Music Pre-Major

Southwestern Illinois College is the place to discover and develop your musical abilities, whether as a soloist, a member of a performing group or as a listener. Music faculty are recognized for their expertise and are active as performers, clinicians, festival directors, adjudicators and organizational leaders.

To achieve junior status as a music major, students are required by four-year colleges and universities to have completed four semesters of Music Theory, Ensemble and Private Applied Instruction, respectively. Music majors should also be able to demonstrate piano proficiency at the MUS 214 (4th semester of class piano) level prior to transferring to a four-year college or university.

Students who intend to major in music and enroll in Private Applied Instruction and Music Theory should contact the Department Chair to arrange a music audition and theory assessment test. The audition and theory test should be completed no later than the week before classes begin and preferably much earlier. Music scholarship auditions for each academic year are held during the previous spring semester. Students are encouraged to audition for a scholarship and take the theory assessment test at that time.

Students interested in any of the Music programs at SWIC should review the music student handbook.

For more information about the Music program, please contact the program coordinator, Darice Palmier at 618-235-2700 ext. 5379 or darice.palmier@swic.edu.

Scholarship

Students interested in applying a for a music scholarship should fill out this application and follow instructions for submission to the Music Department. Scholarship auditions are held in the spring semester and awarded for the following fall and spring semesters.

Educational Program

The following degree programs are intended for students majoring in music and planning to transfer to a four-year institution to complete a bachelor's degree.  Refer to the suggested curriculum and the graduation requirements as a guide for completing any of these programs.

• Associate in Fine Arts Degree (0050) - Music Performance
• Associate in Fine Arts Degree (0051) - Music Education
• Associate in Arts Degree (0001) - Music

Career Opportunities

Career opportunities for the music major abound. In addition to teaching and performing, music graduates find careers in:

List of Music Electives

Students who are interested in majoring in Music Technology or Music Business at a four-year college or university should consider taking some or all of the Music Technology/Music Business Emphasis Electives toward the Associate in Arts degree.