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About the Department

The objectives of this department are to help the student gain an understanding and appreciation of the musical heritage of humanity, and to provide leisure-time, cultural, and artistic activities,such as group music experiences and intelligent listening to aid the student in acquiring the knowledge, techniques, and skills necessary for performers, composers, church musicians, and teachers.

Objectives

All of our classes in the Department of Music are intentionally linked to its mission and student learning objectives. They can be found in the music section of the  La Sierra University Undergraduate Bulletin (2022-2023) , p. 217, and are reprinted here for convenience:

 
In harmony with La Sierra University’s mission to enlarge human understanding through scholarship, to educate the whole person, and to serve others in a global community, the mission of the Music Department is to advance the study and practice of music within the context of Christian values and ideals by:

  1. Fostering an environment that supports a learning dialogue among the stakeholders of the Department of Music: students, faculty, and the community.
  2. Assisting in gaining insight into the significance and function of music in the student’s spiritual life and within the community of worshippers.
  3. Nurturing the student’s growth in aesthetic sensitivities and values, and enabling the student to eff ectively communicate these values.
  4. Guiding the student in developing a critical and openminded approach to music of diverse cultures and styles.
  5. Stimulating the student’s awareness of the vital role of music in society, and inspiring a commitment to provide meaningful exposure to music for all.
  6. Supporting the advancement of musical life in the Seventh-day Adventist Church by encouraging the student to become an active contributor.
  7. Fostering the student’s development of self-discipline, responsibility, and professionalism in music. 8. Participating in the campus-wide emphasis on a broad.
  8. Participating in the campus-wide emphasis on a broad, La Sierra University Undergraduate Bulletin balanced curriculum by providing cross-campus majors opportunities to participate in performance ensembles, performance instruction, and general education classes.

Learning Outcomes

The Department of Music at La Sierra University is committed to helping the serious music student develop a life-long engagement with music as performer, composer, and listener. By providing the essential tools for making and responding to music, it is the aim of the following student learning outcomes to create a “whole” musician with the requisite skills, experiences, and artistic sensibilities that have the potential to continually inform and transform the musical life during and after formal study. Th us, at the completion of music studies at La Sierra University, the student will have developed the following by degree area:

Bachelor of Arts

  1. Demonstrate the ability to hear, identify, and work conceptually with the elements of music, through sight-reading, basic keyboard proficiency and musical analysis.
  2. Perform standard repertoire appropriate to their performance area, as soloists and members of ensembles.
  3. Demonstrate analytical skills necessary for listening and performing.
  4. Demonstrate skills necessary to perform music from a variety of periods, styles, and genres.
  5. Demonstrate a working knowledge of music history within their area of specialization and an acquaintance with the history, cultural background, and repertories beyond that area, including a wide selection of Western and world music literature.
  6. Demonstrate a working knowledge of music technology and its application to their area of specialization.

Bachelor of Music: Performance

  1. Demonstrate excellence as solo and ensemble performers to provide a basis for a professional career as a musician.
  2. Demonstrate specific knowledge in music theory, music history, and instrumental or vocal pedagogy to provide a basis for a professional career as a performing musician.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to think, speak, and write clearly and effectively about the art of music.
  4. Work collaboratively and as leaders in music interpretation.
  5. Demonstrate a working knowledge of music history within their area of specialization and an acquaintance with the history, cultural background and repertories beyond that area, including a wide selection of Western and world music literature.
  6. Demonstrate a working knowledge of music technology and its application to their area of specialization.

Bachelor of Music: Education

  1. Demonstrate skill as solo and ensemble performers who can work as a professional educator.
  2. Demonstrate specific knowledge in music theory, music history, and instrumental or vocal pedagogy to provide a basis for a professional career as a music educator.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to think, speak, and write clearly and effectively about the art of music.
  4. Work collaboratively and as leaders in music interpretation.
  5. Demonstrate a working knowledge of music history within their area of specialization and an acquaintance with the history, cultural background, and repertories beyond that area, including a wide selection of Western and world music literature.
  6. Demonstrate a working knowledge of music technology and its application to their area of specialization.
  7. Demonstrate the ability to integrate skills and knowledge acquired over the course of an undergraduate education for the purpose of effectively teaching music to K-12 students in the SDA and public schools, in compliance with the competencies established by the California Department of Education.

Performance Certificate

  1. Demonstrate excellence as solo and ensemble performers to provide a basis for a professional career as a musician.
  2. Work collaboratively and as leaders in music interpretation.
  3. Perform standard repertoire appropriate to their performance area, as soloists and members of ensembles.

Contact and Location

music@lasierra.edu
(951) 785-2036
Hole Memorial Auditorium, Room 101

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