Oct 09, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Music, B.A.


Ford, Room 215 Telephone: (706) 236-2289; Fax: (706) 238-7847

The mission of the Berry College music program is to educate students in the discipline of music and to provide quality musical experiences for all Berry students. It seeks to prepare students for professional careers in music and to provide all interested students and community members with opportunities to appreciate, enjoy and participate in musical performances. Students are admitted to the music program by audition; financial aid is available.

The Music program offers three distinct majors: a Bachelor of Arts in Music, a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and a Bachelor of Music with Elective Studies in Business. Students majoring in the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music must complete a foreign language through the intermediate level. Students majoring in Music Education are required to take the professional-education sequence. Students majoring in Music with Elective Studies in Business must complete the required courses in business.

All freshmen and transfer music majors (except keyboard majors) must take a piano diagnostic exam either during their SOAR session or by appointment with the keyboard faculty.  The purpose of this exam is to assess the student’s current level of keyboard facility and to determine which level of class piano the student will need to take to complete their degree requirements.  The student may place into any of the levels of Class Piano curricula, or may be sufficiently advanced to have all the class piano requirements waived.  The piano proficiency requirement is part of a continuing effort to prepare music graduates for their respective careers in the best and most thorough manner possible.  The development of basic functional keyboard skills is considered essential to success in all music careers.  It is recommended that music majors complete the examination no later than the fall semester of the third year.

If the student is pursuing a music major as the second of two majors, the first of which is a B.S. major, the student must still complete the foreign language requirement in order to earn the music major.

Applied Music Requirements


For state certification in music, field experiences at elementary (P-2 and 3-5), middle grades and high school levels are required. Students should do field experience for EDU 205, EDU 334, Secondary Instrumental or Choral Methods and Curriculum, Elementary Methods and Curriculum and Instrumental or Choral Literature. 

For all music majors, two hours of credit per semester represent a one-hour-length lesson per week. Individual practice time is required for lessons. A senior recital is required at the 400 level. For majors in music education and music with elective studies in business, a half-hour-length recital is required.

For the Bachelor of Arts with a major in music, a 50-minute recital is required. Major credit is established through individual examinations, called juries, held at the close of each semester by a committee of the music faculty and is based on performance standards and satisfactory progress.

In all applied music subjects, a fee for individual lessons is charged in addition to regular tuition. This fee is $135 for a half-hour lesson per week (minor credit) and $263 for a one-hour lesson per week.

Students taking applied lessons are required to attend concerts each semester. Students taking lessons for 2 hours credit must attend 10 recitals each semester and those taking lessons for 1hour of credit must attend 5 recitals each semester.

College Music Organizations


All music majors are required to participate in either the college Concert Choir (MUS 111 ), the Wind Ensemble (MUS 130 ) or Orchestra (MUS 131 ) each semester of enrollment with the exception of Music Education majors who do not need to participate in an ensemble during the semester of their student teaching; music minors must participate for four semesters. Students may repeat these courses for credit or may elect to participate through the zero-credit option to avoid overload charges.

Participation in the Berry Singers (MUS 121 ) is by audition. Students are encouraged to participate in Jazz Ensemble (MUS 141 ) and Chamber Music (MUS 132 ). Students receiving financial aid through music will be required to perform with these ensembles.

Piano Proficiency


In order to graduate with a B.A. degree, all music majors are required to demonstrate basic piano proficiency by:

  1. successfully completing the piano competency exam, or
  2. earn a grade of B or better in MUS 297 Class Piano.