| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major in Music (B.A.) | ||
| MUL 143A | Introduction to Keyboard Theory | 1 |
| MUS 101 | Music Fundamentals | 1 |
| MUS 103 | Introduction to Music Literature | 2 |
| MUS 104 | Music Theory I | 3 |
| MUS 195 | Music Hour | 0 |
| MUS 202 | Music Theory II | 3 |
| MUS 203 | Music Theory III | 3 |
| MUS 312 | Music History and Literature I | 3 |
| MUS 313 | Music History and Literature II | 3 |
| MUS 322 | Instrumental Literature and Conducting | 3 |
| MUS 323 | Instrumentation | 2 |
| MUS 324 | Choral Literature and Conducting | 3 |
| MUS 495 | Half Senior Recital | 0 |
| Performance Organizations | 6 | |
| Private Lessons | 6 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major | 39 | |
| General Education | 49-50 | |
| Electives | 33-34 | |
| Total Credits | 122 | |
Courses whose number is followed by a letter fulfill a General Education requirement.
Students may not declare a B.A. in Music and a Minor in Music.
Additional Requirements
- Must be in a performance organization for a minimum of four years.
- Must fulfill recital and concert attendance requirement.
- Must pass the piano proficiency.
Overview
The Ministry Scholars program is Bethel University's bachelors to master's degree program that reduces cost and time-to-completion by streamlining undergraduate and graduate education. Graduates receive a bachelor's degree from Bethel University's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and a master's from Bethel Seminary. This program is well suited for a variety of majors who want to become equipped to lead churches, parachurch organizations, and other ministries. It is also a good fit for ministry-minded students who want to pursue bi-vocational ministry or work outside of professional ministry. Students learn from successful ministry leaders and experts in Biblical and Theological Studies, Spiritual and Personal Formation, and Transformational Leadership. This program offers supplemental training resources, developmental activities, and discipleship opportunities to prepare ministry-minded students for effective ministry leadership. Students also gain valuable field experience in local churches and ministry settings.
The objectives of the program are that graduates will demonstrate age-appropriate growth and ultimately ministry leadership preparedness in the following domains:
- Spiritual life: Students will grow spiritually, deepening their love for, commitment to, and dependence on God, and develop an instinct to trust in God and to connect intimately with God.
- Discernment of call: They will clarify and reaffirm their sense of calling to vocational ministry and what that looks like in a changing world.
- Emotional maturity: They will become emotionally mature adults, possessing the ability to sense and manage emotions, to see others’ perspectives, to sympathize and empathize, to follow and lead as appropriate and to foster healthy relationships.
- Cultural competence: They will become culturally aware, gaining a perspective that all cultures possess strengths and vulnerabilities, an ability to work across cultural lines and an appreciation that diverse teams are stronger teams.
- Bible knowledge: They will gain a clear understanding of the Bible’s content and a deep and abiding passion for the truth of the Gospel.
- Spiritual wisdom: They will grow in wisdom, possessing a capacity to apply the Bible so that others are inspired by their teaching and preaching to live out biblical truth and experience human flourishing.
- Intellectual virtues: They will develop virtues such as critical thinking, respect for data, intellectual humility, and thirst for learning, combined with the skill to interpret and teach the Bible accurately.
- Leadership capacity: They will learn to follow leaders and to lead followers—enlisting people, building teams, leading change and achieving results.
- Godly character: They will become virtuous people—individuals who love others, speak truth, live humbly, sacrifice their own interests, live justly, express joy and show compassion.
What is Bethel looking for in a Ministry Scholar?
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Ability to maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA (cumulative college grade point average or unweighted high school GPA if the student has less than one year of college experience) throughout the duration of the Ministry Scholars program while enrolled at CAS and Seminary.
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Ability to provide a pastoral and ministry leader reference that speaks to the student’s character and call to ministry.
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Commitment to prioritizing activities, discipleship opportunities, and retreats offered to Ministry Scholars, designed to enable the individual to develop a strong sense of community.
Click here for more information on the Ministry Scholars program at Bethel University
MUS 101 • Music Fundamentals 1 Credit
Fundamentals of music theory notation: clefs; time signatures; major and minor key signatures; major and all three forms of minor scales; intervals and triads, including qualities and inversions; Roman numeral analysis with figured bass; overtone series.
