Fine Arts—Department of Music

News and Information

A Place For You:

There’s a place for you in the Department of Music at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Southeastern is one of only three Oklahoma regional institutions whose program is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. If you choose to do intensive study in music and want to devote your life’s work to the field, or if you are serious about music but do not particularly want to make a career in it, then Southeastern is the place for you.

If you have actively participated in high school ensembles and want to continue your growth as a musician, then Southeastern is the place for you. You will find Southeastern’s highly trained and experienced music faculty takes a genuine interest in helping you succeed in your music education. You will have the opportunity to study with an internationally known composer, a featured soloist on a recently released compact disc, a distinguished soloist for vocal recital and oratorio performances, a certified Orff–Schulwerk specialist, and a conductor/educator who has international conducting experience.

The music faculty is in constant demand to serve as adjudicators, clinicians, and guest conductors. If you are considering a career in music or just want to participate at a high level, Southeastern is the place for you!

View the Music Student Handbook (PDF)

General Information

The Department of Music is one of ten academic departments in the School of Arts and Sciences. The Department of Music is housed in the Fine Arts Building at the north end of the campus. Facilities include offices, teaching studios, practice studios, an electronic piano and computer laboratory, a listening laboratory, choral rehearsal hall, jazz/percussion rehearsal hall, band rehearsal hall, classrooms, and the Recital Hall. Larger concerts and staged productions are presented in Montgomery Auditorium and in the Visual and Performing Arts Center. Chamber music programs, solo recitals, and small productions are presented in the Recital Hall.

Emphasis in the Department of Music is upon quality instruction and superior performance with close personal relationships between students and faculty. Comprehensive offerings serve the needs and interests of students majoring in music programs of study. Music performance and enrichment opportunities are provided for all other students in the university. Membership in the University performing ensembles is open to qualified students from every department. These ensembles include: Southeastern Symphonic Choir (photo), Chorale, Women’s Chorus, Opera Theatre (photo), SOSU Marching Band (photo), Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble (photo), Jazz Combo, Percussion Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Low Brass Ensemble, Woodwind Ensemble, Flute Choir, and Chamber Winds.

Degrees offered include:

• Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.)
• Bachelor of Music in Performance or Sacred Music (B.M.).
• Bachelor of Arts in Music (B.A.)

Graduate students may emphasize Music as a primary teaching field in pursuit of the Master of Education degree.

The University is fully accredited by the North Central Association and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. The Music Department is a member of the Oklahoma College and University Music Association and is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

Mission

The department’s function and its products are to have value in and for society. The values we pursue are in support of self-fulfillment and self-determination. It is our hope that music students leave this institution with a permanent curiosity and an attitude open to life as an unending learning experience; that they will have been prepared to be effective self-teachers with high musical and humanitarian standards.

Specifically, we believe that a student of music must have a working, functioning knowledge of the elements of music combined with basic skills in manipulating those elements (theory, composing, scoring, arranging). Next, we believe that a musician must have the verbal skills and grasp of historical context that will permit communication and description of music (literature, musical analysis, music history, humanities, and methods and media). And third, we believe that a music student must attain a high standard of musical performance capability (applied music, aural skills, conducting, and ensemble performance). The course of study in music at Southeastern is designed to enhance and support these objectives. Ensemble performance, for example, is the laboratory experience wherein the skills learned in private lessons are put to practical application in a context that will be useful in the future for performances and performance preparation.

Uniqueness

A combination of location, small classes, interaction with public school programs, and cultural exchange programs makes Southeastern a unique place to earn your music degree.

Our proximity to Dallas means that there are cultural opportunities that are unmatched by any other University in the state of Oklahoma. We also feature the Musical Arts Series which brings artists from all over the world to Durant. Groups such as the Harlem Boys Choir, American Brass Quintet, The Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and The Czech Girls Choir have graced our stage. World-renowned guest composers and conductors work with our groups and students. The Southeastern Swings Jazz Festival brings artists to our campus that are second to none.

Our small classes mean that you have all the individual attention you need. Your private lessons are taught by a specialist in your area and all of your classes are guided by full-ranking faculty members. Our caring faculty makes the difference.

Our faculty also interacts extensively with the public schools throughout the Texoma area. As you progress towards your degree, you will have the opportunity not only to observe and assist, but to teach privately. Many of our students earn much of their spending money by teaching at rates of around $20.00 per hour.

We are also unique with our cultural exchange program with The People’s Republic of China. You may have the opportunity to visit and interact with other students who may not speak the same language as you but communicate in the universal language of music.

Add it all together and Southeastern Oklahoma State University is the University for YOU!