Music (BA)
Strike the right chord.
Are you passionate about music? Grow your skills and learn everything you need to turn music into a career with a BA in Music from SWU. You’ll integrate faith with music theory and practice, dedicate yourself to musical excellence, and learn from caring faculty with real-world experience. Practice your applied instrument (voice, organ, percussion, piano, string, or wind instruments) and work with musical concepts in our specialized computer lab.
Our electives, concentrations, and advanced music classes provide the flexibility you need to choose the right career path. Whether you pursue graduate school, professional musicianship, or worship ministry, a degree in Music from SWU will help you use the transformational power of music to change the world.
Concentrations
The Contemporary Commercial Music Business track focuses on topics like accounting, business communication and law, entrepreneurship, and marketing. You’ll have the flexibility to choose courses based on your career goals and internship opportunities that allow you to learn in a real-world environment.
In the Contemporary Commercial Music Production track, you’ll pursue courses in communication ethics and law, digital media, effective communication techniques, and music production. You’ll have the flexibility to choose courses based on your career goals and internship opportunities that allow you to learn in a real-world environment.
Dr. Amber James
Department of Music Coordinator and Associate Professor of Music
ContactDr. Greg Day
Associate Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Ensemble
ContactDr. Samuel Miller
Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities
ContactLori Shelton
Assistant Professor of Piano and Collaborative University Pianist
Contact“Music as an art, to me is one of the most expressive things that a person can do.”Megan Ropp - 2024 Music Graduate
- Arts administrator/manager
- Audio production/editing
- Background vocalist or instrumentalist
- Church music leader/performer
- Church music manager
- Composer/writer
- Consultant
- Digital aggregator
- Digital score recordist
- DJ
- Editor
- Electronic producer/designer
- Entertainment lawyer
- Entrepreneur
- Fundraiser/grant writer
- Media Production
- Music store employee/owner
- Music therapist
- Orchestra/band/ensemble member
- Performer personnel manager
- Private music teacher
- Public relations agent/coordinator
- Publisher
- Royalty analyst/accountant
- Sales
- Session musician
- Show band
- Sound designer
- Sound technician/engineer
- Studio employee/owner
- Talent representative/scout
- School teacher
- Vocal and instrumental soloist
Graduates of the Music program will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of and ability to think critically about music history through discussions focusing on Christian cultural contexts and other prevailing philosophical constructs.
- Listen to and comprehend musical masterworks, communicate about music in spoken and written formats, and apply their understanding to instrumental performances.
- Showcase their learning through practical application in real-world situations, including internships.
- Conduct in classroom settings and demonstrate the ability to recognize, analyze, and interpret gestures (for those pursuing conducting).
Music Ensembles
Opportunities abound in the areas of choral, vocal, instrumental, piano, and organ music. Our professors combine excellent teaching with the kind of focused attention that inspires students to do their very best. Our performing ensembles consist of music students as well as interested and talented students from other academic disciplines.
Our performing ensembles include Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble, Chamber Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble. Scholarships for participating in music ensembles are available.
Music Ensembles