Music Composition Emphasis For Music Majors

If you are planning to major or minor in music or theatre, you are required to audition for participation in most ensembles and for consideration for School of Music scholarships.

Audition Info

The music composition emphasis is a specialized track within the Bachelor of Arts in Music at Colorado Christian University that provides you with the opportunity to express yourself through music creation and compilation. This composition emphasis focuses on areas of talent and interest for music majors, challenging you to put into practice the elements and principles of music theory to create original compositions. The composition program gives you invaluable experience in a field that is constantly changing and developing in today's modern culture.

At CCU, the emphasis in composition also integrates Christian faith into musical composition, allowing you to express yourself and bring glory to God through music. Students interested in this emphasis area will study various genres, harmony, form, and musical analysis while developing their technical proficiency as composers.

A music degree with a composition emphasis from CCU prepares you for diverse career paths in the music industry. You can perform and record music as a composer or performer, become a sound engineer working with recording technology, pursue graduate studies in music composition or related fields, teach music lessons in composition and theory, or combine your music degree with disciplines like business, theology, or psychology.

Composition students often work as arrangers for ensembles, composers for film and media, church music directors creating original works, or educators teaching music theory and composition. The degree requirements at CCU ensure you develop both creative and technical skills needed for successful careers. Many students work on chamber music and collaborate with large ensembles to have their works performed.

The music composition emphasis at CCU includes specialized courses designed to develop your skills as a composer. You will take Songwriting, where you learn to craft lyrics and melodies for various genres, scoring and arranging, where you adapt music for different ensembles and contexts. The composition emphasis also requires foundational coursework in music theory and music history to give you a deep understanding of musical forms and traditions.

Students enrolled in the composition program take applied music lessons focused on composition, working one-on-one with composition faculty or a composition lecturer who guides your progress each semester. You will study harmony, form, and musical analysis to understand how great composers craft their works.

Throughout the program at CCU, you will complete original compositions in various genres and have opportunities through reading sessions to hear your works performed by university ensembles. Students interested in piano or other instruments are encouraged to continue private lessons alongside composition studies.

The focus of CCU's School of Music is to teach you to impact your culture for Christ, honor Him, and share His love on campus and around the world through excellence in music. The composition emphasis integrates classical, jazz, contemporary, and world music with a progressive and distinctly Christian worldview to develop you as a leader both in the world and in the Church.

As a composition student at CCU, you will receive personal attention from exceptional, creative, and caring composition faculty who are themselves active performers and composers who desire not only to teach but also to mentor you. The program provides opportunities for your works to be performed by major ensembles at CCU, including through national tours and recordings in the on-campus recording studio. You will work alongside guest composers who visit campus, gaining insights into the industry from professional composers.

Students interested in the music composition emphasis must first be admitted to CCU's College of Undergraduate Studies as music majors. The degree requirements include completing core courses in music theory, music history, and performance that all music majors take at CCU. For the composition emphasis, you will also enroll in specialized composition courses each semester, working on original compositions under the guidance of composition faculty.

The emphasis area requires you to take applied music lessons in composition, typically continuing throughout your time at CCU. You must participate in ensembles each semester, gaining experience hearing music performed and understanding how composers write for different instrumentation. The program culminates in a senior recital where you present your original compositions performed by university ensembles. Students work closely with their composition lecturer and department advisor to ensure they meet all degree requirements and make satisfactory progress toward graduation.

CCU's music composition emphasis provides comprehensive training that develops you as both a skilled composer and a faith-filled artist. Through music theory courses, you learn the fundamental principles of musical composition, including harmony, form, and structure. Music history classes give you an understanding of how composers throughout different eras have approached the craft of composing. Applied music lessons with composition faculty provide personalized instruction where you receive feedback on your original compositions and guidance on your artistic development.

The program emphasizes hands-on experience through multiple opportunities to have your works performed. Reading sessions allow you to hear your pieces played by university ensembles and make revisions based on what you learn. Your compositions may be performed in student recitals, faculty-curated concerts, and even national tours with major ensembles. Guest composers visit CCU to share their experiences and critique student work, connecting classroom learning to professional practice. Students work across various genres from classical to contemporary, learning to compose for different contexts and purposes.

CCU's composition emphasis stands out because it integrates Christian faith throughout the music composition curriculum. While other degree programs may focus solely on technical skills, CCU teaches you to view music composition as an act of worship and a tool to point others to Jesus. The composition faculty at CCU are not just instructors but mentors who care about your spiritual growth alongside your artistic development.

The program offers extensive performance opportunities that many composition programs do not. Your works will be performed by talented musicians in CCU's ensembles, giving you invaluable experience as you hear your compositions come to life. Access to an on-campus recording studio means you can create professional recordings of your original compositions. The emphasis area allows you to study multiple genres, including classical, jazz, contemporary, and world music, all viewed through a Christian worldview.

By choosing the composition emphasis at CCU, you join a community where your creative gifts are celebrated as expressions of God's image in you, and where you are prepared to use those gifts to make an eternal impact through music.