Music

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The Cottey music department has been a vital force in the life of Cottey students since the College's founding in 1884 and has been a member of the National Association of Schools of Music since 1956. The mission of the music department is to successfully prepare students for transfer into baccalaureate degree-granting institutions as music majors and to provide a music enrichment program for students.

Music Department Handbook

Career Opportunities

Music students study music from various perspectives. Courses that deal with the historical, theoretical, and performance aspects of music are an intregal part of the curriculum for an aspiring musician.

While talent can be helpful to a music student, careful study and disciplined practice are requirements for achieving success in what is an increasingly competitive field.

A wide variety of careers is available to the well-trained music major. Positions as teachers at the primary and secondary levels are filled by music education majors. Although advanced degrees are usually required, colleges, universities, and conservatories provide opportunities in many fields: teachers of performance studies, music theory, music history, composition, pedagogy, and musicology, as well as arrangers, music librarians, instrument builders, and repair technicians. Musicians who excel in the performance area might become instumental or choral conductors, orchestra players, professional choir members, or virtuoso soloists. Students with interests in psychology and sociology frequently pursue studies in music therapy. Those with background and interest in business may find positions in marketing and financials offices of musical organizations. Professions for musicians with technical training include sound engineers and audio technicians.

Internship and Directed Study Opportunities

Directed study opportunities are available in all disciplines. Under the supervision of a member of the music faculty, music students can pursue academic credit on a topic or project that is related to, but beyond the scope of, regular course offerings.

It is possible for a student interested in music to participate in an internship. An internship provides the student with the opportunity to participate in a supervised work experience related to her interest in music, though this experience is sometimes unpaid. The internship is sponsored by a faculty member and offers academic credit. Internships can provide valuable experience and give a student an advantage in transfer and future employment.

Directed study topics can be tailored to your interest, whether it is composition, improvisation, conducting, or music research.

Opportunities exist locally with performing arts councils, elementary, middle, and high schools, community theater, church choirs, and regional orchestras.

Many employers and graduate schools agree that sudents who have had music performance experience often exhibit more confidence, poise, and selfdiscipline skills than those who have not.

Get Involved

Want to have fun and develop your leadership skills and your resume at the same time? Then get involved at Cottey College and in the Nevada community.

Cottey College has more than 35 student clubs and organizations in which to be involved. Plus, the Nevada and surrounding community offer an abundance of service opportunities.

Here are a few activities you might consider pursuing as a music major: audition for Cottey's chamber music ensemble, chamber singers, jazz ensemble, wind ensemble, strings ensemble; join Mu Sigma Epsilon (honorary music society); participate in the Cottey Pops choir; attend on- and off-campus performances; teach a musical instrument to community members; perform a recital; or attend master classes.

4-Semester Sample Schedule

Students should consult the catalog of the college to which they plan to transfer for specific requirements in their major. This suggested schedule is designed to provide the Associate in Arts degree candidate with the appropriate Cottey College core curriculum and enough coursework in their field to complete the 62 hours required for an A.A. degree. Schedules may vary based on available classes and interests.

* Courses recommended for major

In choosing electives, students should aim for courses related to the interests they anticipate pursuing.
For example:

• Students with interests in music business should consider including courses in business such as accounting and marketing.
• Students with interests in musical theatre should consider including courses in theater, dance and vocal performance.
• Students with interests in music therapy should consider including courses in psychology and anatomy and physiology.

Faculty Advising

Preparing a class schedule, investigating majors, and researching transfer institutions can be confusing for a firstyear student. At Cottey College, academic advising assists the individual student in clarifying and achieving her educational goals.

Each student is assigned a full-time faculty member as an academic advisor. Together the advisor and student devise a balanced academic program, which encompasses the student's educational and career ambitions. The advisor reviews all registration decisions, the advisee's academic progress, and suggests transfer and career options.

This personalized approach to student advising allows the student to take responsibility for her own academic program, while tapping into faculty expertise.

For more information contact:
Enrollment Management
1000 West Austin
Nevada, MO 64772
1-888-5-COTTEY
www.cottey.edu
enrollmgt@cottey.edu