Music, BM - Performance Option: Instrumental Area

What you will study

UCM’s Music degree students in Instrumental Performance choose from a wide range of classes, so you can tailor our undergraduate program to meet your needs. In addition to performance-focused ensembles and private lessons, you’ll also take classes on the cultural, theoretical and historical aspects of music. Moreover, you’ll gain a working knowledge of how to integrate the latest software applications and technologies into your studies and musical practices.

You’ll have the opportunity to select classes from several categories across the Music degree program curriculum. Some of your classes will include:

• Aural Training: Learn to identify and transcribe rhythms, melodies, chords and chord progressions by ear. Aural training can dramatically improve your performance abilities, including improvisation and playing from memory.
• Instrumental Pedagogy: Learn the most effective teaching strategies for instrumentalists in your area. Training in pedagogical techniques improves your teaching abilities and your own practice methods.
• Jazz-Commercial Arranging: Advance your composition and arranging skills outside of classical genres with studies in jazz and commercial music. Focus on idiomatic voicings, writing for small ensembles and composing multi-instrumental pieces for a wide range of instruments.

 

 

Unique learning opportunities in instrumental performance

Prepare for a career as a professional musician with UCM’s valuable experiential learning opportunities on and off campus. Our bachelor’s degree in Music offers you real-world scenarios to sharpen both your musical performance, recording and professional networking skills:

• Ensembles: Perform in small and large ensemble configurations to improve your participatory music skills while learning from faculty and peers. You can join UCM’s Wind Ensemble, New Technologies Ensemble, Symphonic Band or the Symphony Orchestra. 
• Service learning: UCM partners with several national organizations to provide students in our Music degree program with performance and service-learning opportunities. Our partners include the National Association for Music Education, the American String Teacher Association and the Percussive Arts Society.
• Networking: Enjoy dozens of performance opportunities to expand your professional network and improve your accompaniment skills. You can work with fellow Instrumental Performance majors and other students on recitals, theater productions and shows, both on campus and around the state.

 

What can you do with a bachelor’s degree in Music from UCM?

Earning a Music degree in Instrumental Performance from UCM means that music is more than a hobby for you — it’s your profession. Graduates with an Instrumental Performance degree in Music pursue rewarding careers as professional and studio session musicians, private music teachers, entrepreneurs, educators and online music instructors. 

An undergraduate Music degree in Instrumental Performance from UCM also prepares you for advanced music degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels. Graduate studies are an excellent choice if you plan to work in college-level education or music research. 

Jobs in Music

Explore exciting careers, salaries and job outlooks for professionals with a Music degree in Instrumental Performance using the interactive tool below.

 

 

Financial assistance options for your Instrumental Performance degree

UCM offers financial resources and support to help you finance your college education. About 94% of UCM undergraduate students receive some type of financial aid. We’ll guide you through your financial options when you enroll in our Music degree program, including more than 50 endowed scholarships for Music, as well as grants, loans and work-study opportunities. 

Depending on your primary instrument, you may qualify for a range of scholarships reserved for UCM’s Music majors, such as:

• Frank and Barbara Fendorf Scholarship in Music
• Double Bass Music Performance Scholarship
• Granville Moss Memorial Scholarship

Learn more about program-specific scholarships by using the UCM Scholarship Finder.