all performance areas as well as performing arts leadership & management, music education, music therapy and music production & recording technology. The vital knowledge of our distinguished faculty is further illuminated through engagement with Pulitzer Prize-winning composers, Broadway artists, world-class choreographers and guest clinicians who represent exceptional accomplishment in their respective fields. What we are especially proud of, though, and what truly sets us apart in the experience of our alumni, is our Conservatory’s cherished heritage. Shenandoah’s renowned faculty members are as passionate about providing a caring and supportive learning environment as they are committed to enabling excellence of the highest order. This truly is a place to be inspired while preparing for lifelong success! Thanks for taking a look at us, Michael Stepniak, Ed.D. Dean and Professor of Music 2 SHENANDOAH CONSERVATORY Shenandoah University's world-renowned Shenandoah Conservatory offers intense, specialized, professional training in music, theatre and dance. Students work with a faculty of active professionals as they develop artistically and intellectually to meet the challenges of a diverse and rapidly evolving arts market. Fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), Shenandoah Conservatory offers 24 degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, artist diploma and doctoral levels, as well as four certificate programs, and produces nearly 400 performances a year. The conservatory honors its origins while securing its commitment to quality education and the highest level of performance in music, theatre and dance. More than 600 students are currently enrolled in baccalaureate through doctoral studies. our mission As a community uniquely committed to rigor, nurture and innovation, Shenandoah Conservatory inspires artistic and scholarly excellence, preparing talented students for successful careers in the arts. 1 MUSIC Shenandoah’s music programs provide exceptional professional-level training for students intending to pursue careers in performance, music education, music therapy, music production & recording technology, and arts MAJORS MUSIC AT SHENANDOAH Church Music (BM) • Students hone skills needed for successful arts careers by working with distinguished artists and scholars. Composition (BM) • Shenandoah’s renowned composition faculty specialize in new music, and their work Jazz Studies (BM) is performed worldwide. Students’ original works are also performed in ensemble and Music Education (BM) solo settings. Music Performance (BM) • Conservatory alumni gain acceptance into prestigious graduate schools and highly Music Production & acclaimed programs throughout the country and abroad, including the Chautauqua Recording Technology (BM) Institute, Kneisel Hall, Aspen Music Festival, The Pierre Monteux School, Adamant and the Idyllwild Summer Program. Music Therapy (BMT) • Shenandoah Conservatory celebrates a tradition of excellence in music education and proudly boasts a 97% job placement rate. Our music education alumni are highly successful teachers, performers, composers and music supervisors. Students choose their emphasis (choral - general, instrumental - classical or instrumental - jazz) and all have the opportunity to teach at the elementary, middle school and high school levels prior to graduation. • Conservatory graduates hold positions with national and international symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, opera companies, military bands and the finest school districts in the country. 2 3 CHURCH MUSIC COMPOSITION Church music is a field with wide appeal for those who The Composition program is designed for the student who wish to combine a love of music with a career in the church wishes to pursue a professional career as a composer or setting. Church musicians possess specialized skills in organ, teacher of composition. Each student’s creative skills are conducting, voice (including child and adult choirs) and guided through intense study in, and the practical application performance, working with people of all ages and abilities of, 20th- and 21st-century art music. Practical skills in career as they prepare the music needed in worship services. They management and concert production are also developed. The understand the role of music in worship and have a thorough curriculum does not include significant study of, or work in, understanding of the various denominational liturgies. popular idioms or jazz. Prospective students must be aware Shenandoah’s Church Music program is not focused on any that continued study at the graduate level constitutes the one denomination and offers a Bachelor of Music in Church minimum standard of professional success in this rigorous and Music degree with either a vocal music or organ emphasis, competitive field. Students will work with professionally active as well as an undergraduate Certificate in Church Music. faculty in an innovative, inspiring and invigorating environment, Graduates of Shenandoah’s program are employed full time participating in weekly, hour-long private lessons and studio as music ministers or organists/choirmasters in churches with classes. Shenandoah New Music, an initiative to bring world- multiple choir programs. class artists specializing in contemporary music to campus, provides unique opportunities to interact with professional • Organ composers and ensembles in masterclasses, lessons and clinics. • Voice • Bassoon • Organ • Cello • Percussion (classical) • Clarinet • Piano (classical) • Double Bass (classical) • Saxophone (classical) • Euphonium/Baritone • Trombone (classical) • Flute • Trumpet (classical) • French Horn • Tuba • Guitar (classical) • Viola • Harp • Violin • Oboe • Voice 4 JAZZ STUDIES MUSIC EDUCATION Grounded in the belief that 21st-century artists will work Shenandoah places students at the center of the music in a variety of settings where performing, composing, education experience from their very first semester of study. studio work and teaching are important components of a In addition to hands-on workshops, observations, field successful career, Shenandoah Conservatory’s jazz studies experiences and teaching practicums, students also study program prepares the comprehensive musician. Our and perform with the highest-quality private instructors and alumni are successfully engaged as performers, arrangers, ensemble conductors. composers, business leaders and teachers in the broad field of contemporary music, which includes jazz, popular, Designed for students interested in teaching instrumental commercial, classical and studio music. (classical and jazz emphases available), choral or general music, the Bachelor of Music in Music Education fulfills requirements The program blends study in improvisation, arranging, for the K-12 Virginia music teaching license. Through reciprocity history and theory with a solid background in audio, video agreements, students also fulfill requirements necessary for and web-based technology. Students learn from passionate certification in most other states. Graduates are leaders in the teachers and inspiring guest artists chosen from the best in field of music education. the world. Opportunities to perform on recording projects in a world-class recording studio are frequent, and students Choral/General • Guitar (classical only) • Harp travel internationally as performers with the Jazz Ensemble. • Organ • Piano (classical) • Oboe • Voice • Organ • Double Bass (jazz) • Piano (jazz) • Percussion (classical & jazz) • Electric Bass (jazz) • Saxophone (jazz) Instrumental (Classical or Jazz) • Piano (classical & jazz) • Electric Guitar (jazz) • Trombone (jazz) • Bassoon • Saxophone (classical & jazz) • Percussion (jazz) • Trumpet (jazz) • Cello • Trombone (classical & jazz) • Clarinet • Trumpet (classical & jazz) • Double Bass (classical & jazz) • Tuba • Euphonium/Baritone • Viola • Flute • Violin • French Horn 5 MUSIC PERFORMANCE Shenandoah Conservatory offers talented performers intense, F. Kennedy Center for the Arts, and Maryland’s Strathmore specialized training at the highest levels. Weekly private Music Center. Our students have also performed by invitation lessons, studio classes and extensive performing opportunities at the Virginia Music Educators Association state conference, are balanced with richly informative studies in music theory, the Middleburg Film Festival and many other prominent history, literature and repertoire. All performance majors also regional showcases. receive practical training in the skills necessary to successfully navigate a performing career in today’s competitive