Information about being involved with music at Wittenberg.
Basic Info
More
- Declare a major or minor
- Placement tests
- Music theory AP test
- Juries
- Pre-recital juries
- Scholarship details
- Voice literature
- Music 495 (Senior Recital)
Borrow an instrument
Students who are enrolled in a Wittenberg ensemble may borrow an instrument at no cost. Just visit the Music Department office (in Krieg Hall) to ask how!
Get a locker for your stuff. And reserve a practice room.
Visit the music office if you need a locker or practice room. A locker is available for a fee of $5.00 per academic year. (The cost is due to expense the department incurs to change the locks each year.) You may sign up for a practice room, also for a non-refundable $5.00 fee for the academic year. Each practice room is shared by 3-5 students. Use the signup sheet on the door to schedule a practice time. Practice rooms with grand pianos are reserved for piano majors. Practice rooms may not be used as storage space. Three practice rooms (203B, 203C, 205B) are kept open and are available at no cost.
In case demand is especially high, priority for lockers and practice rooms will be given in this order: (1) music majors, (2) music minors, (3) students with music scholarships who are neither majors nor minors. Krieg Hall (the music building) is locked at 10:00 p.m. To gain access to the building after this time, contact campus security (and have your Witt ID available).
Take lessons (vocal or instrumental)
Music lessons are available to all students, in voice and these instruments: brass (horn, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba), woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon), piano (plus organ and harpsichord), strings (violin, viola, cello, bass, classical guitar, harp), and percussion. There is a fee for lessons. The Music Department offers the choice of weekly half-hour lessons (for one semester-hour of credit) or weekly one-hour lessons (for two semester-hours of credit).
鈥淛uries鈥� (end-of-semester performance exams)
At the end of each semester of study, every applied music student is required to perform for a small 鈥渏ury鈥� of faculty. Ask your applied teacher about scheduling. During a semester in which a student performs a full or half recital, a teacher may decide not to require a student to do a jury performance.
Pre-recital juries
At least three weeks before the date of a half or full recital, you are required to give a pre-recital performance for a jury of three members of the music faculty. If the members of the jury do not think that you will be ready by the date of your recital, then your recital will be delayed. Here are details regarding pre-recital juries for string players and singers.
Perform!
Want to perform? You can do so on one of our monthly Student Artist Recitals (see our Music Event Calendar), in a junior/senior recital, as a member of one of our ensembles, or off campus (for example in an elementary school or nursing home).
Declare a major or minor
To declare a major or minor in music, print the form listed at the bottom of Declaration of Major / Minor page and take it to the Music Department office (Krieg Hall). Or just a get a copy from the music office or the Registrar鈥檚 Office. It is quite a simple form, with just a few lines to fill in.
Find a career in music
A Wittenberg music major can lead to many successful career paths. To learn more, read about the careers that Wittenberg music alumni have entered.
Placement tests for music theory and for keyboard skills
Contact the music office if you would like to take the Music Department placement test in music theory (to possibly place out of Music 102: Basic Music Theory & Skills) or in keyboard skills (to possibly place out of Music 120: Functional Keyboard Skills). The placement test in music theory covers writing/analysis of scales, key signatures, intervals, triads, and four-part harmony. The placement test in keyboard skills covers performance of scales, triads, seventh chords, cadences, the I-IV-V-I progression, and basic harmonization.
AP test in music theory
With a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Music Theory test, you will receive 4 credits for Music 102 (Basic Music Theory and Skills, the first music theory course required for the music major) with grade of S (satisfactory). Therefore, you would begin the sequence of theory/skills courses required for the music major with Music 155 & 156, rather than Music 102.
Scholarship details
To maintain a talent-based scholarship in music, a student must fulfill these conditions.
Literature requirements for voice
First-year
- Bachelor of Arts (BA)/Bachelor of Music Education (BME): At least five songs studied, four memorized each semester. Use of English, Italian, and German languages by the end of the first year of study.
- Minor: At least three songs studied, two memorized each semester.
- Non-majors: At least three songs studied, two memorized each semester.
Sophomore
- BA/BME: At least five songs studied, four memorized each semester. Use of English, German, Italian and French languages by the end of the second year of study.
- Minor: At least four songs studied, three memorized each semester.
- Non-majors: At least three songs studied, two memorized each semester.
- The upper-level proficiency exam is generally taken at the end of the fourth semester of study. A minimum of six memorized songs/arias are required for this proficiency exam. Two of the six memorized songs/arias may come from repertoire studied during a previous semester. At the exam, the student chooses the first selection and the jury panel selects two additional pieces. In addition, students may be asked questions about the repertoire they have prepared for the proficiency exam.
Junior
- BA: At least five songs studied, four memorized each semester. Use of the four standard languages: English, German, Italian, and French.
- BME: At least six songs and arias studied, five memorized each semester. Use of all four standard languages.
- Minor: At least four songs studied, three memorized each semester.
- Non-majors: At least three songs studied, two memorized each semester.
Senior Year
- BA: At least five songs studied, four memorized each semester. Use of English, German, Italian and French languages.
- BME: At least six songs and arias studied, five memorized each semester. Use of all four standard languages.
- Minor: At least four songs studied, three memorized each semester.
- Non-majors: At least three songs studied, two memorized each semester.
At the discretion of the studio teacher, students are encouraged to sing literature in languages other than the four standard languages (for example, Spanish, Russian, or Portuguese).
Awards in music
The Music Department presents three awards:
The Elmer Blackmer Award
This award was established in memory of Professor Elmer Blackmer (1962-1974) and is presented to a music student who has shown outstanding achievement in music theory and music skills.
Jan Bender Memorial Award
This award was established in memory of Professor Jan Bender (1965-1975) and is awarded to a senior whose performance both academically and musically has been excellent and whose contributions to the department of music have been outstanding.
Ohio Federation of Music Clubs鈥� Agnes Fowler Scholarship
Named after long-time teacher and benefactor Agnes Fowler, this award provides a $1,200 scholarship to a student majoring in music, usually a sophomore or junior, preferably someone strong in performance and proficient on at least one instrument or in voice.
Health concerns for musicians
Every profession has particular health concerns. In music, such concerns are important when practicing, performing, and listening to music. By knowing and following proper procedures, hearing damage can be avoided, vocal and musculoskeletal health can be safeguarded, and we can avoid injuries from dangerous materials and equipment. We recommend that you visit and read carefully the information presented on avoiding performance injuries, safeguarding hearing, proper instrument 鈥渉ygiene,鈥� and much more. Here is a good place to start: and . These pages cover repetitive motion injuries (a risk for instrumentalists), vocal health, cleaning instruments, hearing loss due to loud sounds, and much more. If you have any questions, ask your applied teacher or ensemble director.
Health and safety depend in large part on the personal decisions of informed individuals. Institutions have health and safety responsibilities, but fulfillment of these responsibilities cannot and will not ensure any specific individual鈥檚 health and safety. Too many factors beyond any institution鈥檚 control are involved. Individuals have a critically important role and are personally responsible for avoiding risk and preventing injuries to themselves before, during, and after study or employment at an institution. It is the responsibility of students, staff, and faculty to report conditions and practices that are hazardous to health and safety to the department chair and administrative assistant.
Music 495 (Senior Recital)
Here is complete information regarding Music 495 (Senior Recital).
