ITEM 106-2008-R0300 ATTACHMENT

Montana State University

Department of Music

Bachelor of Arts

I. Notice of Intent

1.                  Level 1 Responses

1.1 Title and Purpose

1.1.1_    Title

1.1.2_    Purpose

1.2 Evidence of A Fit within MSUs Mission

1.3 Estimated Student Enrollment

1.4 Program Assessment

1.5 Needed and Available Resources

1.5.1 Needed Resources

1.5.2 Available Resources

1.6 Program Location and Delivery

1.6.1 Program Location

1.6.2 Means of Delivery 

2.                  Level II Responses

2.1 Background on Need

2.2 Impact on the Institutions Role and Mission

2.3 Impact on Students and Student Services

2.4 Adequacy of Facilities and Personnel

2.4.1 Libraries

2.4.2 Facilities

2.4.3 Equipment

2.4.4 Personnel

II Appendix A. Proposed Bachelor of Arts in Music, Program Design

Appendix B. Proposed Bachelor of Arts in Music, Curriculum Tabs

3.                  Notice of Intent

Following the guidelines and format of the Office of Commissioner of Higher Education Handbook, this document declares the intent of the Department of Music at Montana State University-Bozeman to be authorized to award the degree Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music.

1.                  Level 1 Responses

1.1_          Title and Purpose

1.1.1 Title

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Music

1.1.2 Purpose

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music will provide students at Montana State University-Bozeman with the appropriate degree designation for a curriculum emphasizing the study of music within a broad program of general education. Intended to replace the current Studio Teaching Option, a successful degree option not commonly recognized by the profession, we have designed the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music degree to develop a superior level of musicianship, to offer a focused academic study into the art of music, and to provide an opportunity to study other areas of human achievement. Several elective credits allow each student to decide emphases in various areas of music and general studies, providing more flexibility in the design of student programs.

Currently, we offer a curriculum identical to the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music as the Studio Option in the Bachelor of Music Education degree. Although an effective curriculum, the Studio Option title is inappropriate for a bachelor of music education degree, a program that usually results in teacher certification. The current title leads to confusion in the profession, difficulty in transferring between institutions, and misunderstanding when MSU-Bozeman graduates apply to other institutions for graduate study.

The profession recognizes the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music, typically the initial degree offering of a music department, as the appropriate degree to accommodate undergraduates who want to major in music as part of a liberal art program despite specific career aspirations. It serves individuals who seek a broad degree program of general education rather than intense specialization.

The creation of the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music, replacing the current Studio Option, will provide graduates from the Department of Music with the degree appropriate to their course of study by alleviating problems in applying for admission to graduate school and seeking transfers to other institutions. For instance, transferring between MSU-Bozeman and our sister institution MSU-Billings, an institution with the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music degree, is simplified with the creation of the degree Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music on the Bozeman campus.

1.2 Evidence of A Fit within MSUs Mission

As described by the National Association of Schools of Music (1999-2000 Handbook, p.76), "the Bachelor of Arts with a major in music indicates the study of music in a liberal arts degree framework. As such, the authorization to award the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music at MSU-Bozeman is central to the Universitys obligation to . . . providing high quality instructional programs in the sciences, liberal and creative arts, . . .   and to its commitment to . . . emphasizing the centrality of the liberal arts and sciences to undergraduate education. Moreover, replacing the current Studio Teaching Option, a successful curriculum whose title has always been problematic, with the more appropriate degree designation of Bachelor of Arts in Music, strongly recommended by the Department=s accreditation agency, complies with the University=s top priority of . . . maintaining full national accreditation of its professional programs." A conversion of the Studio Teaching Option to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music will comply with accreditation expectations of the National Association of Schools of Music.

1.3 Estimated Student Enrollment

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music offers the potential of recruiting additional students to the institution. Currently, we enroll 23% of the MSU-Bozeman music majors in the Studio Teaching Option, a curriculum identical to the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music. This number compares favorably to schools of music of similar size to MSU-Bozeman where, nationally, 26% of the music major population is enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music degree. With the BA, the potential exists to add additional majors to the Department=s enrollment.

