Music

Introduction & Overview 

The Music Department offers a wide range of courses which are available to all students at the college, including courses in Music Performance, Music Business, Music Education, Music History, Music Technology, Musical Theatre, Music Theory and Musicianship, jazz, and composition. Performance opportunities, open to all enrolled students, include orchestra, chorus, wind ensemble, large and small jazz ensembles, chamber chorus, chamber pop chorus, electronic music ensemble, chamber music, and a percussion ensemble. Repertoire for these ensembles runs the gamut from Handel’s Messiah to Herbie Hancock’s Chameleon, often with performances on and off campus such as the recent choral tours to Italy and Ireland.

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts in Music

Bachelor of Arts in Music Business

Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre

Bachelor of Music in Music Education

 

The Music Department also offers a combined and accelerated Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree  in music (with the School of Education). 

Minor

Music 

Career Ideas

Musician, Music Teacher, Music Business Executive, Actor/Actress, Composer, Artists and Repertoire Agent, Entertainment Lawyer, Disc Jockey, Librarian, Music Arranger/Orchestrator, Music Director, Sound Engineer, Audio Production Specialist, Technical Director/Manager, Theatre & Media Director, Video Engineer

Program Director

Jerry Kerlin, 914.323.5256, Jerry.Kerlin@mville.edu

Faculty and Staff

Mark Cherry — Musical theatre, cabaret, vocal ensemble

Carmelo Comberiati — Music history, analysis, ethnomusicology

Olivier Fluchaire — Music theory, music history, string rudiments, violin, ensemble

Jerry Kerlin (chair)  — Music education, music theory, ear training, world musics, Irish music 

Geoffrey Kidde — Music technology, music theory, composition, ear training

Harvey Rachlin — Music business

Adjunct Faculty

Jay Azzolina — Jazz studies, guitar, ensemble

Michael Bartoli – Musical Theatre

Carl Bettendorf — Violin, instrumental conducting, orchestra

Charles Blenzig – Jazz Piano

Diana Canova — Voice

Ronald Cappon — Voice, voice class

Lyndon Christie — Acoustic and electric bass

Bruce Eidem — Euphonium, trombone, tuba

Faith Esham — Voice, voice class, diction 

Karen Froehlich – Music Education, French Horn

Thomas Freas — Trumpet

Jeremy Goldsmith — Music technology

Diane Guernsey — Vocal accompanist, vocal coach, piano, piano class

Flora Lu Kuan — Piano, ear training, ensemble

James Lorusso — Guitar

Kristen Mather —Clarinet

Beverly Meyer — Vocal coach, vocal accompanist

Terrence Reynolds — Jazz and wind ensembles

Jane Seaman — Musical theatre, Voice

Stefani Starin — Flute

Andrew Swift — Percussion, Music Technology

Jeongeun Yom — Choral, vocal and instrumental accompanist

 

Staff

Kathryn DiBernardo, Music Department Coordinator


Entrance Audition

The Entrance Audition, either live or recorded on ACCEPTD, is carried out by full-time faculty. It is required for prospective students in the B.A. in Music, B.A. in Music Technology, B.Mus. in Music Education, and the B.F.A. in Musical Theatre.  Auditions also are used to recommend scholarship awards for incoming students. Transfer students and students changing their major to music are also required to audition.

Applicants for the B.A. in Music, the B.F.A. in Musical Theatre and the B.Mus. in Music Education are required to perform three selections of diverse types and by different composers. Pianists, vocalists, and string players are asked to perform at least one work from memory. Applicants are evaluated on the following criteria: musical comprehension, technical ability and level of preparation. An applicant to the B.A. in Music Technology may perform a traditional audition or submit a digital application with audio files and one page written explanation.

Music Performance
Due to the nature of the discipline, the Music Department performs progressive and cumulative assessments related to musical performance. Solo musical performances of students are evaluated periodically—by audition before acceptance to the music major, each semester as a part of their applied music lessons and juries, and finally as a part of the senior evaluation for students in performance intensive programs. Students are required to present a Senior Recital for the B.A. in Music, the B.Mus. in Music Education, and the B.F.A. in Musical Theatre.

Concert Attendance Policy

The Music Department considers attendance at events and concerts to be a vital part of student musical training and an indication of commitment to the major. To remain in good standing, students must attend (in their entirety) a majority of on-campus concerts and recitals each semester.

Concert attendance should include the following events each semester:
1. One Faculty Concert 
2. Two selected from: Chorus, Orchestra, Wind Ensemble or Community Jazz Ensemble.
3. At least one Informal Student Recital.
4. At least one additional concert or recital.
5. One small ensemble or senior recital concert.

 
Minimum Grade Policy

A grade of at least C- is required for coursework to count towards majors in the Music Department, except in the Senior Capstone course, which requires a minimum grade of C.  For Music Education majors, students must earn at least a B in EDU 2000: Fundamentals of Schools and Teaching, and must maintain a 2.75 GPA.