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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The fundamental purpose of the Sacramento State music curriculum is threefold: 1) to promote excellence in all aspects of music performance and academic course work, 2) to provide basic preparation for careers in music, and 3) to promote interest in all musical and artistic endeavors at the University and in the Sacramento community.

The main emphasis of the Music Department is upon performance. Sustaining this concept is the Department's faculty, which remains committed to individual and ensemble performances as a means of enhancing the teaching quality of the institution and the cultural climate of the campus and community.

Students majoring in Music are not only expected to be technically proficient in the art but are required to have broad training in the liberal arts and sciences that are the core of the University's program.

Concentrations

Special Features

  • With all of its degree programs fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the Sacramento State Music Department has developed a regional and national reputation for the high quality of its faculty and the superior achievements of its students and performing ensembles.
  • Each year the Music Department presents a large number of performances to the campus and the greater Sacramento area. These include concerts by the bands, orchestra, jazz ensembles, concert choir, chorus, and opera workshop. For over 25 years, the Festival of New American Music has been an important part of the musical scene in the United States .
  • In addition, the Department has brought to the campus such notable personalities as composers George Crumb, Bernard Rands, and Philip Glass; pianists Gilbert Kalish and Jon Nakamatsu; the Juilliard Quartet; the Kronos String Quartet; The Apple Hill Chamber Players; opera star Denyce Graves; and jazz greats Bobby Hutcherson and Bob Mintzer.
  • Several music faculty have written textbooks; a number of them are composers with numerous performances to their credit; others perform quite frequently.

Note: After an initial session with the Department's admissions advisors, the student will be assigned to an applied instructor for future advising. The advising process is greatly enhanced by the regular weekly contact between student and instructor/advisor.