1.4 Program Assessment

The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is recognized by the United States Department of Education as the agency responsible for accreditation of all music curricula. The Association is also recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation, and is a member of both the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors and the American Council of Higher Education. In the field of teacher education, the Association cooperates with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

The Montana State University-Bozeman Department of Music has been a fully accredited institutional member of NASM since 1980. Membership requires an on-site accreditation review five years after final approval for membership and at ten year intervals after that. Reports from accreditation review visitations undertaken March 5-6, 1986 and September 20-22, 1992 state that the Bachelor of Music Education degree, specifically the School Music (K-12 Broadfield ) Option, is in full compliance with NASM standards. (See Level II Responses, 2.1, for discussion of the Studio Teaching Option.)

Besides systematic review by NASM, the Department of Music is subject to periodic reassessment by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, the Montana Board of Public Education, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Concurrent reviews by these agencies completed October 27-30, 1996 found that the Department of Music met all sub-standards. The Bachelor of Music Education degree, specifically the School Music (K-12 Broadfield) Option, was fully approved. Beyond program review and assessment by outside agencies, the Department of Music Undergraduate Curriculum Committee regularly assesses the music curriculum by means of external and internal responses.

1.5 Needed and Available Resources

1.5.1 Needed Resources

No additional resources in faculty, facilities or operations are necessary to offer Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music.

1.5.2 Available Resources

Considering the current and anticipated enrollments, sufficient teaching space is available to support the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music. Administrative and secretarial support is sufficient, and library resources are adequate.

1.6 Program Location and Means of Delivery

1.6.1 Program Location

Administration of the program and delivery of instruction will take place on the campus of Montana State University-Bozeman. All music courses and music studio instruction will be delivered in Howard Hall, a part of the MSU-Bozeman Fine Arts Complex.

1.6.2 Means of Delivery

All students in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music will be enrolled students at Montana State University-Bozeman. The Department of Music will administer the BA as part of the College of Arts and Architecture. We will deliver all courses in traditional classroom and studio formats.

1.                   Level II Responses

2.1 Background on Need

Today's Department of Music, a full institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, is recognized as a center of educational, cultural and musical excellence as exemplified by the accomplishments of its students and faculty. Graduates from the Department of Music occupy public school and university teaching positions in Montana and throughout the United States. Besides teaching, graduates of the Department of Music perform in a variety of musical settings in their respect communities.

Department of Music faculty members have received international recognition for the quality of their teaching, research, and creative activity. Members of the faculty regularly perform in the Bozeman Symphony, the Intermountain Opera Association productions, the Montana Ballet Orchestra, and in symphony orchestras in Helena, Butte, Kalispell, and Billings. Besides performance, the faculty is actively engaged in research, conducting and teaching on national and international levels. Faculty research and creative activities have included recent appearances in Great Britain, France, Italy, Bali, Australia, and South America.

Since the founding of the institution in 1893, music has been an integral part of the academic fabric of the University. The Departments status as a fully accredited program reflects continuous growth and an ongoing commitment to teaching and artistic excellence.

Presently, the Department of Music offers the singular degree Bachelor of Music Education. In this degree students may pursue two options: the School Music (K-12 Broadfield) Option and the Studio Teaching Option. The School Music (K-12 Broadfield) Option, with emphases in either instrumental or choral music, results in certification to teach music in the public schools of Montana. This option meets all accreditation standards of the National Association of Schools of Music, and those established by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, the Montana Board of Public Education, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

While most majors pursue the School Music (K-12 Broadfield) Option, the Department enrolls 23% in the Studio Teaching curriculum. This successful program is designed to give students a thorough training in music within a broad program of the liberal arts. These students want to study at MSU-Bozeman with a faculty of distinguished artist/teachers, but find the School Music (K-12 Broadfield) Option inappropriate for their needs. They seek a liberal arts degree that offers a variety of opportunities to use music outside the public school classroom. Currently, these students must, by necessity, enroll in the Studio Teaching Option under the Bachelor of Music Education umbrella. Unfortunately, they receive a degree based on sound curriculum but unknown to the profession.

