Music

MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Music scholarships of $500-$3000 per year are available to all Loras College students and are awarded based on audition. Scholarship recipients must participate in at least one vocal or instrumental ensemble each year.

Visit our music scholarships page for additional information and to apply.

MYSTERIES OF CHRISTMAS
From its inception in 2005, Mysteries of Christmas has sought to provide the community with a seasonal experience which presents the highest quality of music and literature in a concert format imbued with our Catholic culture.

Through music and readings, Mysteries of Christmas welcomes the season of Advent as we wait with expectation for the coming of Christ. The Loras College Choirs, Wind Ensembles, and selected lectors present a program centered around a specific theme of Advent. The event has gained a wider audience in recent years thanks to broadcasts on Iowa Public Television and other stations in the region.

For information on the next Mysteries of Christmas visit loras.edu/mysteries.

LORAS COLLEGE INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLES
The Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band are open to all Loras students, regardless of major.

Loras College Instrumental Ensembles
All Loras students, regardless of major, can play in the Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Band. Both ensembles present several concerts throughout the year, both on-campus and in the Dubuque area. The Jazz Band appears regularly at the College Night of Jazz, an event in downtown Dubuque that features groups from local colleges. The ensembles host Middle School and High School Honor Band Festivals each year and perform for a variety of other special events.

LORAS COLLEGE CHOIRS
All Loras College students, regardless of major, have the opportunity to grow as musicians through participation in choral.

The choral program includes four ensembles: Bella Voce, Con Brio, Chamber Singers, and Concert Choir. All groups are open to students from across the College, regardless of major.

In addition to concerts throughout the Dubuque area, the Loras College Choirs have performed throughout the Midwest and have served as musical ambassadors in Ireland, Canada, and China.

Soundscapes
This course offers its participants a unique opportunity to examine and expand their understanding and definitions of music on both personal and communal levels. Music is both science and art, existing in diverse communal configurations. An enlarged appreciation of the intersection of sound and significance (what does this sound “mean”) invites a deeper listening, one that is beyond mere hearing. Students will explore selected musical compositions and attend “live” concert venues and create their own composition.

Western European Music History from 1750 through Today
The course will examine the developments and stylistic features of significant musical genres, the contributions of various composers and their seminal works, and a contextualization of music history through the examination of political, social, artistic, and philosophical movements. Students will identify the above through listening; they will apply their understanding of the above through programming, research, and writing.

The Jazz Experience
The Jazz Experience is a study/travel course that focuses on the performance of jazz styles in instrumental and vocal music. Students spend the first week of the course on campus learning several jazz styles through intensive rehearsals and listening episodes. The following weeks are spent traveling and performing.

World Music and Cultures
Through studying selected music and musical traditions from around the world, this course explores the ways that music is both shaped by and gives shape to the cultural settings in which it is performed. Specific case studies will be examined through listening, research, analysis, reflection and classroom instruction.

History of Sacred Music
Music of the Western church has had a profound influence on the development of Western classical music. Specifically, how that music should be crafted and presented in worship has been a topic of debate throughout time. This course provides a general survey of the development of Christian church music throughout the centuries and delves into issues surrounding music and worship.

View All Music Course Offerings PDF

MUSIC: PERFORMANCE (B.A.)
MUSIC: EDUCATION(B.A)
Division of Communication & Fine Arts
Glenn Pohland, D.M.A., Chair

MUSIC EDUCATION MAJOR

Requirements for the major in Music Education (B.A.):

MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Division of Communication & Fine Arts
Glenn Pohland, D.M.A., Chair

Requirements for the major in Music Performance(B.A.):

MUSIC MINORS (LITURGICAL MUSIC, MUSIC-INSTRUMENTAL EMPHASIS, OR MUSIC-VOCAL/CHORAL EMPHASIS)
Division of Communication & Fine Arts
Glenn Pohland, D.M.A., Chair

LITURGICAL MUSIC MINOR

Requirements for the minor in Liturgical Music:
The liturgical music minor is open to all students interested in exploring the great history and tradition of sacred music, whether for personal devotion or for ministry. The minor aims to prepare students to be well informed musical leaders in their congregations and to strengthen students’ skills in performance. The liturgical music minor is an excellent addition for pre-seminarians, for religious studies majors, and for any student interested in deepening their faith through music. 

MUSIC-INSTRUMENTAL EMPHASIS MINOR
Division of Communication & Fine Arts
Glenn Pohland, D.M.A., Chair

Requirements for the minor in Music-Instrumental Emphasis:

MUSIC-VOCAL/CHORAL EMPHASIS MINOR
Division of Communication & Fine Arts
Glenn Pohland, D.M.A., Chair

Requirements for the minor in Music-Vocal/Choral Emphasis:

View Full Requirements & Additional Information PDF