Music

MUSIC AT ST. OLAF

A liberal arts experience with the benefits of a music conservatory.

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We dedicate ourselves to creating an educational experience that unites the artistic standards of a professional program with the intellectual rigors and academic breadth of the liberal arts in an environment of free, creative, and critical inquiry. Through music we affirm the college’s mission to foster the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit.

30%

of Oles participate in music

of Oles are music majors

Music ensembles

Why major in music at St. Olaf?

The Music Department offers extensive opportunities to explore, practice, and celebrate the musician’s art with an ongoing commitment to a distinctive ensemble program, excellent individualized instruction, and a comprehensive undergraduate music curriculum. We honor St. Olaf’s rich heritage spanning more than a century of international artistry and scholarship and will continue to cultivate a spirit of exploration and innovation, seeking and celebrating the transcendent and transforming power of music.

A liberal arts degree, with approximately one-third of the course work in music. The B.A. music major may lead to a wide range of career options in music and related fields such as performance, broadcasting, multimedia, arts administration, advertising, education, arts journalism, music librarianship, or music therapy. Students may choose a general music major or may elect an emphasis in composition, musicology, or theory.

What can I expect to learn?

Hear, identify, and work with musical elements: rhythm, pitch, harmony, structure, timbre, texture.
Read and realize musical notation fluently.
Recognize and articulate an understanding of compositional process and musical style with reference to artists, technologies, events, and cultural forces through the major periods of music history.
Research tools and analysis independently to develop, defend, and write musical judgments.
Have a trajectory of continuing growth in applying basic musicianship skills, independently, to the preparation of expressive performances informed by outcomes 1-3 above.

Why pursue a Bachelor of Music degree?

This is a professional music degree with approximately two-thirds of the course work in music. Students may elect one of five majors: Performance, Church Music, Composition, Music Education, Elective Studies.

Performance

Graduates often continue with work in performance, preparing for careers as performers and teachers. This major also serves as good preparation for graduate studies in fields like music therapy. Piano and organ performance majors may also pursue an emphasis in collaborative keyboard performance.

Education

This professional degree prepares graduates for a career in teaching immediately after graduation. Graduate study is an option as well.

Composition

Graduates generally continue their studies in graduate school, eventually moving toward careers in film music and other media, teaching, or conducting.

Church Music

Graduates generally continue their studies in graduate school or move directly into parishes as church musicians. Careers in conducting, college teaching, or the ministry are also served by this major. Church Music-Organ majors may also pursue an emphasis in collaborative keyboard.

Elective Studies

Substantively integrated with professional music studies, students propose and complete an individualized program of study in a second discipline. Admission to this individualized degree program is by a competitive proposal process. Graduates pursue professional careers in music with substantive connections to an additional arts area, business, science, language and culture, or other sphere of expertise.

Open to everyone.

Students who are not majors in music play an important role in this philosophy of a blended model of music education. Approximately one-third of the St. Olaf student body participates in music on some level. Honoring this tradition, our music scholarships provide important recognition of outstanding musical talent in both music majors and non-music majors. All students, regardless of major, can participate in any of our ensembles.

We have 8 choirs, 2 orchestras, 2 concert bands, 3 jazz ensembles, 2 early music ensembles, and 3 handbell choirs.

20+ string, brass, woodwind, jazz, percussion, and vocal chamber music ensembles.

Three annual national tours for the St. Olaf Band, Choir and Orchestra and international tours every three years.

We strongly recommend students intending to major in music to apply for direct admission to the music program as a first-year student. Students seeking direct admission must complete an additional application to the program that is due on the same deadline as their application for admission.

In addition to the music application, you will need to include an audition recording, music resumé, and teacher recommendation. Admission to the B.A. music major is selective; admission to the B.M. program is highly selective. Consequently, it is not unusual for the B.M. applicants to be admitted to the B.A. music major initially.

More information on how to apply