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Reach for excellence with a Music Performance degree.

Music Performance

Major

Reach for Musical Excellence through Performance

For those passionate about singing or playing an instrument for others, a Music Performance major will teach you everything you need to reach musical excellence and refine your talent for professional performance.

Our foundational music courses allow students to delve into composition and conducting, study music theory and harmony, and examine major compositions and their historical contexts. By analyzing and practicing performance techniques and theory, you will develop new skills and sharpen your existing musical gifts. Our Music Performance program will stretch the limits of your abilities and provide active experience through music technology in our fully equipped music lab, vocal and instrumental ensembles, and personal music instruction and lessons.

Music Performance majors must choose a concentration in piano, vocal, or instrumental music performance and decide on a primary and secondary instrument to focus on over their four years. Every Music Performance student closes their four years of study with a culminating senior recital.

Get on track for these careers

  • Musician
  • Private Music Instructor
  • Band Director
  • Choral Director
  • Worship Leader
  • Arts Consultant
  • Worship Pastor
Professor teaching a student playing the grand piano
Concentrate in Piano, Vocal, or Instrumental Music Performance

  • Instrumental: Become an expert on the instrument of your choice. The instrumental performance curriculum will provide you with an introduction to electronic music, instrumental arranging, instrumental pedagogy, and musical literature.
  • Piano: Focus on piano performance with additional studies in theory and history, composition, and electronic music. You will also study piano pedagogy and piano music literature. Piano students are encouraged to take choral and instrumental arranging courses to complement their studies.
  • Vocal: Learn how to best express your voice through song. Voice courses include vocal pedagogy; vocal literature; diction in Italian, French, German, and English language; and two foreign language proficiency courses.

Students plating saxophone in the Jazz Band
Participate in a Musical Ensemble

Music students gain performance and conducting experience through required ensemble participation. Taylor offers a wide range of vocal and instrumental ensembles.

A student performing a piece on a grand piano
Center for Musical Development

Interested in learning to teach music? The Center for Musical Development provides musical instruction to students from the surrounding community. This program gives Taylor students practical experience in teaching music to young learners. Children ages 6 to 16 can receive piano lessons from Taylor students and professional instructors at a reasonable cost, with no prior musical training required.

A student playing electric guitar in jazz band
Audition & Scholarship Information

The Music, Theatre, & Dance Scholarship is presented to outstanding high school seniors and transfer students who are committed to a career in music, theatre, or dance. The total award amounts vary depending on the student’s musical ability and the needs of the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. To qualify, students must declare a major in the department, complete the scholarship application, and audition in person or video.

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Music Performance Curriculum & Degree Options

Students interested in course descriptions and academic policies can check out our Undergraduate Catalog.

Liberal Arts Foundational Core

A Taylor liberal arts education will prepare you to live and work in a fast-changing world. It also goes a step further: laying a strong spiritual foundation that cultivates wisdom. You’ll become a well-versed individual, equipped with critical thinking skills, a lifelong love of learning, and an appreciation for God’s creation.

View Foundational Core Curriculum.

Students singing together in Taylor Sounds

Related News

Five Taylor Students Win at Singing Competition

Nov 09, 2023

The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Indiana District Auditions is an annual singing competition that attracts students from universities across Indiana.

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Six from Taylor Win at National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition

Mar 30, 2023

Six musicians from Taylor University have won or placed in their respective categories during the recent Great Lakes Region National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition.

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Lyric Theatre Presents Mozart Opera Cosi fan tutte

Jan 25, 2023

The Lyric Theatre will present a full production of the Mozart opera, Cosi fan tutte, or The School for Lovers, in the Butz Carruth Recital Hall on February 3-5.

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