Program Overview

Bachelor of Music in Performance

Experience intense, professional training in your instrument. You’ll be trained as a comprehensive musician.

Shenandoah’s Bachelor of Music in Performance prepares you for a fulfilling career as a performer, composer, tech-savvy entrepreneur or teacher. You’ll study with faculty who are inspiring performers and passionate teachers, perform in ensembles led by challenging conductors, work with exciting guest artists worldwide, and enjoy opportunities for international travel.

We’ll prepare you to work as a performer, composer, recording artist, business leader and teacher, and give you a solid background in audio, video and web-based technology. Our broad yet focused approach, with faculty who are excellent performers and role models, gives you the foundation to reach your goals.

Our program is designed for exceptionally talented performers seeking careers as concert artists, private teachers or college teachers.

Concentrations

• Guitar Emphasis
• Instrumental Emphasis
• Piano Emphasis
• Voice Emphasis
• Wind, Strings or Percussion Emphasis

Minor in Music, Theatre, Dance or Composition

Shenandoah Conservatory offers minors in Music, Theatre or Dance for all Shenandoah University students.

Shenandoah also offers a new minor in Music Composition for conservatory students who wish to build composition skills and enhance their creative music-making experience while pursuing other degree programs in the conservatory.

Acceptance into conservatory minors must be approved by the Division/Department Chair, and some minors require an audition.

Career Possibilities

Shenandoah’s Bachelor of Music in Performance prepares you for a fulfilling career as a performer, composer, tech-savvy entrepreneur or teacher. We’ll prepare you to work as a performer, composer, recording artist, business leader and teacher, and give you a solid background in audio, video and web-based technology. Our broad yet focused approach, with faculty who are excellent performers and role models, gives you the foundation to reach your goals.

Classes

You will experience:

• Intense study in your primary instrument
• Concentrated study in music theory, counterpoint, history and literature
• Development as an accomplished performer in large ensembles and in chamber groups
• Coursework in the business of the arts
• Clinic opportunities from guest lecturers and interactions with a vibrant community of classical and jazz musicians
• Performing on recording projects in a world-class recording studio
• Preparation for further study as a graduate student
• How to prepare for performance on stage including preparation, nerves and memory

Piano Performance

Shenandoah’s Piano Performance Program can open doors to your future in the world of music. Whether you imagine a career as a concert pianist, teacher, music agent orchestra administrator, recording producer, or arts administrator, our rigorous and acclaimed program will prepare you for a successful and rewarding future in the performing arts. You’ll receive a comprehensive grounding in the technique of piano playing and be trained to give public recitals to a high standard. Through our program, you’ll develop an extensive repertoire and skills, preparing you to audition for graduate-level programs. Our year-round performance opportunities test your development and measure your growth in the course.

Performance Opportunities & Ensembles

Shenandoah Conservatory produces more than 300 performances each year. Enroll in a dynamic curriculum and start preparing for a meaningful career in the arts. You will practice your craft in front of audiences and develop a plan for your professional launch into the industry that focuses on your personal desires and aspirations.

Embrace extensive performance opportunities with top-tier facilities from theatres, concert halls and dance studios. Unite with fellow artists and join an alumni family that takes center stage from Broadway to the concert halls of Europe.

Meet the Faculty

Experience the world-renowned Shenandoah Conservatory and study with master teachers – more than 100 professionals in music, theatre, dance and arts management.

Shenandoah Conservatory’s prestigious faculty is dynamic, creative, and passionately committed to the highest levels of artistic excellence. A deeply caring community, they mentor students with a wealth of professional expertise, balancing rigorous expectations with compassion and wisdom. At Shenandoah, you will study with, and perform for, award-winning composers, Metropolitan Opera singers, Grammy Award-winning conductors and international competition winners. You will learn from leading scholars in music and premiere works created by accomplished dance artists and cutting-edge directors. Shenandoah Conservatory’s faculty embodies the highest levels of professional accomplishment and the deepest commitment to furthering the artistic growth and creative aspirations of students in every discipline.

Acceptable Instruments for This Program

• Bassoon
• Cello
• Clarinet
• Double Bass (classical)
• Euphonium
• Flute
• French Horn
• Guitar (classical)
• Harp
• Oboe
• Percussion (classical)
• Piano (classical)
• Saxophone (classical)
• Trombone (classical)
• Trumpet (classical)
• Tuba
• Viola
• Violin
• Voice

Study Abroad

Make studying abroad the highlight of your college experience! Whether you go for a year, a semester, or just a few weeks, you will never forget learning in another culture! The Center for International Programs is here to help you plan your study abroad experience. Start your planning early to ensure the courses you complete abroad count toward your degree and you graduate on time.

Fast-Track to Arts Management

The Master of Science in Performing Arts Leadership and Management is designed to provide future performing arts executives and artistic leaders with the industry skills required in the 21st century. The accelerated program in Performing Arts Leadership and Management is available for current Shenandoah Conservatory undergraduates who, upon completion of their undergraduate degree, wish to obtain a Master of Science in Performing Arts Leadership and Management in just one year. Students who are accepted into the accelerated program will begin to take arts leadership and management courses during their undergraduate studies and register for internship during the summer between senior year and their final year of graduate study.