Bachelor of Arts in Music
The Bachelor of Arts in Music degree is a viable alternative for those students who prefer a more flexible and less intensive music curriculum than is possible under the Bachelor of Music Education or Bachelor of Music curricula.
Students wishing a broader variety of subjects in addition to a basic foundation in music may follow the curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Music. The Bachelor of Arts in Music has 8 concentrations. These concentrations are guided pathways through the curriculum, with the most relevant coursework preselected for each area of specialization. Students in the program have the freedom to choose much of their own coursework, including courses within and beyond the LSU School of Music. The Bachelor of Arts in Music is a liberal arts degree that gives students the opportunity to pursue diverse interests and a variety of career paths. This program prepares students for careers in education, performance, music libraries, communications and arts administration, music business/industry, human services, and further study at the graduate-level in music history or music theory.
Available Concentrations
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- Students gain performance skills in multiple instruments and/or voice.
- Curriculum includes Seminars in Music History, Advanced Aural Skills, Advanced Music Theory, and Foreign Language courses.
- Advanced Music History courses include History of Technologies in Music, Shakespeare and Verdi, World Musics, and Film Music.
- Designed for students who envision a career in academics, such as in Musicology and Music Theory.
- Incorporates coursework in LSU’s E. J. Ourso College of Business.
- Curriculum includes Arts Management, Arts Marketing, Principles of Marketing, Fundraising for the Arts, 6 Hours of Internship, Economic Principles, and Survey of Accounting.
- Study how to operate, grow, and manage your own business; learn how to be creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial within the arts.
- Designed for students who envision a career in arts administration, entrepreneurship, and positions of leadership and responsibility in business and industry.
- Curriculum includes Gospel Choir, Religion Electives, Diction for Singers, Group Piano I- IV, Choral Literature and Conducting, Organ Literature History & Design.
- Students are equipped with knowledge and skills that may be applied to research, teaching, performance, ministry, and leadership in the field of church music.
- The BA in Music with a concentration in EMDM requires completion of the Digital Media Avatar Arts minor.
- Tailored to students whose musical interests extend beyond their primary instrument/voice and who wish to integrate technology with music.
- Students can participate in such activities as the Louisiana Mobile App Orchestra and the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana.
- Requires completion of Experimental Music & Digital Media Ensemble, Computer Music, Programming Digital Media, Computer Science with C++, a Digital Media Capstone, and Calculus.
- Designed for students who envision a career focused on behind-the-scenes programming, such as movie or video game sound design; composing original works, or the performance side of sonic art.
- Curriculum allows student to flexibly enroll in 24 hours of upper-level Music Education and Music courses at the 3000 and 4000-level.
- To ensure student’s course selections reflect a diverse approach to the study of music, plans for the Intradisciplinary Music concentration must be approved by the Advisory Committee and B.A. Committee.
- Students gain performance skills in multiple instruments and/or voice.
- Curriculum includes participation in Jazz Band and Chamber Jazz, Jazz Arranging, Jazz Fundamentals for Teachers, History of Jazz Styles, and Senior Recital.
- Requires ensemble courses and Primary Applied Jazz Lessons that students should begin taking in their first semester.
- Designed for students interested in careers with opera and theater companies.
- Curriculum includes Acting I, Theatrical Design, Participation in a play produced by the School of Theatre, and Script Analysis.
- Requires a minor in an area other than music.
- Designed for students pursuing a double-major or minor outside the School of Music.
- Requires registration in Music Ensemble/ Choir and co-registration in primary applied music lessons.
Planning the Senior Project
An important part of the BA in Music is the final capstone: Senior Project, MUS 4501, required for all concentrations except Jazz (which requires the Senior Recital, MUS 4797). The Senior Project represents the culmination of a student’s career at LSU, integrating some of the skills, techniques, and knowledge acquired from their earlier studies. Some portion of the project should be public, allowing communities in the School of Music, LSU, and the greater Baton Rouge area to witness, engage with, and support the student’s accomplishment. Examples of possible Senior Projects include a lecture-recital, a research paper and presentation, a new instrument design, a composition, a community initiative, a musical event, an outreach program, or an internship: the possibilities are (nearly) endless. Proposals for Senior Projects need to be approved by the student’s Advisory Committee and the School of Music’s BA Committee.
Selecting the BA
Students should declare a BA in Music as early as possible within their course of study but preferably no later than the end of their fourth semester. At that point, they will need to select a two-person Advisory Committee, which consists of a major professor and another professor. Under the guidance of the Advisory Committee (and with the approval of the School of Music’s BA Committee), students will plan their coursework for their remaining semesters. It is possible for students to switch to the BA in Music from another music degree (BM and BME) after their fourth semester, but their course options may be limited.
Get Started
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102 School of Music Building
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-2504
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