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Church
Music Home
Church Music is a field that has wide appeal
for those who wish to combine a love of music with a career in a
church setting. Church musicians work with people of all ages and
abilities as they prepare music needed in worship services. Church
musicians possess specialized skills in organ, conducting, voice,
children and adult choirs and service playing. They must understand
the role of music in worship and have a thorough understanding of
the various denominational liturgies. The training that Shenandoah
offers in church music is not focused on any one denomination, and
graduates of this program are employed by all major denominations.
Most Shenandoah graduates are employed in full-time positions as
music ministers or organist/choirmaster in churches with multiple
choir programs.
The Bachelor of Music in Church Music is offered
in a unique arrangement that completes the program of study in three
academic years plus three, two-week summer sessions. The curriculum
is a blend of studies in music religion and Christian education,
underscored with a strong performance base. Major applied studies
in organ or voice are complemented by secondary studies in piano
and/or harpsichord as well as other instruments.
During the academic year, undergraduates choose six credits from
a wide spectrum of religion courses in both the Old and New Testaments.
The program is further supported by courses in tonal and 20th century
theory, aural skills, sightsinging, keyboard harmony, conducting,
music literature and history, instrumentation and arranging. Complementing
the program are general education studies in English, social and
behavioral science, mathematics and kinesiology/lifetime fitness
or dance.
The summer sessions, attended by undergraduate, graduate and certificate
Music students, include professional studies in music and worship,
hymnology, service playing and console conducting, methods and materials
for children’s and adult choirs, organ literature, improvisation
at the organ and sacred vocal solo literature. These courses comprise
the core of the church music program.
The Master of Music in Church Music, designed for
practicing church musicians who wish to extend their knowledge and
skills in the field, is completed in three summers.
The Certificate in Church Music includes a selected
set of courses offered in rotation across three summer sessions.
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