Music

Music at McKendree Header

Why McKendree?

Focus on individual learning opportunities and hands-on experience.

Teaching opportunities:

Summer Junior High Concert Band Camp

Summer Choir Camp

Conducting university ensembles in rehearsal and performance

Special events:

Trips to St. Louis Symphony Performances

Guest Masterclasses and Residencies including Grammy Award-winning soprano, Christine Brewer

Educational Retreats

Regional Performance Opportunities

Why a Degree in Music?

The Bachelor of Arts in Music is an engaging degree program designed to prepare you for a career in music performance, education, theatre, and many other fields in the arts and humanities. Our talented faculty and small class sizes give you the one-on-one guidance you need to grow your skills in music. Scholarship opportunities abound for music students, and our long list of performance ensembles gives you the chance to get involved on campus while enhancing your talents and experience.

Click here for information regarding a degree in Music Education.

About the Music Major

Housed in the Division of Visual and Performing Arts, the Music degree offers you many different ways to personalize your degree to fit your own unique interests and passions. Students may earn a BA in music and have the option to choose one of two distinct areas of emphasis for more experience in the area of music that best suits your particular talents.

Classical Performance Emphasis: Available for students of piano, organ, voice, brass, woodwind, or percussion instruments.
Jazz Performance Emphasis: Available for students of trumpet, trombone, saxophone, guitar, or string bass.

2023-2024 Program Catalog

Minor in Music

The Music minor is offered to students who choose to major in a different field, but would still like to incorporate music in their curriculum. It is available to all majors and includes classes in music theory, conducting, and applied lessons.

Music Minor Requirements

Performances Ensembles

Our Music program boasts many outstanding and diverse performance ensembles, giving you the opportunity to earn scholarship funds, meet lifelong friends, and have fun showcasing McKendree’s musical talent.

Concert Band
Wind Ensemble
Concert Choir
Chamber Choir
Jazz Ensemble
Jazz Combo
Percussion Ensemble
Spirit of McKendree

Why McKendree?

McKendree University provides you with interactive learning opportunities through our small class sizes, experienced faculty, and unique internship experiences that move you beyond the classroom. We are committed to your success in the degree programs we offer, the internships and extracurricular activities that will set you apart, and the college experience you will receive at McKendree. Just 25 minutes from downtown St. Louis, Missouri, McKendree University is located in historic Lebanon, Illinois, and affords students a host of enriching cultural, career, and entertainment opportunities.

Program Highlights

Two unique degree tracks in Classical Performance, and Jazz Performance give you the opportunity to shape your coursework to fit your career goals.
Music minor gives you the tools to perform and study music while majoring in another related field.
More than 10 different performance ensembles in everything from bands to choirs enable you to make lasting memories doing what you love while earning scholarship funds.
The Hettenhausen Center for the Arts: Opened in 2006, the Hett gives music students an impressive venue to demonstrate their talents to audiences. Perform in this state-of-the-art theater that hosts countless professional dancers, musicians, and actors from around the world.

Employment Opportunities

Music majors find employment in a number of careers, including performance, composing, and teaching. Our graduates work as orchestral musicians, professional singers and instrumentalists, church music directors, and teachers in their own studios.

Interesting Courses

Introduction to Conducting
History of Jazz
History of Music
Performance Labs

Club Information / Honor Societies

Kappa Kappa Psi (National Honorary Band Fraternity)
Illinois Collegiate Music Education Association

ILCMEA Chapter of McKendree University

ILCMEA (Illinois Collegiate Music Education Association) is a subgroup within ILMEA (Illinois Music Educator Association). Participants are current Music Educator students in progress of a Music degree. The goal of the Association is to provide the following:
Professional learning oppurtunities
Build leadership oppurtunities