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Accredited by National Association of Schools of Music
About
Chair
Scott D. Plugge
Faculty
Randy Adams, Mario Aschauer, Wayne Barrett, Patricia Card, Kevin Clifton, Carolyn Dachinger, Kathy Daniel, Peggy DeMers, Josu De Solaun, James Franklin, Brian Gibbs, Rebecca Grimes, Henry Howey, Kyle Kindred, Nathan Koch, John Lane, Nicholas Lockey, Matthew McInturf, Christopher Michel, Karen Miller, Sheryl Murphy-Manley, Javier Pinell, Scott Plugge, Ilonka Rus, Daniel Saenz, Aric Schneller, Masahito Sugihara, Jacob Sustaita,
Mission
The Sam Houston State University School of Music exists as a community of musician-educators whose mission is:
- To educate and train students for lives of service and contribution — as teachers, performers, composers, therapists and scholars;
- To provide and nurture a nucleus of musical life for the larger community;
- To educate the university student population regarding music’s intrinsic value as a part of the human experience and its central role in human culture;
- To mutually encourage one another in professional growth and attainment.
Our mission encompasses a variety of programs and curricula, traditional and innovative which are regularly examined for effectiveness, quality and relevance. It includes our commitment to a combination of:
- Classroom studies in music;
- The live performance of music both individually and collectively, as central to music study, development and knowledge.
As an integral part of our mission, we commit ourselves to continuing steps toward realizing the full potential of community, both as teachers and as colleagues; further, we commit to interaction with our students that emphasizes personal attention and interest in their total musical/intellectual development.
Contact Information
936.294.1360
Website
www.shsu.edu/music
Academic Programs
Highlights
All music majors receive training in applied music, music theory, music history, and, where appropriate, professional training specific to a particular field. Each student receives private instruction in his or her principal applied area (such as piano, trumpet, or voice), participates in musical ensembles (such as wind ensemble, orchestra, choir, opera, or jazz band), and is afforded a multitude of opportunities to grow and develop as a musician, scholar and/or therapist. Students develop keyboard skills in a state-of-the-art piano lab and have their musical training enhanced in a Computer Assisted Instruction lab.Music Therapy majors have the opportunity to train in a fully functional music therapy clinic housed on campus.
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the School of Music are successfully employed around the state, the nation, and internationally as:
- music educators
- music therapists
- musical performers
- music scholars
- music composers
- music industry professionals
Student Organizations and Activities
Numerous student organizations actively promote enrichment across a wide array of musical interests.
American Choral Directors Association
American String Teachers Association/Symphony Association — the group’s membership consists of string students at Sam Houston State University and was organized to support string pedagogy on the SHSU campus.
Kappa Kappa Psi — national band fraternity. Provides valuable service to the school and serves to promote excellence in band music.
Music Educators National Conference — national organization for music education. Membership in this student chapter is open to music education majors.
Mu Tau Omega — student organization for music therapy. Membership open to interested students committed to the study and/or advancement of music therapy in community, educational, and clinical settings.
Phi Mu Alpha — international music fraternity for men. Provides valuable service to the school and community.
Pi Kappa Lambda — national music honor society. Invitation to membership is limited to the top students from the junior, senior, and graduate classes by vote of the faculty members of Pi Kappa Lambda.
Sigma Alpha Iota — international music fraternity for women. Provides valuable service to the school and community.
Tau Beta Sigma — national band sorority. Supports band studies and provides valuable support service to instrumental ensembles and to the school.
Internships
Following the completion of all coursework, the music therapy student must fulfill a 900-1040 hour (five-six month) clinical internship at an AMTA national roster internship site or an SHSU university-affiliated internship site. The intern must be supervised on-site by a qualified and approved MT-BC supervisor. The internship is the final requirement for graduating with the bachelor’s degree in music therapy. Once it has been completed, the individual is eligible to sit for the board certification examination. A passing grade on the exam will result in board certification and the credentials MT-BC.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available both from the School of Music and from the University to support student study. For more information regarding scholarships, prospective or current students should contact the Chair of the School of Music. Information on University scholarships may be obtained from the Office of Academic Scholarships website at https://www.shsu.edu/~fao_www/scholarships/ or telephone (936) 294-1672. Interested persons may also gather more information from the School of Music website.
Music scholarships are awarded for participation in ensembles. All students awarded a music scholarship are required to perform in ensembles. Scholarship students will audition and perform in ensembles as required.
