Program Overview
Bachelor's in Musical Arts, BMA
Overview
The Bachelor of Musical Arts (BMA) is the Chicago College of Performing Arts' (CCPA) most flexible degree, allowing students to select a primary area of study in one of the instrumental, vocal, or composition studios, in addition to a secondary area of study outside of music. The possible combinations are many and varied, including theatre, arts administration, existing areas of study in Roosevelt's other colleges, or customized combinations.
Why Roosevelt for your Musical Arts Program
Access to Honors Program Resources
The BMA is CCPA's only degree affiliated with the Roosevelt University Honors Program. Students admitted to this degree are simultaneously admitted to the Honors Program, providing access to reserved seminars and special topics courses with Honors students from other degrees and majors across the University.
Connections with Industry Professionals
Throughout the degree, students participate in a weekly BMA Colloquium, discussing literature and topics related to music that are not typically part of most undergraduates' experiences. BMA students have visited with industry professionals, including the Chairman of the Board of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the Chair of the American Bar Association's Forum on Entertainment Law, music librarians, instrument curators, theorists, and authors from other areas who raise provocative questions about the role of music in society.
A Strong Alumni Network
Alumni from this program go on to further graduate training or directly to careers, thriving in the vast range of opportunities in the performing arts, including as performers and composers, but also as fundraisers, arts managers, authors, instrument technicians, music scholars, music librarians, and music therapists.
Admission Info
Location
Chicago
Start Term
Fall
Bachelor of Musical Arts applicants must perform an audition adhering to the requirements of performance major auditions and submit two short essays addressing the following prompts:
- Of the musical compositions that you have studied or performed, please identify one that has been the most meaningful to you. Tell us why the composition and/or your experience with it was so meaningful. We are not judging the composition itself, so your choice is not limited to any specific genre, tradition, or degree of artistic difficulty. We are interested in learning how you think about and discuss music that is important to you. Accordingly, please do not merely summarize the composition, its lyrics, form, or style (300-500 words).
- Thinking locally about the town, city, or state where you live now, what is the most pressing issue facing your arts community (500-700 words)?
Your responses to these two brief essays provide the basis for an interview with the Honors BMA Program Head.
Sample Courses
- BMA Colloquium
- Senior Thesis
View the course catalog for the Musical Arts program.
Career Opportunities
Alumni are currently working or pursuing additional studies in the fields of music performance, music composition, musicology, music theory, music therapy, music librarianship, arts administration, and fundraising/development. This is also the type of interdisciplinary music degree that sets students up for success in fields beyond the performing arts, such as applications to law school, graduate studies in the humanities or social sciences, or work in industry.
Faculty
- David Kjar, Asoc Prof Music Hist, Co-Director of the Center of Arts Innovation & Leadership, Program Director of Interdisciplinary Music Programs
Office: AUD 941
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University Information
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