Music

Music majors & non-music majors welcome.

You can enroll in a two-year music program focused on performance that leads to an Associate of Music degree and transfers to many colleges and universities. If you are not a music major, you can join ensembles, take private lessons and study music history to meet general education requirements.

Email arts@bucks.edu

More Information

The music program at Bucks gives you a well-rounded education and personal support to build your skills in music and contribute to the community.

School of Music Handbook

The Music Major

Private Lessons

Students develop musicality in their applied area by taking four sequential college-level private lessons for one hour weekly, known as Principal Lessons. Students must master their assigned repertoire to advance to the next level by passing a mandatory jury examination at the end of the term. The adjudication panel is comprised of faculty members and private instructors. A Performance Class is a co-requisite course with Principal Lessons. In this environment, students perform before an audience of their peers, guided by an instructor, and learn to listen critically to each other and provide constructive commentary.

Music Theory

Essential musicianship skills are developed in a four-semester sequence of courses in both theory and ear training. These co-requisite courses explore the primary rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic principles indispensable to all musicians. Students will advance from diatonic and chromatic harmony through contemporary idioms and gain proficiency in analysis, composition, sight-singing, and dictation.

Ensembles

Music performance is a primary focus of our program; therefore, students are encouraged to participate in as many ensembles as they like. Repertoire for any given ensemble is diverse in style, character, native origin, etc. Each ensemble presents an end-of-semester concert and may also perform for other functions on campus or at external venues. Music majors must take one ensemble per semester. Concert Choir is required as one of four total ensembles and is to be taken during the first semester.

Piano Proficiency

All music students must take Group Instruction in Piano, which is designed to address practical keyboard skills (sight-reading, harmonization, improvisation, transposition, scales, chord progressions, and elementary repertoire) that can be applied universally and productively across the curriculum. Students must pass a Piano Proficiency Exam before they graduate. It is possible to retake this course multiple times, or conversely, as student may wish to hone his/her piano skills by enrolling in a weekly ½ hour private secondary piano lesson.

Music History

Our program provides ample opportunity to explore a wide range of music repertoire through listening-based survey courses such as Introduction to Music (standard music appreciation of Western art music), World Music, History of Jazz and American Pop Culture: History of Rock.

Music Major Curriculum

Getting Started in the Music Major

Apply to Bucks

Schedule Your Audition

Admission to the program is by audition. You can contact the School of Arts and Communication at arts@bucks.edu to schedule your audition. If you haven’t already, you also need to take the collegewide assessment tests in English composition, reading and math.

Audition Requirements

At your scheduled audition, you will perform on your intended principal instrument (piano, guitar, voice, saxophone, etc.) repertoire of your choice that best demonstrates your ability and skill level. You should be prepared to perform two selections in contrasting styles. Original compositions cannot be used for this purpose.

Music Skills Assessment

After your audition, you will be assessed in music theory, piano skills, sight-reading, pitch matching, and aural identification of triad qualities, scale types, etc. You can take the music theory assessment test at the audition, or, alternatively, you can contact our administrative assistant to take it in advance by scheduling an appointment to do so.

Advising & Registration

At the end of your audition, a music faculty member will help you choose your courses for the upcoming semester. You will also be instructed on how to register.

Meet our Faculty