Spring 2007 | Volume 65, No. 3

BA in Music launched

Stephen Johnson (pictured, seated right) and Emir Caner (left), deans respectively of the School of Church Music and The College at Southwestern, got a great start to the new year in a letter from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The accrediting agency granted “plan approval” for the music school to offer a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree through the college.

“The beauty of this bachelor’s degree is that an undergraduate student can come to The College at Southwestern and study music in the seminary’s School of Church Music,” Johnson said. “This partnership between the two schools gives music students the best of both worlds.”

The newly accredited music degree expands the undergraduate offerings through the college. Since opening its doors on the campus of Southwestern Seminary in fall 2005, the college has offered a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities degree, a program focused on the History of Ideas, using the small-group seminar format.
“I am particularly happy about the concentration offerings in the BA music degree,” Johnson said. “We have six composers on the faculty who will teach the composition courses. The worship concentration is unique because it will focus primarily on leading churches in a variety of approaches to quality worship. Our internship program will be a key part of the students demonstrating their understanding of worship. These programs put our students in a scope of healthy churches that reflect a variety of music styles.”

But the plan approval for the BA degree wasn’t the only good news from the NASM: The agency also officially notified Johnson that the School of Church Music was reaccredited for another 10 years.

“We are so grateful that the NASM has once again recognized that our music school maintains the highest levels of professionalism and training possible,” Johnson said. “Re- accreditation sends a positive message to our students and prospective students, and affirms the hard work and dedication of our professors, staff, administration and trustees.”