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Music Industry B.Mus.

The four-year bachelor of music degree program in music industry will help you develop a high level of music competency while learning about the activities of the music business.
Gabrielle Pickney singing.
The music industry program’s uniqueness lies in coursework designed specifically for musicians.

About this Program

  • Learn to analyze current trends in the music industry and understand their implications.
  • Become familiar with professional music organizations. 
  • Develop the ability to conceptualize solutions to various industry problems and the knowledge to put them into practice.
  • Spend part of your academic career researching, analyzing and discussing current trends. 
  • Attend conferences and participate in a music internship.
  • Gain knowledge about general business practices as well as the creative and legal workings of the music industry.
  • Consider the option of applying to the master of business administration (MBA) program in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management as a qualified sophomore, thus completing a five-year, double degree.

Program Information

Degree Type

Major

Outcome

B.Mus.

Modality

In-person

College or School

Career Path

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College of Visual and Performing Arts

Home to the visual and performing arts at Syracuse University, VPA supports the creative process and professional development of its students. VPA is divided into seven areas: the School of Art; the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies; the School of Design; the Department of Drama; the Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music; the Department of Film and Media Arts; and the Department of Creative Arts Therapy.
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Curriculum

The B.Mus. music industry program prepares students to be competent musicians and to comprehend, understand and analyze the rapidly changing advances in the industry. Students study and discuss the implications of current trends as they become familiar with the realities of general business and the creative and legal practices of the music business. In classes and through guest lectures and mentoring by leading industry professionals, students learn about professional organizations and their role in the industry.

Principal Performance Area

  • Demonstrate functional and artistic self-expression at the appropriate level.

Secondary Performance Area/Keyboard Competence

  • Demonstrate functional keyboard skills to support musicianship at the appropriate level.

Harmony and Analysis

  • Identify/describe common elements and organizational patterns of music and their aural and verbal analysis.

Aural Skills and Analysis

  • Produce and recognize music at the appropriate level.

Ensemble Performance

  • Demonstrate artistry and technical skills in an ensemble setting.

History and Repertoire

  • Describe music history and identify repertoire through the present time, including the study and experience of musical languages and cultures.

Principal Performance Area

  • Demonstrate functional and artistic self-expression at the appropriate level.
  • Perform a cross-section of repertoire.

Ensemble Performance

  • Demonstrate artistry and technical skills in an ensemble setting.

Music Conducting

  • Work as a leader and in collaboration on matters of musical interpretation.

Revenue Stream Research

  • Understand all forms of monetization as they apply to the music industry.

Recording Student Learning Outcomes

  • Solve technical and artistic problems while preparing recorded products for various purposes/settings.
  • Use recording equipment in applicable recording situations.

Music Industry Business Plan Development

  • Produce a formal business plan strategy based on current music industry research.

Extracurricular Opportunities

study away opportunity

The VPA LA Semester

The VPA LA Semester is an immersive professional development program that provides students with a unique opportunity to work as interns in Los Angeles while taking academic courses taught by LA professionals with expertise in their given discipline. The program is designed to broaden students’ understanding of career opportunities and gain skills to network and succeed professionally.

study abroad opportunity

Syracuse Abroad

Build up your resume and broaden your perspective with a study abroad experience during your time at Syracuse. Consistently ranked among the top 25 international education providers in the U.S., Syracuse Abroad offers music industry students the opportunity to study abroad in London, England.

Clubs and organizations

Syracuse University Records

Syracuse University Records is the University's premier, student-run record label, focusing on the recording, production and distribution of student artists' songs.

Clubs and organizations

The SENSES Project

The SENSES Project explores the impact of sound recording on students’ sense of belonging. The project focuses on two forms of sound recording specifically: podcasting and music creation. It offers the opportunity to build marketable skills in sound production while being a part of a unique and creative campus community. It is a diversity and inclusion project that encourages nuanced discussion across differences and uses music as way to emphasize our shared humanity.

Learn more about this program

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