Dive into a Music education that blends performance, music theory and practical training and prepare yourself for an exciting career in music. You’ll learn from distinguished faculty members and gain real-world experience through award-winning ensembles and fieldwork opportunities, ensuring you graduate with the skills and confidence to excel in the evolving field of music.
Locations
- Statesboro Campus
Why Get your Music Degree at Georgia Southern?
Majoring in Music at Georgia Southern University offers a comprehensive, dynamic education that blends tradition with modern innovation.
From your first day, you’ll immerse yourself in the music world, participating in award-winning ensembles and honing your craft under the guidance of nationally and internationally recognized faculty. The program emphasizes hands-on learning, providing access to state-of-the-art facilities and performance spaces, allowing you to develop skills in various disciplines such as composition, performance, music technology, and pedagogy.
At Georgia Southern, you’ll gain a deep understanding of music’s historical and cultural contexts while mastering technical proficiency across different instruments and technology. The curriculum fosters not only musical excellence but also critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills, preparing you for a wide range of careers in the evolving music industry. Whether you’re interested in performance, teaching, or music production, a Music degree from Georgia Southern equips you to thrive in the enriching, exciting world of music.
Ready to Apply?
What Can You Do With a Bachelor of Music?
A music degree from Georgia Southern opens doors to a variety of fulfilling career paths both within and beyond the traditional music industry.
You can pursue roles in performance, teaching, music production, and composition, or explore opportunities in music therapy, arts administration, and sound engineering. Our program equips you with valuable skills in critical listening, creativity, and technical proficiency, allowing you to thrive in diverse fields such as entertainment, education, and the expanding digital music landscape.
With a strong foundation in both practical musicianship and entrepreneurial skills, a music degree empowers you to craft a dynamic and sustainable career in the evolving world of music.
Where our graduates work:
- Education
- Churches
- Cultural Centers
- Music Production
- Film and Television
- Media and Journalism
What our graduates do:
- Arts/Music Management
- K-12 Band Teacher
- Composer/Conductor
- Choral Director
- Concert Promoter
- Producer/Mixer
- Music Writer
What You’ll Learn
Work toward a well-rounded music education that covers everything from performance techniques and music theory to music history and technology.
In the Music program at Georgia Southern, you’ll study a diverse range of subjects, such as composition, music technology, pedagogy, and literature, while refining your skills on your chosen instrument or voice. Our curriculum is designed to deepen your understanding of music’s cultural and historical contexts, allowing you to analyze various musical styles and genres critically. With hands-on experience in state-of-the-art facilities and mentorship from distinguished faculty, you’ll be fully prepared to excel in the evolving field of music.
Concentrations
Customize your Music Major with a concentration. Depending on where your interests lie, you can choose from specialized concentrations like Composition, Performance, and Piano.
Composition Concentration
The Composition program at Georgia Southern creates opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to develop their artistic voice within the musical landscape of the 21st century. An environment that encourages exploration and creative collaboration, supported by first-class sound technology and sophisticated performing spaces, allows our students to create and present a wide range of musical works for acoustic and electronic media.
- Introductory class followed by 6 semesters of individual instruction
- Weekly forum to present work and receive feedback from peers and faculty
- Participate in several musical ensembles
- Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music
Performance Concentration
Dig into performance from day one, joining one of several award-winning ensembles or choirs. Coached by faculty who are nationally and internationally recognized musicians, you’ll have unlimited opportunities to hone your skills and connect with fellow students — and with audiences.
- Focus on instrumental performance, vocal performance or keyboard
- Participate in several musical ensembles
- Accreditated by the National Association of Schools of Music
Piano Concentration
The Keyboard Area at Georgia Southern University serves the needs and interests of pianists in a variety of ways. Music majors declaring piano as their primary instrument may pursue the Bachelor or Master of Music degree in Performance, Music Education, or Composition. Students seeking a Bachelor of Arts or Minor in Music may also fulfill degree requirements in part through private piano instruction.
Members of the piano faculty are specialists in various areas, including performance, pedagogy, and collaborative performance. Studies in accompanying, piano literature, and piano pedagogy round out the student pianist’s experiences.
Music majors who choose piano as their primary instrument will develop collaborative playing skills in a supervised setting, both by performing with other pianists and by serving as accompanists for other music majors.
Piano literature courses offer students the opportunity to explore the wealth of music written for the instrument while gaining understanding about various performance practices, styles, and composers.
Finally, courses in piano pedagogy prepare students for careers in piano teaching—both privately and in group settings—by providing the tools necessary to work with students of various age groups, backgrounds, and levels of difficulty.
Piano CurriculumMusic Technology Concentration
The Music Technology program at Georgia Southern University offers forward-looking education and training to students interested in the intersection of music and technology. Witha Master of Music degree, a Music Technology minor, and a second discipline in Music Technology (combined with an Information Technology Degree), both undergraduate and graduate students gain a unique set of skills.
Under the direction of Dr. John Thompson, the Music Technology program maintains several well-equipped studios and labs. Technical proficiency with the tools of the trade is balanced with an emphasis on creative exploration in the medium. Students are encouraged to delve beyond the surface of the common tools of music technology and into the depths of musical systems programming and interactive media. A variety of courses are offered in the Music Technology program including: Sound Design and Processing, Interactive Media, Digital Audio Montage, and Advanced MIDI Sequencing. Courses cover the historical foundations, theoretical underpinnings, and aesthetic ramifications of technology upon music.
Take Action
Follow these steps to complete the Georgia Southern application:
- Create an application account.
- Complete our online application using the PIN you received after creating your application account.
- Once complete, pay the $30 application fee or upload a valid fee waiver. Previous Georgia Southern applicants and dual enrollment students do not need to pay the fee.
You can check your application status at My.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/admissions three days after completing your application. This page contains live information about your admission status, including a checklist of missing documents we need to make a decision.
Apply to the Masterâs program Transfer to Georgia Southern- The Music Technology Lab
A general purpose classroom environment for music technology. It hosts 16 individual student stations, each featuring a computer, a keyboard controller, and an audio interface. All stations are equipped with a variety of software packages. Also available are a host of sensors, arduinos, and analog components that are at the disposal of students interested in analog audio circuitry, new interface creation, and other creative hardware. - Recording Studio
A fully outfitted recording studio with live room and control room. - Studio A
Our studio for recording, mixing, and composing. The centerpiece of the studio is an SSL AWS 948 mixing console. There is an abundance of outboard processing equipment and mastering hardware. The studio also keeps an impressive variety of microphones at the ready. The Studio houses several analog synthesizers and processors, as well as a ¼” reel-to-reel tape machine. A wide variety of programs and software packages are utilized for musical creation. - Studio B
A studio for multichannel audio, production, and experimentation with new interfaces for musical expression. Studio B serves as our studio for advanced work in Spatialization (up to 10.1 surround) and Electroacoustic Composition. - Audio-visual Creativity Studio
A room that houses a virtual reality system and equipment for creating audio-visual compositions and productions. The audio-visual creativity studio meets the needs of those doing advanced work in audio-visual interactivity, especially in the context of virtual reality.
Related Programs
Take the Next Step
Ready to dive into a Music education that blends performance, music theory and practical training and prepare yourself for an exciting career in music? Learn more about earning your Bachelor’s in Music at Georgia Southern University.
Contact Us
Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music
P.O. Box 8052
Statesboro, GA 30460
music@georgiasouthern.edu