Flexibility to meet your interests
"What's wonderful about the music major for me," says a professor, "is the flexibility the students have to make their way through the major to find what meets their particular interest." There are three primary tracks—history, performance, and theory—but "students can and have designed a focus that carves a path between those three combining elements based on their particular skills, strengths, and interests." One recent graduate, for example, specialized in Latin music percussion, combining the history and performance elements. And in addition to traditional course offerings, says another professor, "Music majors leave Principia with broad exposure to jazz history, American musical theater, music of other cultures, and to Western music where the American tradition comes from. And they have had experience performing."

Music: "A part of everybody's life"
"Ever since I was five," says a sophomore music major, "I've been in love with music." In high school she saw how music related to her subjects and was able to write most of her papers about music. "Music is a part of everybody's daily life. I don't think you can escape it," says a professor, "and you can't cover the history of music without talking about political, social, and intellectual movements through the centuries." Introduction to the Symphony was a favorite course of a music minor, who says, "The symphony class gives you a whole new insight into not only the music and how it is structured, but some of the forces that were going on in peoples' lives that may have affected the music."

Music opportunities
Every other year music majors travel to Europe for a music study abroad program. A senior who went on such a trip to Italy says, "It was a combination of looking at the art and the music and how they influenced each other in each city." And every two years a Principia traveling choir tours U.S. cities during spring break. One graduate, who teaches music in California, notes that encouragement from his professors opened his thought to off-campus study in Hollywood, which was "one of the most outstanding experiences" of his life. Music majors play in the Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Alton Symphony, and join the Saint Louis Symphony Chorus. "Students have achieved a lot of success in competitions and notoriety in a variety of ways," says a professor. Two recent graduates were in a master flute class in St. Louis with James Galway.

More than musical skills
Through analyzing music, says a senior with majors in music and chemistry, "you look at things differently—see different ways to analyze a problem or situation. I've learned to see patterns in everything—in conversations, architecture, job situations. Once you see the pattern you can figure out where to go next." One recent graduate points out that she "learned a lot about how to communicate,"—even through interpreting an opera aria or in writing about music. A professor points to the value of music study for developing "critical-thinking and analytical skills, synthesis skills, the ability to see relationships between things. They can't be performers without incredible attention to detail. . . . There are emotional and spiritual demands too—to find the notes on the page, the listening that is required, and the ability to work effectively with other people."

Practice, persistence, and stellar performances
"It took an incredible amount of discipline to practice every day and to sit down and try to learn all that theory," says a recent graduate. "What is demanding about the music major," says a sophomore, "is that you have to put the time in. You have to make the time for yourself to practice and to be able to put in the hours you need to excel, because once you become advanced enough, you have to work harder and longer to see the results. . . . You can't be half-hearted, but diligent, organized, devoted." One recent graduate, who specialized in voice, says, "I have no fear in front of audiences. It took a while to get to that point, but it was really helpful to have so many performance opportunities." A recent graduate who specialized in piano performance recalls that she learned composure and confidence through her presentations and gained "a sense of completion, perfection, and expressivity" in front of an audience.

A faculty with high expectations
"My professor pushed me hard because she knew I had the potential to do well," says a recent graduate who transferred to Principia from a large university. "Because we are small, and because of that close contact with our faculty," says a professor, "there is a lot required of the students. . . . Everyone in our department has high expectations of student performance—whether it's in performance, history, or theory." One-on-one contact is the norm, adds a sophomore studying voice and violin. And all the faculty are involved in coaching senior projects, such as recitals, in-depth research projects, student teaching, internships, or creating an in-depth composition to perform. What stands out to many majors is the "rigor of the classroom, the discussions, and testing" as well as "supportive" and "motivating" professors. In addition to being professional performers and scholars, "the faculty are really enthusiastic about what they are teaching," says a senior specializing in flute performance. "And that makes all the difference in the world."

Sharing music with the world
A number of music majors, says a professor, "have gone on very successfully to some of the finest graduate schools." One recent graduate is writing her doctoral dissertation on five female composers from South America. Another is getting his Ph.D. in musicology at Washington University. Another is just finishing her master's in piano and voice at the University of Illinois. Other directions recent Principia musicians have taken are music composition work in Hollywood, Indian music, teaching piano, and working in management for the San Diego Symphony. Says a sophomore of her music major, "It's showing me what I need to do. You have to know where you want to go, and you have to be prepared. Now I know how much work it's going to take to succeed."