Music Degrees Online

Special Features

You have many opportunities to explore and enjoy music in its infinite variety beyond the classroom. Concerts of classical music, jazz, world music, and dance are presented throughout the year at the Morris R. Williams Center for the Arts and other locations in the Lehigh Valley area. Artists who perform at the college often conduct workshops or lecture/demonstrations for students. Student musicians have opportunities to play with many world-class artists.

Through the artist-in-residence program, music students have had the chance to perform or interact with such respected musicians as harpsichordist Mark Kroll, French hornist Robert Routch, composer Philip Glass, violinist Dianne Monroe, and jazz pianist David Leonhardt.

Each year the jazz band works with a studio musician. These special guests have included trumpet master Lew Soloff, trombonist Urbie Green, and composer/arranger Butch Lacey. In addition, the department sponsors lectures on musical issues. Recent visitors have included New York Times critic Harold Schonberg, violinist Isaac Stern, and Broadway theater writer Gerald Bordman.

Trips to Philadelphia and New York are often scheduled in connection with classes. Also, faculty teach the “New York Jazz” course during interim session. Jazz legend Thelonius Monk said, “just listening is not enough-you’ve got to live it.” Students are briefed on the major jazz styles and the idea of improvisation, and then head for Greenwich Village to experience jazz firsthand at such major jazz venues as Sweet Basil, The Blue Note, Village Vanguard, and St. Peter’s Church. Through the years, the professors have been able to arrange private sessions for the class with performers Lew Soloff, Doc Cheatham, The Mingus Big Band, Jeanie Bryson, and Hilton Ruiz.

The department offers both a major and a minor in music. The Bachelor of Arts program begins with introductory courses on fundamentals and basic theory, history of Western and non-Western music, and composition using modern electronic technology.

A solid basis in music theory is provided by a sequence of courses that integrates the study of harmony, counterpoint, composition, and analysis.

You’ll receive one-on-one guidance from faculty. Being familiar with your interests and ability, instructors can precisely challenge your musicianship, whether it is through small or private classes or by creating a performance group that suits your instrument and level. Ensembles are ideal for developing and refining musical skills. Student composers often have their original pieces premiered by campus ensembles or played and critiqued by professional musicians-in-residence.

After achieving a solid grasp of traditional music concepts, many students examine an idea more carefully through independent study, advanced courses, or an honors thesis. Advanced courses touch on such topics as history, literature, orchestration, and arranging skills, with special seminars on particular composers, particular periods, or interdisciplinary topics such as poetry and music.

Both majors and minors are asked to demonstrate piano proficiency by examination. The department also encourages students to take courses in other subject areas that complement their principal area of interest in music.

Unlike a more specialized conservatory, Lafayette’s Department of Music is flexible and allows all students, regardless of experience or major, to develop their musical interests. Studying music builds technical and analytical skills as well as an appreciation of the historic and creative aspects of the artistic process.

The study and performance of music:
fosters powers of discrimination and critical awareness;
sharpens the faculties of perception, feeling, and understanding; and
develops sensitivity to the depth and subtlety of human expression.

The department is committed to the study of music as an important element of a liberal arts education and offers students-regardless of their major-the opportunity and means to experience music emotionally and intellectually. The department meets this goal by offering a variety of courses in four principal areas: music history and literature, music theory and analysis, performance, and composition.

Accreditation Information :
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Qualifying Exams :

Tution Fees :
Financial Aid / Scholarship Offered :
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Accreditation Information :
Pre Requisite Courses :
Qualifying Exams :

Tution Fees :
Financial Aid / Scholarship Offered :
Courses :

The Department of Music offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in music, a Bachelor of Music degree with two areas of concentration, performance and music education, and a Bachelor of Science degree in music technology. The Bachelor of Arts degree is especially useful for students wanting to do a double major in a pre-professional course of study. A Minor in Music or Music Technology is also available