Music Majors

So ... you want to major in music. Great! At Capital University, we've been working with students like you for more than 85 years – and we've loved every minute of it! Since our Conservatory of Music began in 1919, we've been offering programs that prepare students for a variety of musical careers, while providing the experience of a well-rounded education. Our graduates have gained recognition as professional performers, teachers, conductors, and music business and industry entrepreneurs. Many of our students go on to prestigious graduate schools after leaving Capital. Others have used their education as a springboard to careers in audio and video production, arts administration and law.

You'll be taught by the best professionals in the country. A list of our faculty members' accomplishments reads like a "Who's Who in Music." They all share one thing in common though – teaching is their first priority!

While attending Capital, people will applaud your efforts. There are concerts and recitals on campus, tours to other states and countries plus yearly appearances at national and international festivals and competitions. You'll gain valuable experience in performing and recognition for your accomplishments.

Learning goes on everywhere around you – not just inside the classroom. The central-Ohio region is alive with music and other exciting events, including: the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the internationally acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the award-winning Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Opera Columbus and Broadway Series all just 10 minutes from campus. Throughout the year, the Conservatory of Music sponsors workshops, clinics and events that include the annual NOW Music Festival, Jazz & World Music Festival and the Early Music in Columbus concert series. You will experience concerts, commissioned works, clinics and master classes with world-renowned artists. In addition, off-campus internships and the opportunity for in-residence study at the internationally known Recording Workshop in Chillicothe enhance the professional instruction offered on campus.

Faculty members will actually know your name. The Conservatory strives for quality, not quantity, in its enrollment. You'll enjoy small class sizes that allow for the personal attention you need – and deserve.

At Capital University, you can pursue a variety of interests in addition to music. Several Conservatory programs give you the option of developing a minor or even another major outside of music. In addition, by completing the university's General Education goals and other elective classes, you will develop an interest and ability to learn about the world around you that will serve you long after you leave Capital.

A unique opportunity awaits the student composer at Capital. Within the context of one program, composition majors study techniques from the traditional as well as the jazz/contemporary perspective.

Students learn by studying with nationally and interna­tionally known composers and arrangers who are part of the resident faculty, and who visit the campus to pres­ent lectures, demonstrations and commissioned works. While earning a bachelor of music degree in composition, students get extensive training in all aspects of the field, in­cluding jazz and electronic composition, music theory and history, counterpoint, orchestration, arranging and music business. Students also utilize the Conservatory’s state of the art MIDI-based electronic music studio.

An added feature of Capital’s program is the variety and range of the Conservatory’s ensembles, which provide in­numerable opportunities for students to hear performances of their works.

Learn more about composition at Capital.  Visit the composition area.

Capital’s jazz studies program is one of the pioneering programs of its kind, with a strong emphasis on both class­room and applied experiences, including improvisation and composition. The program features a highly intensive study of jazz and contemporary music, combined with traditional theoretical studies, ensemble experience and courses in the arts and sciences.

In addition to preparing students for success as perform­ers, an undergraduate education in jazz studies is excellent preparation for entrance into the nation’s most prestigious graduate programs. Several of Capital’s jazz studies majors also have chosen to expand their career options by earning their teaching certification.

Visit the music business and industry studies to learn more.

Students interested in teaching keyboard instruments to individuals or groups enroll in Capital’s keyboard peda­gogy program. The program, which leads to a bachelor of music degree, assists students in achieving technical excellence while developing their own individual styles of musical expression. While at Capital, students experience supervised teaching opportunities, participate in chamber music ensembles, and may study jazz and contemporary piano. Within the keyboard pedagogy program, students may choose one of three areas of emphasis: piano teaching, organ teaching or church music.

In the piano sequence, students take a series of pedagogy classes, as well as special classes in music literature and business practices. They also observe and participate in both private and classroom instruction. This program gives students valuable insight into developing a private studio as a career opportunity, as well as allows them to utilize their accompanying and conducting skills. In this program, or­gan usually is studied as a secondary instrument, with study of the harpsichord, synthesizer and voice also available.

Organ

In the organ sequence, courses include organ pedagogy, supervised student teaching experiences, transcription of organ and piano accompaniments, conducting from the console and anthem accompaniment.

