Crescendos and minuets can often be heard floating from the depths of David Gardner Hall, home of the U’s School of Music.
At the school of music, students can pursue majors and minors in a variety of specialties, including music performance and music teaching.
Melody Cribbs, a freshman in instrumental performance, has been playing the harp from the age of nine and is pursuing her undergraduate degree in harp performance with hopes to later obtain a master’s degree in the field after graduating.
“The professors [in the School of Music] are great,” Cribbs said. “The building is wonderful; it’s a really good program.”
Students are encouraged to participate in a wide range of activities to expand their musical abilities, from small groups to orchestra ensembles. The range of participants includes performance majors, those studying composition or even students minoring in music.
Ron Totman, a sophomore in jazz performance and a percussion specialist, is enthusiastic about his improvisation course. This course not only covers the theoretical aspects of improvisation, but it also offers practical aspects of music such as working in groups and becoming a more versatile musician. Totman enjoys the number of resources available to students through the School of Music.
“Everything seems to be really focused on the students,” Totman said. “This is a music focused school, which is cool for me. I get to sit down and do what I like to do, I get to practice what I like to do.”
Donn Schaefer, associate director of the School of Music, said he thinks most students who study music at a university level do it because they desire to do something they love.
“Salt Lake is a vibrant music community,” Schaefer said. “It’s great when students can see their teachers performing. It gives the students a model to aspire to.”
There are many career opportunities to students who obtain a degree in music. Some students go into music teaching and others continue as performers.
Schaefer said a performance or teaching career isn’t always the end-goal for students in the school of music. Some double major in science and engineering fields and others move on to medical degrees.
“There have been several studies done in the past saying that people with music degrees have a really high acceptance rate in the medical field,” he said. “Maybe it has something to do with the dedication it takes to practice, carrying over to studying.”
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