In the most recent National Association of Schools of Music Visitors Report, submitted following the September 20-22, 1992, on-site visit, the accreditation team wrote that the Department should

".... consider a curricular reconfiguration at the undergraduate level. Recommend using the Bachelor of Arts degree as a home for the Studio Teaching Option. The Bachelor of Arts degree would require no new resources, courses or faculty."

An earlier Visitors; Report, received April 15, 1986, cited as a weakness of the Department

"... the lack of success in securing a more appropriate degree label for the present Bachelor of Music Education - Studio Teaching Option degree."

For the integrity of the program, the clarification of the programs intent, ease in transferring, and equal consideration in graduate school application, the Studio Teaching curriculum must be aligned under a more appropriate degree program. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music is the appropriate degree designation.

2.2 Impact on Institution's Role and Mission

The degree Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music offers students the opportunity of studying music within a broad program of general education. This degree, therefore, is central to the institutions obligation to A . . . providing high quality instructional programs in the sciences, liberal and creative arts, . . . and to its commitment to A . . . emphasizing the centrality of the liberal arts and sciences to undergraduate education.

2.3 Impact on Students and Student Services

The proposal to offer the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music is a means of properly identifying an existing, successful degree option under a more appropriate and identifiable degree title. The Studio Teaching curriculum is now inappropriately listed as an option under the music education heading. The conversion of the Studio Teaching Option to the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music will have a positive impact on current students and on the recruitment of future students to the University. Furthermore, since this action is only a change in title with curriculum content remaining identical to the previous option, the conversion to the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music will have a negligible impact on student services.

2.4 Adequacy of Facilities and Personnel

2.4.1 Libraries

The present resources are adequate for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music.

2.4.2 Facilities

The physical facilities in Howard Hall are sufficient for the needs of Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music.

2.4.3 Equipment

For several years, the Department of Music has allocated funds to update computer equipment, purchase and rebuild the musical instrument collection, and replace outdated audio and visual equipment. Therefore, current equipment in the Department is sufficient to support the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music.

2.4.4 Current Personnel

Bartholomew, Douglas - Professor, Music Education

Christensen, Kenneth - PT Instructor, Music Theory

Cody, David - Assistant Professor, Voice (On Leave 1999-2000)

Croy, Elizabeth - Associate Professor, Voice

Curtis, Linda - PT Instructor, Voice

Fuster, Bradley - Assistant Professor, Percussion/Marching Band

Good, Jonathan - Associate Professor, Department Head, Bands

Hickman, Lowell - Professor, Voice/Choral Music

Johnson, Brian - PT Instructor, Music Appreciation

Johnston, Glen - Professor, Brass/Jazz

Jonsson, Johan - Professor, Strings/Chamber Orchestra

Lee, Ilse-Mari - Professor, Strings/Music Appreciation

Leech, Alan - Professor, Woodwinds/World Music

Leech, Karen - Adjunct Associate Professor, Flute

Linnerooth, Sherry - PT Instructor, Horn

Makeever, Jerry - Associate Professor, Brass/Jazz

Nelson, Lorna - Adjunct Assistant Professor, Oboe/Class Piano

Rost, William - Professor, Music Theory

Videon, Michael - PT Instructor, Guitar

Wilson, Nancy - PT Instructor, Harp

Yost, Laurel - Associate Professor, Piano/Keyboard Skills

Young, Gregory - Professor, Clarinet/Composition

II. Appendix A. Proposed Bachelor of Arts in Music, Program Design

Appendix B. Proposed Bachelor of Arts in Music, Curriculum Tabs  

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Music

Program Design

The degree Bachelor of Arts in Music offers students the opportunity of studying music within a broad program of general education. This degree is designed to develop a superior level of musicianship, to offer a focused academic study into the art of music, and to provide an opportunity to study other areas of human achievement. A significant number of elective credits allows each student to determine emphases in various areas of music and general studies dependent on individual interests and needs.

[CAA courses to be selected from ARCH (121F, 322F, 323F), Art (114F, 202FG, 203F), and MTA (101F, 102F, 103F, 104F, 218 FG)]

[Other suggested courses include PHIL (311H), NAS (220), RELS, ENGL, HUM, ML]

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Music

Curriculum Tabs