10400 School of Music

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

music.gsu.edu
Email: music@gsu.edu

Chester Phillips, Director
Bill Mann, Director of Recruitment
T. Devin Reid, 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 production and audio 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, or Music Education) 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 Industry (with a concentration in either Music Management or Music Production and Audio Recording) have two options for admissions consideration:

Option 1:

You may give a live audition as an instrumental performer or vocalist. 

Option 2:

You may submit a digital portfolio. See digital portfolio requirements under the Music Industry, B.S.  

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 https://music.gsu.edu/

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 education, and jazz studies. Available concentrations for the B.S. degree in Music Industry are: music production and audio recording and music management. Some concentrations have specializations that are detailed below.

Failure to Complete Applied Music Lessons:

Any Bachelor of Music student who receives a grade of “F” and/or “WF” for two consecutive semesters in which applied music lessons are offered (Fall to Spring or  Spring to Fall) in their principal performing medium will become ineligible to enroll in any further applied music study.

Failure to Enroll Consistently or Progress in Applied Music Lessons:

Admitted music majors who fail to enroll in required applied music lessons, as stipulated by their respective concentration for one academic year, will be required to re-audition for applied music placements. This re-audition can also be waived by the applied faculty in their performance area.

Any student who is retained at the same applied lesson level will be permitted one additional semester of applied lessons to move to the next level. Students who fail to receive promotion of placement in the second attempt of the retained applied lesson level will not be permitted to enroll for further applied instruction.

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 can either audition for an ensemble each semester through ensemble pool auditions, or simply register for the entry level ensemble in their medium of choice.

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 School of Music program degree requirements, students must also fulfill the College of the Arts 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. Further information about qualifying examinations is available from the School of Music Office.

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.

Programs

• Music Industry, B.S.
• Music, B.M.

• Music, B.Mu./M.Mu.

• Music Minor

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