What makes this program special?
Students in the Commercial & Electronic Music Concentration may pursue interests in recording arts, jazz studies, MIDI/synthesis, or music for film and video.  Recording arts students work in a state-of-the-art sound recording studio in the Center for Applied Technology.  The Commercial & Electronic Music program requires four semesters of individual lessons in a performance area and six semesters of major ensembles (bands/choirs), along with courses in performance skills, music theory and history. An optional internship program provides an opportunity to earn college credit while working in a “real world” commercial music setting.

Are there any additional admission requirements?
All music degrees require a live audition performed before a panel of music faculty. Interested students should contact the department office to set up an audition for the program. The regular audition day is generally the last Saturday in February, but an audition may also be done by appointment throughout the year. Commercial & electronic music students must earn and maintain a 2.5 grade-point average in all of their college work for full admission. 

What scholarship monies are available?
The School of Music awards scholarships that range from $300 to $1,200 per year. Students interested in a scholarship must audition by April 1 to receive full consideration for a scholarship award. All students are considered for merit-based scholarships at the time of admission, and additional scholarships are available based on FAFSA information.

What will I be able to do with this degree when I graduate? 
Commercial & Electronic Music students may go on for further study, but often go directly into various positions in the music business, such as working in a recording studio or elsewhere in the recording industry, gigging, composing music, etc. Some recent graduates are working in the recording industry in Nashville and Los Angeles or as close to WCU as Raleigh and Charlotte.

What are the professors like?
The music studio faculty members are all active teachers and performers. Most studio teachers are full-time, which means that not only are they teaching what they do every day in professional performance, but they also are readily available to students during the week for extra help and advice!  Most music faculty members have the terminal degree in their performance areas or are close to completion of the terminal degree. The Commercial and Electronic Music faculty also have extensive experience in various aspects of the music business. Dr. Bruce Frazier arranged and composed music for 20 years in Hollywood, while Mr. Stephen Wohlrab is an accomplished guitarist. Mr. Pavel Wlosok is active in the jazz scene in the United States and the Czech Republic. Faculty members are committed to teaching the individual student, whether in lessons or in larger courses. Because developing skills in music performance involves one-on-one teaching, significant mentoring relationships often develop. 

What are the students in the program doing?
Students who graduate with the BM degree are literally all over the map, pursuing professional study in graduate school, working in Nashville in the music business, gigging as a free-lance musician, working for a music company in their own home towns, etc. 

Will I be able to participate in internships, clubs and other extracurricular opportunities?
Yes! Western’s music students are active in collegiate chapters of the following national organizations:  Music Educators National Conference, Phi Mu Alpha (music fraternity), Sigma Alpha Iota (a music fraternity for women) and Kappa Kappa Psi (a co-ed fraternity for band students). Many students participate in additional performance ensembles, both on- and off-campus.

Contact

Dr. Bruce Frazier
Email: bfrazier@email.wcu.edu
phone: 828-227-2400
Visit the Music Website

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