School of Music

https://music.utk.edu/

Jeffrey Pappas, Director
Angela Batey, Associate Director of Graduate Studies
Cathy Leach, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies

Professors
Baldwin, W., DMA – Maryland
Batey, A.L., DMA – South Carolina
Brunell, D., DM – Indiana
Leach, C.F., DM – Northwestern
Pappas, J., DMA – Iowa
Wentzel, A.N., MM – Southern California

Associate Professors
Binder, S., DM – Florida State
Boling, M., MM – Tennessee
Brown, D.R. – Memphis
Class, K., DMA – Illinois
DiSimone, L., MM – New England Conservatory
Fellenbaum, J., MM – Northwestern
Gay, L.C., PhD – Columbia
Golden, R.M., PhD – North Carolina
Herndon, H., MM – Julliard
Hristov, M., DMA – Kentucky
Marvel, J., MFA – Tennessee
McConville, B., PhD – Rutgers
Murphy, B.A., PhD – Ohio State
Royse, D., PhD – Kent State
Ryder, D., DMA – Iowa
Skoog, A., MA – Stephen F. Austin
Stephens, M.B., MA, MM – Ohio State
Stewart, M., PhD – Ohio State
Tardy, G. – Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

Assistant Professors
Adams, A., DMA – Arizona State
Avila, J., PhD – California (Riverside)
Bliss, A.M., DMA – Kentucky
Chavez, V., DMA – Eastman School of Music
Fleshner, N., PhD – New York
Hamar, J., MM – Eastman
Johnson, J., DMA – Michigan
Johnson, K., DMA – Wisconsin (Madison)
Lapins, A., PhD – Indiana
Sigler, A., DMA – Texas
Van Duuren, A., DMA – Arizona
Wilkinson, L, PhD – Louisiana State

Senior Lecturer
Brown, K., BA – Tennessee

Lecturers
Downey, E., MM – Michigan State
Gordon, L., PhD – UC (Santa Barbara)
Herd, G., MM – Ohio
Jung, E., DMA – West Virginia
Lyon, J., PhD – Louisiana
McCollough, S., MM – Tennessee
Nall, C., MM – Cincinnati
Sivy, R., PhD – Kentucky
Thompson, D.V., MM – DePaul
Variego, J., PhD – Florida

Part-time Lecturers
Apaza, A., MM – Yale
Erickson, T., MM – McNeese State
Hart, K., BM – Tennessee
Johnson, E., DM – Indiana
Pappas, Joni, MM – Iowa
Secrist, P., MM – Yale

The mission of the School of Music is to provide the highest quality instruction in the musical arts and to cultivate creative activity and research in the areas of composition, education, musicology, pedagogy,  performance, and theory. As part of its mission, the school enriches the musical and educational lives of its students, the university community and citizens of Tennessee.

Progression Requirements

All new music students (freshman and transfer) must perform an audition in applied music and take a theory examination. In addition, students planning to major in music education, musicology or music theory/composition need to interview with a faculty member in the respective area. No student officially progresses to major in music until the audition has been passed, and, if applicable, the interview is complete. Students will also take a theory examination. The results of the audition and theory exam will determine the student’s placement in applied music and theory. The audition, theory exam, and interview should be completed during a visit to the university prior to final arrival to begin classes. Applicants are urged to contact the School of Music to schedule appointments for satisfying the requirements as early as possible, but certainly no later than the summer orientation period.

Students entering any one of the four emphases in music education must complete the same audition procedures as those of performance majors. At the end of the second year or after having completed the required courses, students will participate in an interview with an appointed Admissions Board. Upon receiving positive recommendation from this board, students are admitted to the Teacher Education Program and permitted to take required upper-division education courses.

Students who pursue the music education curriculum are subject to all rules and regulations of the Teacher Education Program in the College of Education, Heath, and Human Sciences, notwithstanding the fact that their degree will be awarded from the College of Arts and Sciences.

General Requirements

Students in the School of Music are required to consult the School of Music website and the Undergraduate Catalog for departmental policies and procedures pertaining to music degrees.

Minimum Performance Standards

Potential performance and music education majors not meeting minimum performance standards, but showing potential will be allowed to register for MUSC 101  in order to attain the desired level. Such students are normally expected to demonstrate sufficient progress by the end of the first academic year to perform on a level commensurate with a freshman student accepted without reservation by the school. The addition of the extra semesters of study usually results in lengthening the period needed to satisfy requirements for advanced standing (300-level).