Church Music

The emphasis in church music provides experiences in organ pedagogy, accompanying, and conducting from the console, plus an additional concentration in choral meth­ods and materials.

The high job placement rate enjoyed by graduates of Capital’s music education program is illustrative of the quality of the curriculum and its internationally acclaimed faculty. The program enables students to combine their musical talents with the teaching profession. Graduates of the program receive a bachelor of music degree and are licensed by the state to teach grades K-12 in Ohio.

The program is divided into two tracks – vocal and instru­mental. Some students elect to pursue both. Other elective summer options include Kodály certification or Suzuki teacher training. Music education majors also often com­bine their studies with another area, such as performance or jazz studies.

Music education majors earn valuable on-the-job-training through student teaching and other field experiences. Capital students also have the opportunity to work with school-aged chil­dren in choral and instrumental ensembles that are part of the university’s Community Music School.

The music industry program offers what many aspiring music students have been looking for – a degree that combines contemporary and tra­ditional music study, recording technology, a core of liberal arts courses and the opportunity to earn a minor or a second major in arts and sciences or business. Students benefit from guest artists, excellent ensembles and professional private instruction. The in-residence experi­ence at The Recording Workshop, one of the nation’s premier recording technology instruction facilities, as well as an optional Internship are part of this degree.

Visit the music business and industry studies to learn more.

This degree program prepares students for the complex world of music as it is applied in various forms of media, such as video production, advertising, promotion and pub­lic relations. Training at The Recording Workshop, coupled with music studies, liberal arts courses, specific courses such as radio-television production, and an optional internship, provide students with a variety of experiences to draw from when planning a career.

Visit the music business and industry studies to learn more.

The music business is a multibillion-dollar industry, with the sales of musical products accounting for a large por­tion of the total. This degree gives the student a traditional musical background, the understanding of various instru­ments through specific classes, courses in the business of music, and studies in areas such as economics, account­ing and small business management. Because technology plays an increasingly important role in the world of music merchandising, classes in recording and electronic music may be taken. The music merchandising program includes an internship.

Visit the music business and industry studies to learn more.

In the technologically advanced world of the 21st century, the technology involved in the creation and production of music changes very rapidly. To keep up with this pace, the bachelor of music with emphasis in music technology trains students in the techniques of digital electronic music, audio recording, recording engineering, music produc­tion and recording studio maintenance. Students work in Capital’s state of the art recording studios and a semester of classes at The Recording Workshop assures the most current learning experience available in the field.

Visit the Music Technology Major Web page and the music business and industry studies to learn more.

The Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance with Emphasis in Opera or Music Theatre prepares students for a career on stage, combining the Conserva­tory curriculum with a sequence of theatre courses. As a result, the aspiring vocal performer is provided theatrical stage techniques, in conjunction with vocal and general music skills. Students enrolled in this major receive private vocal study, including jazz and pop voice, dance and other academically based music courses such as music theatre history. 

Music students who major in performance at the Conservatory benefit from a program that prepares them for careers as professional per­formers, and gives them the skills they need to adapt continually to a changing world. Students choose one of four areas of emphasis: vocal, instrumental, piano or organ. Support­ing the focus on the primary instrument are courses in theory, history, counterpoint, form and analysis, and orchestration. In addition, experiences in solo, chamber and large ensemble perfor­mances round out each student’s course of study.

After graduation, many of Capital’s performance majors pursue advanced degrees at the finest graduate schools in the country. Others continue to develop their talents in Europe or the United States in opera houses, orchestras or as solo or ensemble performers and entertainers.

If you are a student who has a strong interest in music but also has other areas of strong interest, Capital offers a course of study leading to a bachelor of arts degree in music. This program includes a strong music component, liberal arts studies and the opportunity to develop a second major or minor in such areas as business, pre-law, public re­lations or communications. The music studies include class work, private lessons and ensemble participation.

For those students who wish to continue their music studies on a limited basis, Capital gives them the option of combining a liberal arts major with a music minor. Com­pleting a minor in music requires 18 credit hours of study through the Conservatory, including general music courses, private or group lessons, and ensemble participation.