Department of MusicUndergraduate Programs

Orchestra in Terry concert hall

Music at JUPersonalized Attention, Professional Preparation, Innovative Programs

The Department of Music at Jacksonville University is composed of a distinguished faculty of professional performing artists and scholars combined with outstanding performance facilities that allows students to focus and refine their skills while deepening their appreciation for music. Learn more about our facilities & resources. An accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music since 1931, Jacksonville University is dedicated to providing excellent programs of study within the context of a strong liberal arts education.

Audition

Interested students must first apply for admission to Jacksonville University. Learn more about the audition process.

 

Health & Safety

All Music Department Students, Faculty, and Staff should review the available resources, including those listed below, for cultivating and maintaining good health. Learn more about our Health & Safety for Musicians.

Chamber ensemble performance

Our ApproachCreating the Crossover Artist

The Department of Music at Jacksonville University is guided by a distinguished faculty of performing artists, teachers, composers and scholars. Our students take advantage of cross-disciplinary opportunities within the Stein College of Fine Arts and Humanities —a place where music, dance, theater, visual arts, media arts, literature & culture, and philosophy intersect in a dynamic creative community. Programs of study include performance, jazz, musical theatre, technology, composition, and education.

Learn More About Faculty

Future.Made.Meet Ian Rivera, Electrical Engineering & Music

Meet Ian Rivera, a passionate double major in electrical engineering and music at Jacksonville University. Ian shares his journey, showcasing how his love for music and expertise in electrical engineering merge to address real-world problems and inspire his community. The future is made by those who invest in it. Building a better tomorrow is what Jacksonville University does. Our investments today will shape the results of tomorrow. Together, we'll propel the next generation of future makers, like Ian. It starts today. It begins with you. Learn how you can make a difference: https://www.ju.edu/futuremade/

Close the transcript.

Meet Ian Rivera, Electrical Engineering & Music

My name is Ian Rivera I'm a Double Major in Electrical Engineering in Music at Jacksonville University.

I believe music does make me a better problem solver, you're doing a lot of calculations on how to play certain notes. You have to do a lot of cross referencing between different scores. That can be applied to engineering because you constantly have to make cross references between different subjects in order to eventually arrive at the final product.

I chose JU because they had Electrical Engineering and a Music program that I liked. I was like: this has to be the best option because I'm able to do both things at the same time.

My professor Dr Lockwood, when I talked about my interest in music and I really wanted to be a part of JU. Now, when I told her I also wanted to do Engineering she believed that it was possible.

I currently play the Cello for the Jacksonville University Orchestra. My mother was a flautist. She has a Master's of Music and she really made sure that music was present in my life. My parents got me a cello when I was around third grade and then ever since I just loved it so much.

So I've been in music education for basically most of my life. My passion for engineering started at a young age I used to dismantle everything because I really wanted to know how it worked.

My father he did a lot of soldering work when he was younger, so when I showed interest in soldering, in electronics, he really showed me how to do it and that practice has translated to JU and helping me in the engineering department helping as a teacher's assistant and being able to help other students with solder work and also electronic work as well.

The STEAM Institute recently just opened and it's wonderful! It has a bunch of labs that helps Engineers really come together as a group and come up with nice little solutions to problems. The STEAM Institute has really set the bar for many other schools and really trying to cultivate problem solving because now we have graphic designers literally in the same classrooms as us.

So, when I graduate, I hope to be able to pursue a Masters in Music and eventually when I finish my music education I would like to go back for a Master's in Engineering.

I believe JU has made me a lifelong learner. I'm not done learning just because I get a piece of paper.

My name is Ian Rivera and I'm a Future.Maker!

OUR PROGRAMS

Majors and Minors

Bachelor of Arts in Music (Vocal or Instrumental) 

  • The BA emphasis includes private instruction in the student’s primary instrument, ensemble opportunities of varied size and scope, and instruction in standard music core subjects such as theory, aural skills, and history.  

  • BA students enjoy a larger elective core in this traditional liberal arts degree, allowing flexibility to tailor the course of study to their interests.  

  • Foreign language proficiency equivalent to four semesters of study is required for the BA degree and may be demonstrated by placement examination or coursework.

BA in Music


 

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre (Vocal)

  • The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Musical Theatre is a professional interdisciplinary degree that provides immersive study in the areas of music and vocal performance, theatre, and dance.  

  • The BFA in Musical Theatre provides intense instruction in music (voice), acting, and dance. This training is synthesized in various productions put on by the university. A typical year will include 2 musical theatre productions, 2 plays, 2 dance concerts, along with many large and small ensemble concerts. 

  • Individualized instruction ensures that each student finds and hones what makes them unique and marketable in the cutthroat profession of musical theatre.