Corequisites: Requires concurrent registration with MUL 143A or Consent of instructor. Offered: Fall.
MUS 103 • Introduction to Music Literature 2 Credits
Development of listening skills and musical vocabulary pertinent to the study of Western music history through a chronological survey of major historical style periods and representative literature.
Corequisites: Requires concurrent registration with MUS 101 and MUL 143A or Consent of instructor. Offered: Fall.
MUS 104 • Music Theory I 3 Credits
A continuation of MUS 101 concepts and materials: voice-leading and part-writing of triads and seventh chords, and modulations in diatonic chorale style. Beginning development of ear-training and sight-singing, music technology, computer applications, and continuation of functional keyboard skills.
Prerequisites: MUS 101 and MUS 103. Offered: Spring.
MUS 195 • Music Hour 0 Credit
A weekly informal recital meeting time for the purpose of student performance or discussion of topics of significance to musicians. Music majors and minors are required to perform on their applied instruments in a minimum of one Music Hour recital per semester. First-semester freshmen perform at the discretion of the private instructor.
Prerequisites: Major or minor in music. Grade exceptions: Graded on an S/U basis. Offered: Fall, Spring. Special Notes: Music majors must register each semester in residence in order to complete the Recital and Concert Attendance requirements for graduation.
MUS 202 • Music Theory II 3 Credits
A continuation of MUS 104 concepts and materials: advanced voice-leading and part-writing skills, chromaticism/non-diatonicism, introduction to jazz and pop theory. Continued development of ear-training, sight-singing, functional keyboard skills, music technology, and computer applications.
Prerequisites: MUS 104. Offered: Fall.
MUS 203 • Music Theory III 3 Credits
Practice in 16th century counterpoint; analysis of forms from 18th century counterpoint through classical forms; continuation of ear-training, sight-singing, and functional keyboard skills.
Prerequisites: MUS 202 or Consent of instructor. Offered: Spring.
MUS 210 • Collaborative Keyboard Skills 2 Credits
A series of class lessons for the advancing piano student. Topics include sight-reading, ensemble playing, transposition, open score reading, and accompanying.
Prerequisites: MUS 104 or Consent of instructor. Offered: Spring 2023.
MUS 240 • Producing and Performing an Opera 3 Credits
Instructs students in opera production, literature, standards, and performance practices. One opera or operetta is studied and rehearsed during Interim, then performed in the first week of the Spring semester. Includes proper stagecraft for the operatic genre as well as the historical, cultural, and sociological significance of the work.
Offered: Interim, odd # years.
MUS 262A • How To Write A Song 3 Credits
Explore song history, analysis, and structure in order to compose and record an original piece.
Offered: Occasionally interim. Special Notes: Does not require formal music background.
MUS 301 • Music Theory IV 3 Credits
Advanced analysis and composition in all styles with a focus on 20th century music.
Prerequisites: MUS 203. Offered: Spring, odd # years.
MUS 305G • Music in World Cultures 3 Credits
Introductory study of cultural traditions, belief systems, and practices of world cultures through the study and analysis of the music of ethnic groups. Specific cultures included may vary with each offering.
Prerequisites: [GES 130; GES 160; Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course; World Cultures (U) course] or [GES 244; World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Spring, even # years.
MUS 312 • Music History and Literature I 3 Credits
Chronological survey of Western musical art from the Greek civilization through the Baroque period with detailed examination of representative works. Required listening, examinations, and written projects.
Prerequisites: MUS 103 and MUS 104. Offered: Fall.
MUS 313 • Music History and Literature II 3 Credits
A continuation of MUS 312, from 1750 to the present.
Prerequisites: MUS 312. Offered: Spring.
MUS 315 • Piano Literature 3 Credits
A survey of the literature for the solo piano, spanning 400 years from the Baroque through the Modern Era.
Prerequisites: Keyboard major or minor or Consent of instructor. Offered: Spring 2025.
MUS 322 • Instrumental Literature and Conducting 3 Credits
Principles of conducting as applied to orchestral and band literature. Musical style and the responsibility of the conductor to the score. Instrumental music of the Classic, Romantic, and 20th century periods will be explored.
