Bachelor of Music in Composition
New York, USA
Bachelor's degree
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
The Bachelor of Music in Composition offers students the opportunity to pursue a degree while honing their skills in music writing. As in the case of every major, Composition has a strong Biblical, academic, and theoretical foundation. The Bachelor of Music degree represents the highest standards of professional studies, including the history, theory, pedagogy and practice of many genres of music.
Why Study Composition at Nyack?
- Students who study Composition will have access to some of the finest venues and artists in the world, including current faculty.
- Students will enjoy a valuable academic program which will give them versatility and opportunity in their future graduate program or career choices.
- Students will be nurtured in a Christian atmosphere in which they will find encouragement on their way to fulfillment.
- Students will have an opportunity to explore and perform many types of music and to study with top scholars within the context of a State-accredited private institution.
- Students will be inspired by the commissioned works of a world-famous Artist-in-Residence in Composition, Dr. Victoria Bond.
- Students will make lifelong friends and important interconnections in the world of music in general and composition in particular.
At a Glance
- Credits: 120 Standard
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Accreditation: New York State Board of Regents, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, National Association of Schools of Music
What Will I Study as a Composition Major?
As a Composition Major, you will learn to write for voice, instruments, and keyboard. Together with your Nyack Core Curriculum, you will also study the history, methods, and practice of Composition, including:
- Literature and Materials of Music (an integrated Music History, Theory Mathematics, Science, and cultural sequence)
- Jazz/Gospel Harmony
- Conducting
- Arranging
- Songwriting
- Composition
- Private lessons in Voice, Guitar, Piano, Recorder, or another instrument
- Music Technology and Electro-Acoustical Composition
- Music Ensembles
Additionally, you will have the opportunity to do a Senior Recital of your own compositions, of approximately one hour in length
Students graduating with a BM Degree in Composition may have careers as arrangers, composers, conductors, or solo/ensemble artists, depending upon their major instrument. Graduates with a BM in Composition Degree may be able to continue into graduate school.
Our Graduates
Our graduates have shown the value of a versatile and creative Music program and continue to make us proud. Our composition majors are strong performers in their own right and we encourage them to stretch their boundaries and self-expectancy in their own field. Our Composition Graduates are working in the following fields and many more, some having continued for advanced degrees in Composition:
- Private Music Teacher
- Choir and Chamber Music Composer
- Church Music Director and Composer
- College Professor
- Graduate Student
- General Music Classroom Teacher
Explore Similar ProgramsSimilar Programs