MUSICAL THEATRE


 

Bachelor of Music (Vocal, Instrumental, Composition) 

  • The BM emphasis includes private instruction in the student’s primary instrument and instruction in standard music core subjects such as theory, aural skills and history.  Advanced topics include contemporary music, orchestration, and counterpoint.  
  • Ensemble opportunities are of varied size and scope. 
  • Cumulative recitals showcase performance achievements during the junior and senior years. 

BM in Music


 

Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Commercial Music 

  • The BM in Jazz and Commercial Music is a stand-alone degree program combining jazz applied study, a dedicated jazz studies course compliment and commercial music courses. 
  • JCM majors enjoy a jazz focus rooted in chamber jazz ensemble performance, composing and arranging projects, studio music recording and production, and collaboration with the record label, Dolphinium Records. 
  • Students receive regular jazz applied lessons, concertize regularly throughout the year with resident and guest artists, and are engaged with faculty and student led recording projects. 

JAZZ & COMMERCIAL MUSIC


 

Bachelor of Music Education (Vocal or Instrumental) 

  • Bachelor of Music Education (BME) degree students pursue concentrations in Choral or Instrumental Music; upon completion of coursework, students are prepared to earn certification to teach K-12 Music in the public schools of Florida and most other states.  
  • The BME emphasis includes private instruction in the student’s primary instrument, ensemble opportunities of varied size and scope, instruction in standard music core subjects such as theory, aural skills and history, and advanced topics including conducting, contemporary music, orchestration, counterpoint and courses in instrumental or choral methods and literature.  
  • A cumulative recital showcases performance achievements during the junior or senior year. Music Education Student Teaching is the capstone of this degree program during which the student teaches full time under the mentorship of a supervising public school teacher. 

MUSIC EDUCATION


 

Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology 

  • The BM in Music Technology features coursework in music technology including Acoustics and Recording Techniques, Songwriting, Commercial Arranging and Production, Entrepreneurship, and Intellectual Property Law.  Students choosing the BA option take the same foundational technology courses but with room for elective courses in more technology or general music. 
  • Both degree options include ensemble opportunities varying in size and scope as well as instruction in standard music core subjects such as music theory, aural skills, and music history.  
  • Students work in the recording studio on industry standard equipment including an Avid S4 as well as record in performing spaces including Terry Concert Hall, Swisher Theater, and Phillips Black Box.  The in-house record label, Dolphinium Records, provides real-world experience in record and EP production. 

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY


 

Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy

  • The BM in Music Therapy program will provide you with a personalized education of classroom and practical clinical experiences that will allow the music therapist within you to develop in a manner that is appropriate for you.
  • Courses include foundational music study in applied lessons, ensembles, theory, aural skills, and history as well as skill-oriented study in conducting, guitar, hand drumming and music technology.  Music Therapy courses include broad coverage in Psychology, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Music Therapy Methods and Practicums, Improvisation for Music Therapy, a Senior Seminar and Clinical Internship placement with prominent local health centers and music therapists.
  • Successful completion of the Internship Program and passing the national Board Certification exam will designate graduates as a Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC). 
  • This degree has been Plan Approved by NASM and is pending AMTA approval. 

Music Therapy


 

Minor in Music

  • Upon audition, a student may minor in music
  • 18 credits of theory, history/appreciation, applied lessons, ensembles, and electives provide students with supportive skills as a musician

The Performance ExperienceEnsembles, Productions, and Guest Artists

The Department of Music ensembles provide many opportunities for students to make music in ensembles that perform in all styles of music – traditional to contemporary. Invited guest artists appear regularly in workshops, masterclasses, and concerts as part of the Creative Arts Series.

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black box theater rehearsal

The Kinne Trio

The award-winning Kinne Trio is the faculty ensemble at Jacksonville University, and is an established premiere chamber music ensemble dedicated to the performance of traditional piano trios as well as works by less-frequently performed composers. In addition to the standard literature, The Kinne Trio has performed works by Astor Piazzolla, Amy Beach, Otto Malling, Ernest Bloch, among others. One of their most popular programs is titled Downton Abbey in Concert which features the iconic and haunting music of Scottish composer John Lunn from the hit TV series and films, along with charming waltzes by Johann Strauss, Jr., and WWI – era popular music. Recently awarded top prize for chamber music in the Euterpe International Music Awards in Berlin, the Trio (Marguerite Richardson, violin; Shannon Lockwood, violoncello; Scott Watkins, piano) has performed throughout the state of Florida and regionally, including appearances in Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Savannah, Georgia. Combined, The Kinne Trio represents more than 50 years of performance and teaching experience, bringing that expertise to their annual Chamber Music Intensive Camp for string and piano students, held on the campus of Jacksonville University each summer. The trio’s debut recording features music by Amy Beach and Clara Schumann and is available at all media outlets, including amazon.com. The Kinne Trio can be reached at kinnetrio@gmail.com. Please visit The Kinne Trio’s website at kinnetrio.com.

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Performing Arts Programs

The School of Performing Arts offers several other programs of study. Learn more about the programs at

All Performing Arts Programs