Western Carolina University

Plan your course of study
You should meet at least once a semester with your academic advisor (in most cases, this will be your studio teacher).  Each semester, a special Advising Day is set aside in the university calendar for this purpose, just before registration for the next semester begins.  To prepare for your advising session and to track your progress toward your degree, use these degree checklists for both undergraduate and graduate programs.   You can also use the on-line degree check available through MyCat.

You might also find the following materials to be helpful in planning for future semester enrollments:

• Undergraduate Course Rotation (PDF)
• Graduate Course Rotation (PDF)
• Six Semesters to Graduation Worksheet (PDF)

Juries and Final Exams
At the end of each semester of individual lessons with your studio teacher, you'll play a graded jury (a type of performance examination) before a small faculty panel.  In the last semester of your lessons, you'll perform a public recital graded by a panel of music faculty.  Please follow this link to see times and locations for Juries and Final Exams in Music courses.

Attend Concerts
Experiencing live musical performances throughout your college experience is vital to a proper musical education, and essential to developing a sense of musical perspective. It is also a great way to support your friends, faculty, and colleagues in the School of Music.  Over 250 musical performances are offered on campus each year, so it's easy to meet the Concert Attendance requirement of ten concerts (including five professional) per semester.

Perform in Ensembles
The School of Music offers a wide variety of large and small choral and instrumental ensembles.  Whether you're a music major, minor, or just want to continue your performance activities, check out the opportunities that await you by following this link to our musical ensembles.

Healthy Musicianship
The study and performance of music can expose you to potential risks to your health, including repetitive stress types of injuries and hearing loss.  For information related to these dangers, how to avoid them, and how to seek professional help for them, please follow this link to our Healthy Musicianship page.

Coulter Building Hours
Official hours for the Coulter Building are set by the University.  Please respect these hours and the staff who are required to enforce them.

• Monday through Friday, 7:00am-11:00pm
• Saturday, 8:00am-5:00pm
• Sunday, 6:00pm-11:00pm

Lockers
Lockers are available to music students and non-majors participating in ensembles on a first-come first-served basis, with music majors currently enrolled in lessons having priority.  Please see Pam Pittman in the Music Office to reserve your locker (1:00-5:00pm).  A locker fee of $10/year is assessed in the Fall.  This fee goes toward locker and instrument maintenance.

Get Involved 
The Music Student Advisory Committee and a variety of music-related student organizations offer you many opportunities to become more involved in the life of the School of Music. They also offer you some excellent opportunities to develop your potential as a leader.

Stay Connected
Stay connected to what’s going on in the School of Music – check out the latest music news and announcements.