Q. Where do I start?
A. Just starting your college search? Submit a Prospective Undergraduate Student Inquiry to receive more information from the Department of Music. Visit the Admissions page to learn more about academic programs and applying to Case Western Reserve University.
Q. Can I plan a visit or attend an open house program?
A. We encourage students to schedule a campus visit with the Office of Undergraduate Admission or attend a music overview during an open house program.
Q. What is the Joint Music Program?
A. Case Western Reserve's one-of-a-kind partnership with the Cleveland Institute of Music opens the door to world-class training, blending the resources of a top research university (CWRU) and a leading conservatory (CIM) in an expansive liberal arts environment. Students from both institutions study in the same music theory, music history and elective courses, and often perform together in ensembles. Learn more about the Joint Music Program.
Q. Where can I find the audition process and audition information?
A. Applicants must submit a music arts supplement (portfolio in the area of music) via their applicant status portal during the university application process. Please review the application procedures here and allow enough time to meet the establish deadlines. The music arts supplement is evaluated for both for the music major and for music scholarships, and must be submitted in fulfillment of the audition requirements on the primary instrument/voice.
Q. Are music scholarships available?
A. CWRU offers two music scholarships (1st-year applicants):
- Performing Arts Scholarship: A handful of these full-tuition scholarships are available to students who exhibit excellence in the performing arts and will major in either music, theater, or dance. Students who audition for the BA in Music or the BS in Music Education will be considered for these highly competitive scholarships.
- Arts Achievement Award: A small number of scholarships ($10,000 per year) are available to students who exhibit excellence in either music or studio art, regardless of whether they will major in those areas. Students who audition for the BA in Music or the BS in Music Education will be considered for these highly competitive scholarships. Students who do not intend to major in music can also be considered for an Arts Achievement Award by submitting the Music Arts Supplement.
Q. What undergraduate programs are available?
A. We offer the following undergraduate degree programs:
- Bachelor of Arts in Music (BA)
- Bachelor of Science in Music Education (BS)
- Minor in Music
Q. Why is the Music Education major a BS rather than a BA?
A. Generally, a BS degree offers students a more specialized curriculum in their specific major and requires more credits than a BA degree. Because the state of Ohio and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) mandate the curriculum in music education, the degree is a BS, rather than a BA.
The Bachelor of Science in Music Education (BS) is a professional degree that ultimately leads to teacher licensure. Small classes, personalized attention and faculty mentoring are at the forefront of the program. This intensive degree prepares students to become professional music educators. Students develop skills, concepts, and methodologies in music theory, composition, general musicianship, music history, arranging/orchestrating, improvising, conducting, and music performance. Requires a successful music arts supplement and live interview for acceptance into the major.
Q. Is it possible to do a double major with Music and another subject?
A. Yes. The Bachelor of Arts in Music (BA) can be combined with any other degree program that CWRU offers as a double major/dual degree/secondary major. This degree is intended for students who wish to emphasize general competence in music within the framework of a liberal arts education. Many CWRU undergraduate students combine music with another area of study. The Music (BA) degree can be completed in 6 semesters, giving students the flexibility to study abroad or take a co-op, while completing a dual degree or double major within 4 years.
Q. Do you need to pass an audition to declare the minor in music?
A. Students can declare a minor in music without passing an audition. However, all students applying for the Arts Achievement Award must submit a music arts supplement. All submissions received by February 1 will be considered for music scholarship.
Q. What performance opportunities exist for non-majors?
A. Our many music ensembles are open to all students regardless of major. Auditions take place the first week of the fall and spring semester. Current CWRU students can register for applied music lessons for academic credit through the Joint Music Program (fees apply).
Q. What is the Center for Popular Music Studies?
A. The Center for Popular Music Studies exists to promote scholarship and teaching about the history and significance of popular music, which includes collaborations and partnerships with institutions in Cleveland and around the world. Course offerings include topics in jazz skills, popular music, digital music, composition and arranging, applied instruction (pop vocals, guitar, drum set), and a Popular Music Ensemble. We have several undergraduate/graduate students who have gone on to careers in popular music and many who have taken advantage of the outstanding local opportunities in jazz music.
Q. Are there any music theater opportunities at CWRU?
A. The Department of Music currently offers no formal program in music theater, although we do have faculty with expertise as performers, teachers, and scholars. Students generally participate in Footlighters, a student-run campus organization that presents a musical production each semester. Students with a strong interest in musical theater should explore opportunities provided by the Department of Theater.
Q. What is Historical Performance Practice?
A. Historical Performance Practice (HPP) refers to the study of how music was performed in earlier centuries (mostly, the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods1). It is based on two key aspects: the application of the stylistic and technical aspects of performance, known as performance practice (articulation, ornamentation, tempo, tuning); and the use of period instruments which may be reproductions of historical instruments that were in use at the time of the original composition, and which usually have different timbre and temperament from their modern equivalents. Undergraduate students with an interest in this area are welcome to audition on a period instrument/voice, and incorporate applied study, early music ensembles, and targeted HPP courses into their curriculum.
1) Our expanded coverage of music studied in this way includes the Classical and Early Romantic periods.
Q. Why is the “Kulas” name on so many things?
A. Elroy John Kulas and his wife, Fynette H. Kulas, were Cleveland philanthropists who focused their giving on college and university music programs in northeast Ohio. Mr. Kulas, who died in 1952, was an executive in the steel industry. He and his wife had no children, so in 1937 they established the Kulas Foundation as a means to organize their charitable giving. Most area music schools and departments (including Oberlin, Baldwin-Wallace, CWRU and CIM) have Kulas halls, libraries, and professorships, and the Foundation is still a vital benefactor for music in our region.
The department maintains an impressive collection of modern reproductions of early instruments. The Historical Performance Practice program offers a wide range of ensembles from Medieval toRomantic, and the Kulas Collection of historical instruments (renaissance, medieval and baroque string, wind, and brass instruments) is available to all students. The program also owns a wide range of historical keyboard instruments: French, Italian, and German Harpsichords, a continuo organ, and two fortepianos.
The Kulas Music Collection is located on the first floor of the Kelvin Smith Library. The Kulas research collections contain 45,000 items, including books, scores, media, microforms, and music periodicals. Users can borrow books and scores; we provide listening and reading areas to use media and reference collections. In addition to print resources, we provide access to online databases.
Don't see your question(s) answered here? Submit a Prospective Undergraduate Student Inquiry to receive more information from the Department of Music.