Ensembles

Ensemble participation during each semester of residence is required of all full-time Bachelor of Music students except during student teaching. Students are required to participate in ensembles appropriate to their specific degree program. Ensemble requirements vary among the concentrations; specific requirements for each concentration are found in the Undergraduate Catalog. Enrollment in all ensembles is by audition or consent of instructor. All ensembles in the School of Music are one credit. The amount of rehearsal time will vary based on the type of ensemble (i.e. advanced ensembles rehearse more than other ensembles), performance expectations and the necessary rehearsal time to achieve the quality expected of each ensemble.

Applied Music

Applied study is classified as principal or secondary. Students register for credit appropriate to their program (1-3 credit hours). Students registered for 1 hour of credit receive a half-hour lesson per week (minors, non-music majors). Students registered for 2-3 credit hours receive a one-hour lesson per week (2 credit hours, generally BM: music education, sacred music, studio music and jazz and BA majors; 3 credit hours, BM: Performance majors). Determination of the mode of instruction rests with the department. Applied music courses do not permit non-credit registration nor may students elect non-conventional grading. Typical practice minimums (although studios can set more stringent requirements) are: 1 credit hour lesson – 1 hour per day; 2 credit hour lesson – 2 hours per day; 3 credit hour lesson – 3 hours per day.

Solo Class

All music majors are required to register for MUSC 200  every fall and spring they are enrolled in applied music with the exception of the semester in which they are student teaching. This course requires attending scheduled concerts, recitals, master classes, repertoire, and solo classes, and performing at least once each semester in partial fulfillment of the applied music requirement.

Applied Music Fees

$150 per credit hour (1 credit hour = $150, 2 credit hours = $300, 3 credit hours = $450). Current registration and applied music fee payment must be verified in the School of Music office no later than the end of the second day of classes of the fall and spring semesters and the first day of the summer terms in order to be accepted for applied music study.

Keyboard Skills Proficiency Examination

Proficiency in keyboard skills is required of all music majors and is usually acquired in the four-semester series of MUKB 110 , MUKB 120 , MUKB 210 , MUKB 220  or as specified by the student’s concentration. Students who already possess keyboard skills may pass a  proficiency examination in lieu of these courses.

Recital Attendance Policy

The faculty of the School of Music believes that exposure to a variety of live musical performances is an important part of education in music at the university level. As a result, the faculty has put in place a recital attendance requirement for undergraduate music students. Regular recital attendance acquaints students with accepted norms of recital presentation, exposes them to performers and styles of other students and faculty in the School of Music, and helps them establish the habit of attending musical performances after graduation. Specific recital attendance requirements are listed on the School of Music website.

Bachelor of Music Degree

The School of Music offers curricula leading to the Bachelor of Music degree with concentrations in music theory/composition, music education, sacred music (organ, piano, or voice), piano pedagogy, studio music and jazz, and applied music (brass, voice, piano, organ, strings, woodwind and percussion instruments). This study prepares students for graduate music study or for positions in music for which a professional music degree is required.

Bachelor of Arts Degree

This program is designed for students who have a strong interest in music and desire a comprehensive liberal studies program. The Bachelor of Arts degree requires a minimum of 120 hours as structured within the College of Arts and Sciences.

There are two concentrations for the Bachelor of Arts (BA): Applied Music and Music and Culture. The BA degree provides appropriate preparation for students seeking advanced degrees or careers in musicology, composition, music librarianship, arts administration, or music therapy.

BA – Applied Music Concentration

The Bachelor of Arts in Applied Music degree program provides students with specialized training in music performance within a comprehensive liberal studies program.

BA – Music and Culture Concentration

The Bachelor of Arts in Music and Culture degree emphasizes the study of music from the perspectives of humanistic and social science scholarship. Students learn aspects of music, research, criticism, and interpretation with an emphasis on historical and ethnographic scholarly approaches. The degree aims to highlight music as a culturally expressive form rather than solely as an objectified art.

School of Music Honors Program

The School of Music offers an honors program for exceptional undergraduate students. Students wanting to enter the music departmental honors program must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5, a music GPA of 3.5, and a recommendation from a faculty member. The recommendation is sent to the student’s major area (e.g., voice, jazz, education, musicology, theory) to be approved. Once the area approves the student for entrance to the honors program, a letter will be sent to the School of Music’s Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies admitting the student to the music departmental honors program.

Coursework: Students in the honors program must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and a music GPA of 3.5, and take 12 hours of honors coursework: 3 hours of honors by contract coursework in any area of music, 6 hours of honors by contract coursework in the major area, and 3 hours of a senior project. The senior project (MUSC 497 ) may take the form of an additional recital (such as a chamber recital) for performance majors, a recital paper, a curriculum proposal, or a research paper suitable for publication or presentation at a conference.