Music

The Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music

The Conservatory of Music at Baldwin Wallace is an artistic community within a liberal arts University, in which the lives of students of all ages are transformed in pursuit of personal and professional excellence through the humanizing discipline of music study, creation, performance and pedagogy.

Founded in 1899 by organist and Bach scholar Albert Riemenschneider, the Conservatory offers a professional music program enhanced by a liberal arts curriculum. Students are expected to meet rigorous academic and musical standards and to attain a high level of accomplishment. The Conservatory provides a learning environment small enough for individual attention but large enough for true professionalism. It also provides a home for the internationally known Riemenschneider Bach Institute, the Jones Library, the Outreach Department with its Preparatory/Adult Education Program, and the Cleveland Music Therapy Consortium. The Conservatory is a fully accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music and offers the following degrees:

Bachelor of Music (BM): Performance, Music Theatre, History and Literature, Theory, Composition, Music Therapy
Bachelor of Music Education (BME)
Bachelor of Arts (BA), with two tracks offered: Applied (which focuses on performance) and Academic (which focuses on history and theory).

The Conservatory of Music degree programs are designed for those with outstanding talent and a desire to pursue music as a profession or advanced study at the graduate level. Double majors and/or double-degree programs may be pursued in consultation with the Assistant Director and usually require additional semesters of study. Emphases in the following areas are available with any music major and may require additional semesters of study: Chamber Music, Composition, Conducting, Jazz Studies, Music History, Music Theory, Pedagogy, and Sacred Music. A minor in music (two tracks) is available to university students in all majors. Non-Conservatory students are encouraged to enroll in courses designed specifically for them or in applied study and ensembles by audition. (See course descriptions.)

Requirements for Graduation

In addition to completing successfully all course and non-course requirements for their specific degrees and majors, all Conservatory students must complete the following:

Performance attendance - Six semesters of at least 12 concerts per semester (four semesters for BA).
Departmental recitals - Mandatory during semesters of private-study enrollment.
Jury examinations - Number and timing determined by individual departments.
Piano proficiency - Secondary study required (for all non-piano primaries) every semester until requisite proficiency level is attained.
Ensemble participation - Number of semesters determined according to each major; particular ensemble assignments determined by audition on the primary instrument:

Wind and percussion players - wind ensembles
String players - orchestra
Singers - choirs
Guitarists- ensemble assignment determined according to secondary instrument or voice
Piano performance majors - major ensemble during freshman year and Collaborative Piano during remaining three years
Organ performance majors - three years of major ensemble and one year of Collaborative Piano
Other majors with keyboard as primary instrument - ensemble assignment determined according to secondary instrument or voice.
Qualified students may participate in more than one ensemble.

Sophomore review - Assessment of students’ academic and musical progress; requirements determined according to each major. Not required for the BA in Music.
GPA of 3.0 in primary instrument in addition to the University requirement of an overall GPA of 2.0.
In accordance with University policy, a maximum of four credits of D grades in MUC courses. (Some majors have additional requirements; see specific curricular listings.)

The Bachelor of Music Degree

Majors may be taken in performance, music theatre, history and literature, theory, composition, or music therapy.

Conservatory Outreach Department

The Conservatory Outreach Department is a non-degree-granting branch of the Conservatory that offers quality arts education to University students and members of the community. Students of all ages, from infants to retirees, and levels, from beginners to pre-professionals, can find appropriate instruction from among the following offerings: Group Classes in voice, guitar, piano, song-writing and music theory; MusicPlay for infants, toddlers and their caregivers; Music+Rhythm+Movement for children ages 3-8; Musical Kaleidoscope for children with special needs; Youth Orchestras; Honors Chorales; Youth Honors Wind Ensembles; Triple Threat Music Theatre program; String Chamber Music Ensembles; BW Men’s Chorus for adult male singers including students, faculty, staff and community members; New Horizons music programs for adults including three concert bands, three orchestras, jazz band and chamber music ensembles; Music Therapy Clinic for children and adults; and Private Lessons in voice, most instruments, theory, composition and recording technology. Conservatory Outreach faculty include members of the Conservatory faculty, adjunct faculty, and student teachers who have successfully completed pedagogy requirements. The Conservatory Outreach calendar is based on the academic year and consists of two semesters (fall and spring) and a flexible summer session. The Conservatory Outreach department also offers a wide range of summer music programs for middle and high school students in addition to professional development courses for music educators. More information is available by contacting the Conservatory Outreach Department at 440/826-2365, conreach@bw.edu or www.bw.edu/conservatoryoutreach.