Program Overview & Entrance Requirements
Students who possess a strong interest in music are welcome to study music at IU East within minor in music or within a BA in Humanities with music as a concentration area. We welcome students of all levels and musical abilities. Students with little or no formal training and/or musical background in music are also encouraged to explore music within our program. The director of music studies and the music faculty will work closely with all new music students in choosing the most appropriate track of study from the three available tracks:
- instrumental/vocal performance
- music composition (includes electronic music)
- music theory/musicology
Students with interests in more than one of the concentration areas will be allowed to structure a plan of study to accommodate those interests in consultation with the director of music studies.
Entrance Audition/Interview & Placement Exam
All students entering the music program will be administered a theory placement/musical skills exam unless the basic program prerequisites have been satisfied in advance. The purpose for the skills exam is to determine the readiness and potential of the student to successfully enter the program and address any remedial needs. In some cases a more advanced student may pass out of one or more semesters of the core theory or history curriculum.
A basic audition in an instrument of choice will be given to students wishing to pursue a music area track in performance. An interview and, if applicable, a portfolio review will be given for students wishing to pursue the composition or music theory/musicology tracks of study.
The audition and interviews are given to assess the placement of the student within the program and address any remedial needs if necessary.
Program Prerequisites
MUS-T101 Introduction to Music, MUS-P110 Beginning Piano Class, and MUS-V101 Voice Class (or their equivalents) will serve as general program prerequisites.The director of music studies may waive any or all of these prerequisites after the initial interview and review of basic skills exam results.
