Music

The Bachelor of Music option in Winds encompasses the classical study of woodwind and brass instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba (entrance audition required). Capstone experience: one-hour recital. The Bachelor of Music option in Winds is a degree program intended for students planning careers as performers, private studio teachers and university instructors. Students receive a variety of performance opportunities in recitals, large and small ensembles, studio classes and master classes. Students also receive a background in literature, pedagogy and performance practice. Students graduating with this degree will have developed an understanding of the repertory in their major performance area and the ability to perform from a cross-section of that repertory, culminating in a capstone experience—a senior recital.

Ensemble opportunities include the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Music (including the Northridge Flute Quartet and the CSUN Brass Ensemble). Students also have the opportunity to perform regularly in pit orchestras for operas and musicals, and to tour with the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra.

A. Admission to the Major

Admission to the major in Music for all undergraduate degrees is determined by audition. Those auditioning for the Performance options must exhibit a high performance competence in the audition. Audition procedures and standards are listed on the Department of Music—Audition and Placement website.

Transfer students seeking admission to Performance options must audition at the appropriate entrance level determined by the number of transferable units accepted by the University. (Example: At the time of the audition, students with more than 60 transferable units must demonstrate musical proficiency at the junior level for admission to a Performance option.) Exceptions to this policy are rare and are at the discretion of the Music department.

B. Lesson and Ensemble Requirements

To qualify for individual lessons in any semester, an undergraduate student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units, including lesson units and the correct number of ensemble units required by his or her option.

Enrollment in the designated ensemble(s) for the student’s instrument is a corequisite of enrollment in private lessons each semester of enrollment. Students who do not meet this requirement by the third week of the semester will not be eligible for lessons that semester. Students enrolled in music ensembles in the Fall semester normally are expected to re-enroll in the same ensemble for the Spring semester. The nature of these classes makes it essential that consistent personnel be maintained throughout the year.

All students enrolled in individual lessons must demonstrate their progress in the major before a faculty jury at the end of each semester of study. Students receiving lower than a grade of “C-” in that semester of lessons will need to take additional study at their own expense to achieve their required level of performance before resuming department-paid lessons.

C. Grade Requirement

Students in all options of the B.A. and B.M. Music degrees must earn a grade of “C-” or better in all courses in the Music curriculum, including those required courses that are offered in other departments.

D. Course Requirements

1. Lower Division Required Courses (37 units)

MUS 110A Keyboard Musicianship I (1)
MUS 110B Keyboard Musicianship II (1)
MUS 112/L Musicianship II and Lab (1/1)
MUS 191/L Fundamentals of Music Technology and Lab (2/1)
MUS 201 Style/Literature of Western Music I (3)
MUS 202 Style/Literature of Western Music II (3)
MUS 210A Keyboard Musicianship III (1)
MUS 210B Keyboard Musicianship IV (1)
MUS 211/L Musicianship III and Lab (1/1)
MUS 212/L Musicianship IV and Lab (1/1)
MUS 213 Harmony I (3)
MUS 214 Harmony II (3)
MUS 311/L Musicianship V and Lab (1/1)
MUS 312/L Musicianship VI and Lab (1/1)
Individual Lessons (2-2)
Ensembles (4)

2. Upper Division Required Courses (9 units)

MUS 307 Music from a Global Perspective (3)
MUS 316 Musical Analysis (3)
MUS 483ME/L Music Entrepreneurship and Lab (1/1)
MUS 495 Recital/Senior Project (1)

3. Winds Option Requirements (34 units)

MUS 287 Chamber Music Techniques (1,1)
MUS 435/L Master Class: Winds and Lab (1/1)
MUS 465 Wind Pedagogy (2)
MUS 487 Chamber Music Techniques (1,1)
Individual Lessons (12)
Ensembles (12)

Select one of the following three courses:

MUS 404 Symphonic Literature (2)
MUS 405 Wind Literature (2)
MUS 411 History of Performance Practices (2)

4. General Education (48 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 48 units of General Education as described in this Catalog.
The following 9 units of Music courses count for GE: MUS 191/L, MUS 202 and MUS 307.

Total Units in the Major/Option: 80

General Education Units: 39

Additional Units: 1

Total Units Required for the B.M. Degree: 120