School of Music

5th floor Haas-Howell Building
404-413-5900

Nick Demos, Director
Robert J. Ambrose, Associate Director for Student Recruitment
Richard Clement, Undergraduate Director

The mission of the Georgia State University School of Music is to preserve, promote, and advance humanity’s rich and expanding tradition of artistic music-making through performance, composition, education, and research in accordance with the urban and global initiatives of the University.

The School of Music meets this mission by providing all university students with courses designed to help them understand and enjoy music, and by offering Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Science degrees that prepare students for careers in music or further study at the graduate level. The undergraduate degrees in music include specializations in performance, music education, music composition, jazz studies, music technology (recording), and music management. In addition to courses and degree programs, the School of Music offers concerts, recitals, lectures, and workshops that are open to all students and the community.

The School of Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. It participates in the Honors College and offers Honors courses in music. The School of Music also offers scholarships that are awarded to students based on their musical merit and academic achievement.

The School of Music is located in the historic Fairlie-Poplar District in downtown Atlanta. Four buildings comprise the Music Complex: the Haas-Howell Building at 75 Poplar Street, the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts at 80 Forsyth Street, the Standard Building at 91 Fairlie Street, and the Aderhold Learning Center at 60 Luckie Street, which houses instrumental and choral rehearsal halls. Some classes are held in the Arts and Humanities Building at 10 Peachtree Center Avenue. Chamber music, faculty, and student recitals are presented in the Kopleff Recital Hall in the Art and Humanities Building. Large ensembles perform throughout the academic year in the Rialto Theater, a 850-seat, state-of-the-art performance venue. The administrative offices are on the fifth floor of the Haas-Howell Building.

Program Admission

Applicants to the School of Music must meet the entrance requirements of both the School of Music and those of Georgia State University. Please refer to the Undergraduate Admissions section of this catalog for information concerning admission requirements to the university.

Individuals who wish to apply for admission to the School of Music should complete the School of Music application.

Prospective students applying for any Bachelor of Music degree program in any concentration (Performance, Composition, Jazz Studies, Music Education, or Music Technology) must perform a live audition before beginning first-year coursework in music. Audition requirements are explained below.

Prospective students applying for the Bachelor of Science degree program in Music Management have two options for admissions consideration:

Option 1:

You may give a live audition as an instrumental performer or vocalist (see below)

Option 2:

You may submit a digital portfolio as described below.

Equal consideration will be given to either option; students need only complete one of these admissions processes.

Admission to the School of Music is based on (1) the level of musical skill demonstrated in the audition, (2) the availability of openings in the various performing areas.

Students who have been absent from the School of Music for twelve consecutive months must re-audition for reentry.

Audition Requirements for Prospective B.Mu. and B.S. Students

The audition requirements are determined by the applicant’s instrument and are not tied to the program of study. These requirements can be found on the School of Music website at music.gsu.edu/undergraduate/audition-information/

Digital Portfolio for Prospective B.S. Students Only

The Georgia State University School of Music recognizes that many musicians today have career aspirations beyond performance, including music management, promotion, arts administration and similar fields. Nevertheless, as a NASM-accredited institution, the School of Music requires every music major to engage in active music making at some level. For those students who engage in musical activities outside the traditional genres of classical vocal, classical instrumental, contemporary classical music composition or jazz idioms, the School of Music is interested in learning how you engage in the musical arts. The digital portfolio provides a way for students to demonstrate their musical fluency outside traditional genres.

The successful portfolio will clearly demonstrate facility in non-traditional music making areas including (but not limited to) popular musical performance (such as pop/rap/rock band performance), music production, D.J. mixing, management and marketing. Evaluators will base decision on the depth and merit of the written and video submissions, and overall musical quality and recording quality of the submitted optional electronic selections.

The digital portfolio should contain the following:

A resume detailing your educational, musical, and/or professional background.
A Statement of Purpose (approx. 1- 2 pages) that communicates your plans and goals related to the pursuit of this degree program. Why do you wish to pursue the BS in Music Management at GSU, and how will you contribute to the musical life of the School of Music?
Two video recordings:
1. The first video (approx. 3 minutes in length) should be an introduction describing your background, musical interests and professional aspirations in the music industry.
2. The second video (approx. 3 minutes in length) should address the following question: Describe someone that you admire currently in the music industry. What skills and characteristics does this person possess that makes them unique?
You also have the option of submitting the following supporting materials with your digital portfolio:
1. Musical recordings - vocal or instrumental mixes (maximum of 2)
2. Videos of live performances - artists, DJs, musicians (maximum of 2)
3. Marketing/Management materials for a current or recent music release - may include budgets, contracts, streaming analytics, press highlights, tour routing, etc. (maximum of 3 documents)

Current Georgia State students must also submit the digital portfolio in order to be considered for admittance into the major. Current students must also have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8.

