Lawrence University Conservatory of Music

Lawrence University Conservatory of Music is a conservatory on the campus of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1894,^[1] it is the one of the oldest operating conservatories in the United States.^[2] Attached to a liberal arts college,^[3][4] the conservatory is exclusively an undergraduate institution.^[5]

History

During President Samuel Plantz’s administration, the Conservatory of Music became a separate part of the university with the addition of six faculty members, the introduction of curricular offerings in public school music and music history, and the acquisition of a building devoted exclusively to music instruction.

Organization

Lawrence's Conservatory of music contains three parts: the old section, the Memorial Chapel, and connecting the two is the newest addition: Shattuck Hall.

The conservatory has ensembles in band/wind, choir, jazz, orchestra, percussion, theater and dance. Each major ensemble holds two concerts a term in the Memorial Chapel that are webcast.^[6]

Guest artists are brought in for five concert series, which are all open to the public.^[7]

Other performing arts series include the Artist Series, Dance Series, Jazz Series, and the World Music Series.

Degrees

Bachelor of Music Program (BM)

The conservatory offers the bachelor of music degree with majors in music education, music performance, and music theory & composition (music theory and composition are combined into a single major rather than being two separate majors).

Although the Lawrence Conservatory does not offer a major in jazz, it does offer a BM in Performance or Composition with a Jazz Emphasis. The Lawrence Jazz Department has won over 25 Down Beat awards since 1985.

Students may play the following instruments as their primary applied instruments: piano, organ, harpsichord, voice, violin, viola, violoncello, double bass, guitar, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba, and percussion.

Music education majors are allotted the options of general, instrumental, choral/general, and instrumental/general emphases. Piano performance majors can also pursue emphases in piano pedagogy or collaborative piano (accompanying).

Bachelor of Arts in Music Program (BA)

The college of liberal arts also offers a Bachelor of Arts with a major in music. Candidates for that major take many of their classes at the conservatory, although their degrees are not earned from that division of the university.

Bachelor of Music Program and Bachelor of Arts in the College (BM & BA)

The conservatory and college of liberal arts also combine for a five-year double degree program, in which students ultimately receive a BA and a BM. The majority of conservatory students are in the double degree program.

References

1. ↑ Jacqueline Edmondson, ed. (3 October 2013). Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories that Shaped our Culture, vol. 1: A-C. Santa Barbara: Greenwood. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-313-39348-8. 
2. ↑ "Moody's affirms Lawrence University's (WI) Baa1; outlook stable". Moody's. Retrieved 19 March 2016. 
3. ↑ Lloyd Peterson, Jr. (2009). Consider the Arts. Minneapolis: Mill City Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-934937-66-2. 
4. ↑ James Cass; Max Birnbaum (1972). Comparative Guide to American Colleges, Professional and Guidance Edition (5th ed.). New York: Harper & Row. 
5. ↑ Kaplan, Inc. (2004). The Unofficial, Unbiased Guide to the 331 Most Interesting Colleges 2005. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-7432-5199-0. 
6. ↑ "Webcasts". Lawrence University. Lawrence University. Retrieved 19 March 2016. 
7. ↑ http://www.lawrence.edu/conservatory/box_office