2008 Woodie Awards
Music majors find balance in classes, concerts, practice
By Liz Glazier
Rocket Assistant Focus Editor
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Focus
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Many of the music department classes are one-credit courses. There are four different kinds of degrees that music majors can earn.
They can receive a Bachelor of Music degree in music therapy, music education or music performance, or a Bachelor of Arts degree, which is a liberal arts program.
After getting a degree in music therapy, graduates can use their knowledge by using music in a therapeutic way.
Senior music therapy major Janelle Chambers said music therapy is a way to use music to reach nonmusical goals.
"Music therapy is using elements of music to address various needs of human beings," said Chambers, 22. "These can be mental, physical or even spiritual needs."
Another option is a music education degree, where students can go on and teach music classes or even become directors.
The music performance degree offered by SRU is not really oriented towards one specific area. However, they can go on to teach lessons in a store or start a music store of their own.
The final program that is offered to music students is the music liberal arts program.
Maribeth Knaub, the chairperson of SRU's music department, said the music liberal arts program is more of a series of courses for students that don't know exactly what they want to do with music.
"This is a program so students can have that background in music to start off with and just go from there," Knaub said.
Along with the many one-credit classes music majors need to take, each student is also required to be involved with at least one music performance group on campus. The students do receive credits for these performance groups.
Chambers is a member of two musical groups, the concert choir and the chamber singers, and said the fact that she only receives one credit for these groups and also many of her classes is stressful.
"We do just as much work for that one-credit class as we would for a three-credit class," Chambers said.
Maegan Hunt, a senior music education and performance major, agreed that taking a lot of one-credit classes is stressful. She also said the number of classes required in the music department is a lot, but is understandable.
"I have taken 21 credits a semester in order to graduate in four years," Hunt, 22, said.
Hunt is involved with the Wind Ensemble, Orchestra and Jazz Band II. The Wind Ensemble meets twice a week, orchestra meets once a week and Jazz Band II meets three times a week.
The jazz band performs a minimum of six concerts throughout the year.
Besides the scheduled concerts, they perform at special occasions, such as the president's banquet and many other special activities around campus.
Outside of these scheduled performances and practice times, most students try to make it into the practice hall to do some additional work.
Nicole Roth, a music performance major, tries to get in to practice as much as possible.
"If I have the time, I will practice anywhere from two to six hours a day," Roth, 25, said.
Although students spend many hours practicing, one thing that the music department doesn't do is monitor is how many hours they spend in the practice hall outside of class times.
"No one stands over their shoulders," Knaub said. "Professors can tell during the lesson if they practiced."
Members of the marching band also come to school a week early to start learning the music and rehearsing the shows.
They rehearse everyday from 4 to 6 p.m. and the majority of Saturdays during the football season.
All of this still gives the students involved just one credit.
In addition to the concerts music majors are involved in and the numerous classes they must take, students are required to attend 15 concerts a semester that they aren't involved with.
With all these activities, Roth said free time is scarce.
"When someone asks me what I do in my spare time, I say, 'What's that?'"
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