MUSIC PERFORMANCE SEMINAR

Statement of Purpose

⁽¹⁾ The Music Performance Seminar is a plenary session for music majors.

⁽²⁾ It exists to provide a public forum for music appreciation and performance.

⁽³⁾ Recitals and guest lectures are featured each semester.

⁽⁴⁾ All interested in the experience of music are welcome.

Objective: A Lively Musical Culture

Seminar is to the department of music as chapel is to the entire college family. Where chapel exists to unite the entire institution daily for worship and Biblical exhortation, the Music Performance Seminar exists to gather the entire department of music together to develop a lively musical culture on campus. It is in seminar that content-driven courses are pitched towards practice-driven courses with an understanding that these must merge in thoughtful performance and public appreciation of music. Theology sheds light on artistry, and the experience of that musical artistry frames the development of Christian musicianship. Students have a direct voice into weekly seminars. Questions and suggestions are always welcomed. Students are regularly polled regarding the perceived value of each seminar session. It is a time for instruction and motivation developed through active collaboration between faculty and students.

Seminar Format

The Music Performance Seminar is designed to meet different learning styles of different students of music. Some seminars are entirely hands-on. Mistakes have value as part of the learning process. Exploration can forge facts with practice unlike anything else. Other seminars are highly abstract and theoretical. Music as an art and a language demands an ability to focus on abstract concepts long enough to make them concrete through a performance where various elements are integrated together into a greater whole.    

 The Value of a Public Forum

Music is meant to be received by those who can appreciate it and participated in by those who are serious about learning. This is why the Music Performance Seminar is open to the public. The entire college family is free to avail itself of this time together. It is part of a conscious effort by the department of music that these sort of forums become commonplace to an institution of higher education. Though concerts and recitals are irreplaceable capstones of achievement, seminar is intended to stimulate the process of learning.     

Attendance Policy

All full-time music majors are required to attend the weekly Music Performance Seminar. Music Education majors who are student teaching and Church Music majors who are interning may be excused. It is the responsibility of each student to sign the attendance sheet at the beginning of each seminar session. Students who are unable to attend due to extenuating circumstances must gain approval for absence from the Department Chair. Since employment does not constitute an excused absence, it is the responsibility of each student to schedule work around the seminar. As with a two credit class, two absences are permitted each semester without consequence. For every seminar a student misses without excuse beyond the two permitted, an assignment consistent with the material presented at the seminar may be required. If unexcused absences persist, reduction of the applied music grade may result.