Why Major in Music at PBA?
Examine musical styles from many people, places, and time periods. Develop your God-given talents into new music competencies. Ground your understanding in the literature and materials of music from a traditional liberal arts perspective. Embrace common ground between the music profession and the worldwide influence of shared Christian values. At PBA, we’ll nurture your growth as a learner, composer, performer, and citizen of God’s Creation.
- Guided by Faith: Develop a principled, faith-rooted mindset based on the biblical concepts integrated throughout our curriculum.
- Perform, Perform, Perform: We’re home to four choral groups, an opera workshop, a symphonic band, eight instrumental ensembles, and the PBA Symphony.
- Expert Faculty: Learn from distinguished achievers, including a Grammy Award-winner and a professional colleague of Aretha Franklin.
- Local Opportunities: Visit the world-class Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and attend performances by the Palm Beach Opera and Palm Beach Symphony.
What You’ll Learn
With a music bachelor’s degree, you will intelligently and critically:
- Hear and listen to music
- Write and compose music
- Perform music
- Understand and elaborate upon the cultural and historical contexts of musical works
Two Tracks of Study
Center your professional goals in a track within the Bachelor’s in Music program. Choose between Applied Music Studies, which prepares you for conducting and choral environments, or Music Theory and Literature, where you’ll focus on orchestration, counterpoint, and additional specialized topics.
Both tracks require Applied Principal, Class Piano or Applied Secondary, and Ensemble performances. In the Applied Music Studies track, you’ll also meet a Second Ensemble requirement.
Program Details
Interrogate many dimensions of music study, theory, and performance in PBA’s music major. Through layers of study in topics like music history, theory, and aural skills, along with high-level learning in your track of study, uncover your unique voice. You’ll harmonize your sound with diverse perspectives from your cross-curricular coursework and exercise your learning in applied and ensemble performances.
Minor or Additional Major Requirement
Cultivate more dynamic expressions of your artistic and holistic worldview by accenting your music major with a minor or additional major. This requisite supports you on your path to a well-rounded, versatile, world-ready education.
Our one-of-a-kind Faith, Roots, and Reason curriculum challenges you to ask deep questions about all aspects of the world, from music and the arts to social sciences and biblical studies. The B.A. in Music program fulfills general education requirements in fine arts, global studies, and science.
The foundations of the Bachelor’s in Music program are music theory, aural skills, piano proficiency, world music, and technical competencies including computer applications, acoustics, and recital performances. This broad range of disciplines and theories supports your exploration of many music specialties.
Throughout the music bachelor’s degree program, join a weekly forum for student performances known as a Recital Seminar. This non-credit course gives you practice as both a performer and an audience member.
To be admitted to the Department of Music, you’ll come to campus for a live audition and interview with our distinguished music faculty. You’ll receive priority music scholarship consideration if you complete your audition before March 20. Review our audition process dates, provisional considerations, and specifications for other music majors.
Each year, we award a select number of music scholarships to music majors who demonstrate profound curiosity and outstanding talent. To be eligible, you must have received your PBA acceptance and completed your audition and acceptance to the Department of Music before April 1.
Collective practice and performance are essential for growing your confidence and widening your professional experience as a musician. PBA’s hands-on opportunities include vocal, choral, and instrumental performance groups, professional chapters, world-class events at the Kravis Center, internships, and local and professional arts organizations.
Careers in Music
Earning your B.A. in Music prepares you to take risks and commit to creative communities. Your distinctive education at PBA prepares you for careers as a musician, music teacher, sound technician, and much more.
These roles vary greatly in different locations, genres, and levels of intensity, but the national median pay for music directors and composers is just over $30 per hour, and musicians and singers earn upwards of $39 per hour.
Our graduates are exercising their musical talents with employers like:
- Walt Disney World
- Palm Beach Christian Academy
- Hope Maui Chapel
