This curriculum is designed to provide a general higher education in music, including performance, and to prepare students for professional work in a wide variety of fields such as criticism, broadcasting, editing, and arts management. The degree will allow continuation toward graduate degrees.
All applicants for the Major in General Studies will be required to audition on the instrument of their greatest competence. Students are required to study for four years in a concentration of their own choice; possibilities are piano, organ, voice, guitar, harp, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and some historical instruments such as harpsichord, lute, viola da gamba, early flutes, recorder, and other instruments as instruction is available.
Students interested in preparing to teach music in BC schools should see General Studies: Elementary Education Stream or General Studies: Secondary Education Stream in the following sections.
| GENERAL STUDIES | |
| Program requirements for the Bachelor of Music in General Studies include: | |
| Core B.Mus. Requirements in Music History, Musicianship, Music Theory, and Music Technology (34 credits) | |
| For specific requirements, see Bachelor of Music, Degree Requirements. | |
| Music Performance (16 credits) | |
| MUSC_V 182 | 4 |
| MUSC_V 282 | 4 |
| MUSC_V 382 | 4 |
| MUSC_V 482 | 4 |
| The concentration instrument is usually the one on which the student is most competent, and on which the student auditioned to enter the School. | |
| Secondary Performance (4 credits) | |
| MUSC_V 141 or 171A | 2 |
| MUSC_V 241 or 271 | 2 |
| Secondary-level lessons in piano, if needed; see Minimum Requirements in Piano. | |
| Large Ensembles (12-16 credits) | |
| Large ensemble | 3-4 |
| Large ensemble | 3-4 |
| Large ensemble | 3-4 |
| Large ensemble | 3-4 |
| Students take four 3- or 4-credit large ensembles, one in each year they take private lessons. The large ensembles chosen are normally those most appropriate to the student's concentration instrument, although substitutions may be allowed by the ensemble directors. Students may take MUSC_V 156 for this large ensemble requirement, pending faculty approval following audition. | |
| Students with concentrations in historical instruments take two large ensembles (at least 6 credits) plus 6 credits of small ensemble (usually Early Music Ensemble, starting in the second year). | |
| Music Electives and Small Ensembles (24 credits) | |
| In the third and fourth years a total of 24 credits of music electives, including 4-12 credits of small ensemble, must be taken. If there are no appropriate small ensembles for a student, as determined by the coordinator of the student's performance division, 4 credits of other music electives may be taken instead of small ensemble. | |
| For all students with keyboard (piano, harpsichord, organ) concentrations, MUSC_V 349 is required as a music elective. For those with harpsichord concentrations, MUSC_V 333 and 433 are required as music electives. For piano concentrators, the 4 credits of small ensemble are: MUSC_V 167, taken in the third year, and in the fourth year, either MUSC_V 161 (with permission of the keyboard division) or another large ensemble. With permission of the keyboard division, MUSC_V 169 may be taken for small ensemble credit in third and fourth years. | |
| Concentrators on historical instruments should take 12 credits of music history courses (from MUSC_V 350, 352, 353, 354, and 355) as part of their music electives. | |
| Extra credits of large ensemble beyond the 12 required for this major may not be used as music electives. | |
| Other Course Requirements | |
| Writing Requirement (WRDS_V 150 or ENGL_V 100) | 3 |
| Literature Requirement | 3 |
| Non-Music Electives | 24 |
| The non-music electives may be freely chosen, except that at least 6 credits of non-music electives must be at the 200-level or higher. | |
| TOTAL CREDITS | 120-124 |