Prerequisites: MUS 324. Offered: Spring.
MUS 323 • Instrumentation 2 Credits
Introduction of all major instruments with emphasis on transpositions, ranges, and idiomatic writing. Arranging of music for large and small combinations of woodwind, brass, string, and percussion instruments.
Prerequisites: MUS 202 and MUS 312. Offered: Spring.
MUS 324 • Choral Literature and Conducting 3 Credits
Development of conducting techniques with the application of stylistic principles to the styles of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classic, Romantic, and 20th century periods.
Prerequisites: MUS 202 and MUS 313 or Consent of instructor. Offered: Fall.
MUS 326 • Vocal Literature 3 Credits
Survey of solo vocal repertoire from early music through the present day. Develops skill in the study of song literature. Highlights significant features and developments inherent in the form.
Prerequisites: MUS 203 or MUS 313. Offered: Spring, even # years.
MUS 340 • Producing and Performing an Opera 3 Credits
Instructs students in opera production, literature, standards, and performance practices. One opera or operetta is studied and rehearsed during Interim, then performed in the first week of the Spring semester. Includes proper stagecraft for the operatic genre as well as the historical, cultural, and sociological significance of the work.
Offered: Interim, odd # years.
MUS 357 • Piano Pedagogy 2 Credits
Methods of teaching piano. Overview of teaching materials including method books, literature collections and anthologies, and supplementary materials.
Prerequisites: Major or minor in music. Offered: Spring 2024.
MUS 358 • Brass Methods 2 Credits
Methods of teaching brass instruments (trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba). Performance techniques and materials as well as practical experience on each of the representative instruments.
Prerequisites: Major or minor in music. Offered: Fall, even # years.
MUS 359 • Percussion Methods 2 Credits
Methods of teaching percussion (snare drum, keyboard/mallets, timpani, concert accessories/auxiliary, drum set). Performance techniques and materials as well as practical experience on most of the represented instruments.
Prerequisites: Major or minor in music. Offered: Spring, odd # years.
MUS 360 • String Methods 2 Credits
Methods of teaching stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass). Performance techniques and materials as well as practical experience on each of the representative instruments.
Prerequisites: Major or minor in music. Offered: Spring, even # years.
MUS 362 • Woodwind Methods 2 Credits
Methods of teaching woodwind instruments (flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, bassoon). Performance techniques and materials as well as practical experience on each of the representative instruments.
Prerequisites: Major or minor in music. Offered: Fall, odd # years.
MUS 363 • Vocal Pedagogy 2 Credits
Methods of teaching the vocal mechanism and its functions. Performance techniques and materials as well as practical experience.
Prerequisites: Four semesters of voice lessons. Offered: Spring, odd # years.
MUS 366 • Italian and English Lyric Diction 1 Credit
Studies in pronunciation of Italian and English songs through the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Verbal, written, and sung realization of this work practiced on assigned repertoire.
Prerequisites: One year private voice study or equivalent. Offered: Fall.
MUS 367 • French Lyric Diction 1 Credit
Studies in pronunciation of French diction through use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Verbal, written, and sung realizations of this work practiced on assigned repertoire.
Prerequisites: MUS 366. Offered: Spring, odd # years.
MUS 368 • German Lyric Diction 1 Credit
Studies in pronunciation of German diction through the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Verbal, written, and sung realization of this work practiced on assigned repertoire.
Prerequisites: MUS 366. Offered: Spring, even # years.
MUS 395 • Junior Recital 0 Credit
A culminating performance experience required for the bachelor of music applied performance major. A one half-hour recital of Level III repertoire is presented.
Prerequisites: Pre-recital hearing. Offered: Fall, Spring.
MUS 495 • Half Senior Recital 0 Credit
A culminating performance experience required for bachelor of music and bachelor of music education majors. A one half-hour recital of Level III repertoire is presented.
Prerequisites: Pre-recital hearing. Offered: Fall, Spring.
MUS 496 • Full Senior Recital 0 Credit
A culminating performance experience required for the bachelor of music applied performance major. A one-hour recital of Level IV repertoire is presented.
Prerequisites: Pre-recital hearing. Offered: Fall, Spring.