Program Financial Information

All applicants to the School of Music are automatically considered for talent-based scholarships. Program fees include locker, laboratory, and recital expenses associated with certain programs, classes, and degree requirements. Every student registering for an Applied Music course will be charged an Applied Music fee. For each 1000-level Applied Music course, a $200.00 fee will be charged. For all other Applied Music courses, a $350.00 fee will be charged.

Program Academic Regulations

Undergraduate music degrees (B.Mu. and B.S.) require students to take general education courses in the sciences and humanities, courses in musical foundations, and courses in a concentration of their choice. Foundation courses include music performance, piano, music theory, and music history/literature. In addition to foundation courses, students must complete courses in a concentration. Available concentrations for the B.Mu. degree are: performance, composition, music technology (recording), music education, and jazz studies. The music management curriculum leads to a B.S. degree. Some concentrations have specializations that are detailed below.

Explanation of Applied Music Levels

Applied music consists of individual or small-group performance instruction in a student’s principal performing medium. All music majors must study applied music as part of their degree programs.

1000 level: Introductory. May be used by students who are admitted to the School of Music but who wish to study in a secondary area. With permission, introductory level courses may also be used by music minors or approved non-majors. 1000-level applied music classes are not applicable to degree requirements in a student’s principal performing medium. Authorization is required. One credit hour per semester; one half-hour lesson each week:
1001/1002 level: Freshman level. One credit hour per semester; one-hour lesson per week.
2001/2002 level: Sophomore level. One or two credit hours per semester; one-hour lesson per week.
3001/3002 level: Junior level. One to three credit hours per semester; one-hour lesson per week.
4001/4002 level: Senior level. One to three credit hours per semester; one-hour lesson per week.

Musical Ensembles

Musical ensembles (choral groups, jazz ensembles, orchestra, and wind ensembles) are open to all Georgia State University students by audition. Non-music majors should contact the School of Music or the appropriate ensemble director for information on scheduling a pool audition.

Every student who is registered for applied music is required to enroll concurrently in a conducted ensemble. Factors considered in making assignments will include the specific needs and abilities of the student and the requirements of the various ensembles.

All Bachelor of Music students (with the exception of music education) are required to complete a minimum of eight credit hours of ensemble. Only one credit hour of ensemble per semester may be applied to the total. Assignments to specific ensembles are made each fall semester through pool auditions. Students are required to perform in those ensembles to which they are assigned. Students in the jazz studies concentration may count four credit hours of jazz band toward the eight required credit hours of large ensemble.

The Applied Cluster

Music students who register for applied music must also register for both chamber music/performance laboratory and a large ensemble. These activities are collectively known as the Applied Cluster. Students may be required to participate in studio classes, labs, and/or master classes as required by applied instructors.

Program Degree Requirements

In addition to the Program Degree Requirements, students must fulfill the College of the Arts Degree Requirements and the University Degree Requirements, sections College Degree Requirements and 1400 University Degree Requirements and Graduation of this catalog.

Admission to a Concentration

Music students must pass a qualifying examination specific to their concentration during their fourth semester of study. The rising junior jury determines whether the student has made adequate progress to qualify for entry to the 3000-level of applied music study. Students intending to enter the Recording and Technology Concentration or the composition Concentration should contact faculty in those areas about the application and interview process for admission to upper-level (junior and senior) coursework in those areas. Further information about qualifying examinations is available from the School of Music Office

Teacher Education Requirements for Music Education Majors

Music Education faculty evaluate each Music Education student prior to enrollment in upper level methods courses in order to determine their qualifications. These qualifications include 1) an overall gpa of 2.5 or above, 2) a gpa of at least 2.5 in all music courses, 3) grades of C- or higher in all of the courses in the concentration, and 4) a grade of B or higher in MUS 3310 - Introduction to Music Education . Music Education students must also demonstrate teaching competence as determined by the Music Education faculty and must demonstrate a record of professional attributes and personal behaviors suitable for placement in a school with children.

Application for Entry to Music Education/Teacher Education occurs at the end of MUS 3310 - Introduction to Music Education using the form supplied by the Music Education faculty. Some of the requirements include completion of 60 credit hours of coursework, including courses required in Areas A and D, and EDUC 2110 . Students are also required to have passed or been exempted from the GACE Program Admission Exams (Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators, standardized test of basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills), and the Georgia Educators Ethics Assessment. Other exams, including the GACE content exams in music and the edTPA will be completed during the final semester of enrollment at GSU.

See complete requirements for entry to Teacher Education in the Georgia State University College of Education and Human Development section of 1600 Undergraduate Educator Preparation .

Double-Numbered Courses

Students may only receive credit for one level of a double-numbered course, with the exception of courses for which they are required to register in more than one semester.

Graduation with Distinction in the Major

This school offers undergraduate students the opportunity to earn the designation of graduation with distinction in the major. Please contact the School of Music for the specific criteria for this honor.

Programs

Bachelor’s

Dual Degree

Music, B.Mu./M.Mu.

Minor

Music Minor

Courses

Music

Music Appreciation

Music Technology Management

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