music home - academics - major/minor 

Music Major and Minor

• church music,
  
• contemporary music,
  
• performance,
  
• piano pedagogy,
  
• music history,
  
• theory/composition

and the Music Education/K-12 Major leading to a teaching certificate.
A Music Minor is also offered. 

Majoring in Music at Trinity

Our majors are at the center of all we do musically at TIU. We have high expectations for you, and we hold you in high regard. We depend on you to set the standard for all others involved in music here. You are typically our section leaders, our ensemble officers, our soloists and solo recitalists, our outstanding layers/singers/composers/arrangers/ listeners. You are our biggest reason for existing as a school. You set the pace. Click here for Opportunities for majors.

To ensure that you begin well and continue on a trajectory that will exceed our goals for you, we have established some global requirements which act as program thresholds. Our purpose in setting these is to help you decide whether majoring in music is the right choice for you, and then to stimulate you to succeed.

All music majors (without exception) must

1. Audition successfully, demonstrating ability, background, and experience necessary for college level study, as well as significant potential for development as a performer. Click here for Music Major Audition Requirements.

2. Declare a music major (see the College Catalog for the procedure for declaring a major). Click here for Degrees Offered.

3. Successfully complete all prescribed course work (see listings in the Catalog);

4. Concentrate in at least one area of applied music, maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA (i.e., a “B” average) in private lessons on that instrument/voice;

5. Audition successfully for, enroll in (for credit), and make an excellent contribution to at least one major SOM ensemble (i.e., Trinity Concert Choir, TC Symphonic Band, or Trinity Community Philharmonic Orchestra) during each semester of enrollment at the College.  Wind and percussion players wanting to substitute orchestra for band (as opposed to playing in both) must receive special permission from the SOM faculty.

6. Maintain at least a 2.75 GPA (i.e., a “C+” average) in academic music courses (all music courses except those with the prefix MUZ); and

7. Demonstrate keyboard proficiency (as appropriate for each emphasis area) by examination.  Preparation for this requirement is offered through Keyboard Skills courses.
   

Music Minors at Trinity

Students minoring in music do not have to audition, and they take approximately half the music course work that is required for majors (see Catalog). Furthermore, they are exempt from GPA requirements in academic music courses and applied music, and from keyboard skills requirements. Otherwise, much of the preceding section applies equally to minors. We expect more of you than we do of students who are taking lessons and/or ensembles only, or who are taking music courses to fulfill general education requirements. Some scholarship monies are earmarked for music minors.