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Music Department

 
Located in Music City U.S.A., a music industry capital of the world.

The Department of Music offers the Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.) in Music with concentrations in:

The Department of Music also offers the Master of Science Degree (M.S.) in Music Education as well as a Minor in Music for students majoring in other disciplines.

All degrees offered by the Department of Music are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The Music Education program is also approved by the Tennessee Department of Education and accredited by the National Council on the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) through the University's teacher certification program.

View Music Degree Programs


PARTICIPATE IN AN ENSEMBLE, CHOIR, OR BAND!

The Department of Music supports a full complement of vocal and instrumental performance ensembles and opportunities, including the Orchestra, String Ensemble, Tennessee State University Choir , Meistersingers , Symphonic and Concert Band, two Jazz Ensembles, Percussion Ensemble, Pep Band, the TSU Aristocrat of Bands marching band, the TSU ShowStoppers Show Choir, and a host of small vocal and mixed- and like-instrument ensembles. The Opera Workshop mounts at least one opera, including sets, costumes, and orchestra, each year. The Commercial Music Ensemble compliments these traditional groups by providing instruction and performance in contemporary, popular music styles.

Watch video of TSU student and faculty ensembles and guest performances on our YouTube channel .

 

SUMMER 2013 at TSU

VOCAL MUSIC AUDITIONS: Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Auditions for the Vocal/Choral program (applied voice, University Choir, Meistersingers, Opera/Musical Theater Workshop, and the Gospel Chorus) will take place on Wednesday, August 21, 2013 in room 101 A in the Performing Arts Building from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact Dr. Darryl Nettles, Coordinator of Vocal Music, at dnettles@tnstate.edu to schedule an audition time. Visit the Vocal Music homepage to obtain audition forms, audition requirements, and additional information on the Vocal/Choral Music Program.

 

CAMPS AND SUMMER PROGRAMS:

The Edward L. Graves Summer Band Camp will take place June 23-29, 2013. Download the registration form .
TSU's Community Academy of Music & Arts will offer multiple camps this summer! Download brochure.
Watch excerpts from the 2012 CAMA Musical Theater Camp production of "West Side Story".

TSU CAMA summer camps

 

 

SPRING 2013 highlights

The 2013 James A. Hefner Piano Competition was held at TSU Saturday, April 13th, and TSU Commercial Music student Lorenzo Holmes received the award for "Best Perfomance of a Work by a Black Composer". Congratulations Lorenzo!
Click here to visit the competition homepage for a list of all the winners.

Commercial Music news

Congratulations to TSU Commercial Music students Derrin Lee and Lorenzo Holmes, who were both awarded scholarships from NARAS, the organization that presents the Grammy awards. 

TSU sent a team for the first time to compete in the Audio Engineering Society's Spring Mixing Competition on April 6th, 2013. Music and Mass Communication students Nate Browning, David Goodwin, and Wes Guerrier represented TSU at this important industry event here in Nashville.

Gregg Lohmann updates
Gregg Lohmann, TSU percussion instructor and music director for country artist Kellie Picker, is recovering well from his automobile accident in early March and has been in touch with us regularly with reports on his progress. He is in all our thoughts and we wish him a full and speedy recovery and a return to TSU soon. You can follow reports on his condition and send well-wishes here.

 


 
BAND NEWS:

The TSU Aristocrat of Bands returned to compete for the third time as one of eight finalists in the Honda Battle of the Bands on January 26, 2013 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Our own Prof. Edward Graves received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Honda this year. Watch the fieldshow from the 2012 competition.

 

FACULTY NEWS:

Congratulations to Dr. Vicki King  on her election as  Teacher of the Year by the Nashville Area Music Teachers Association, affiliated with Music Teachers National Association. Dr. King will now go on to be considered for State Teacher of the Year.  

Vocal Area Coordinator Dr. Darryl Glenn Nettles ' one act opera, "The Fall of Stag Lee", based on an incident in the early 1900s about a fight over a Stetson hat and the source of many blues songs, will be performed by Buffalo Opera Unlimited in Buffalo, NY. This will be the premiere performance and dates will be posted soon. 

Dr. Nettles and Percussion Area leader Dr. Sean Daniels will perform at the Jazz At The Mill Festival in Lebanon, TN on April 19-20.

Dr. Mark Crawford was recently featured in a piece in his hometown newspaper, the Herald-Review in Decatur, IL, on how both he and incoming TSU Music student Lee Scott studied under the same band director, Jim Culbertson. Click this link to read the article: The Legend Lives On.

Our music faculty are constantly recording, performing and touring; notable performances and other news will be posted here regularly.



INTERNATIONAL VISITORS TO TSU!

The Department of Music hosted a visit by Dr. Tolga Tem of the State Conservatory of Hacettepe University and Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Dr. Tem offered a presentation on his work in audio design for film and gaming, discussed how a composer enhances the emotional impact of visual media, and how his own work blends Turkish musical forms with our more familar Western approach.

Watch a video of Dr. Tem presenting at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey.


PIANO AREA NEWS


TSU piano



New TSU Piano Textbook!

TSU Piano Book

The piano area has recently published a textbook that is suited to music majors in the Department of Music for use in all Proficiency Piano Classes as well as applied lessons.  The book was the result of materials written and researched by the piano faculty over a period of three semesters.  The book features scale charts and chords, repertoire (some written by the faculty), hymns, lead sheets, simple vocal and instrumental accompaniments, and score reading.  The book includes the TSU Alma Mater, a new "TSU Blues", and the TSU fight song.  The authors of the book are Dr. Vicki King, Dr. Christine Perkey, Professor Kevin Durham, and Professor Maxine B. Jones.

 


Note to Music Appreciation and Music History students:

The Nashville Symphony offers heavily discounted tickets through their Soundcheck program. Fulfill your concert attendance requirements affordably in one of the best-sounding venues in Nashville, the Schermerhorn Center for the Arts.


FALL 2012 highlights

Nashville's WSMV Channel 4 features Steinway Pianos at TSU!
Scroll down to the "featured video" on the right side of this page.


Commercial Music:
 Click here to read the Fall 2012 TSU Commercial Music Newsletter for full details!

Aristocrat of Bands:
Watch the "Fantastic Four" perform on Nashville's WSMV channel 4!

The Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands performed for the Bands of America National Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 7th & 8th, 2012. Tennessee State University Marching Band was the first HBCU band to receive an invitation to perform before this prestigious audience of the top High School Marching Band students and directors in the United States. This performance not only serves as a recruitment opportunity for the Aristocrat of Bands but also exposes hundreds of people to our great institution.

 

Student organizations:

MEISA (the Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association) is looking for new members to start a chapter at TSU. MEISA offers networking, scholarship, and career development opportunities to student members interested in careers in the music industry. Click here for more information or email tsumeisa1@gmail.com.

For Commercial Music students, the Department of Music is now recruiting students for TSU student chapters of the Nashville Songwriters Association Int'l (NSAI) and the Audio Engineering Society (AES). Please visit the organization websites, and contact Coordinator of Commercial Music Dr. Mark Crawford to get involved and network with students and professionals from across the country.


TSU goes to Colombia

As featured in the spotlight section above, Dr. Carlos Castilla brought TSU Commercial Music students Elijah Holt, Kerry Frazier, Adam Smith, and Daniel Hyberger to Colombia in the summer of 2012, where they participated in a jazz festival in Medellin and performed in Medellin, Apartado, and Pereira. Continuing our growing international exchange program, Mr. James Sexton will bring the TSU Jazz Collegians ensemble to Colombia in the summer of 2013.

TSU students in Colombia