Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Piano Performance Degree
Earn a Bachelor’s in Music-Piano Performance Degree
The piano is a graceful and beautiful instrument, capable of producing music with a complex array of emotions. With intensive private instruction and multiple performance opportunities, aspiring pianists can prepare for a future career in music by enrolling in Grand Canyon University’s Bachelor of Arts in Music with an Emphasis in Piano Performance degree program. Advanced coursework provides foundational knowledge in music theory and history, and applied practice prepares students to excel in the spotlight and in piano ensembles.
The piano performance degree is offered by the College of Arts and Media. Students benefit from a well-rounded liberal arts education that emphasizes music and performance. Multiple opportunities are available to give solo recitals and play as part of accomplished ensembles. Perfect your skills as a pianist and develop familiarity with the stage in preparation for pursuing a meaningful career that blends passion with purpose.
Students who wish to pursue the piano performance degree are required to undergo an audition and to complete a music theory assessment prior to acceptance.
Learn Advanced Piano Techniques and Performing
This Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance program emphasizes the practical application of skills, blended with purposeful classroom instruction. Graduates emerge with a solid framework of music knowledge that ranges from history to theory to composition. The sequential curriculum empowers students by building foundational knowledge and skills before moving on to advanced concepts and public recitals. Graduates are confident performers who are ready to pursue a meaningful career in the music industry.
In courses such as Piano Literature I, Piano Pedagogy and Conducting, students will develop a deep understanding of the following topic areas:
- The fundamentals and techniques of conducting, including score reading, transpositions, left-hand technique and non-verbal communication
- The study of beginner fundamentals of piano teaching, including survey, analysis, classification, and evaluation of beginning piano methods and principles of studio management and planning.
- The standard piano repertoire of the baroque and classical periods using reading and listening assignments
- The structure of music, including harmony, melody, form and rhythm through the use of computer-assisted ear training
As students’ skills grow through intensive private instruction, they are expected to give formal solo recitals during their junior and senior years. Students tackle performance issues through private coaching of the repertoire and study of collaborative skills such as ensemble balance. In addition, the Canyon Chorale and the Canyon Choral Society provide opportunities to perform at churches, schools and other venues throughout the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
Career Opportunities for a Piano Performance Major
Enrich the lives of those around you through public piano performances. As an aspiring solo musician or composer, you might pursue opportunities at performance centers or entertainment agencies. Other career choices that may be related to this degree may include the following:
- Collaborative pianist
- Private music instructor
- Music therapist
- Score coordinator
- Music curator
For the musicians who want to share their love of piano in a professional setting, GCU’s Bachelor of Arts in Music with an Emphasis in Piano Performance can help you get there.
General Education Requirements
General Education coursework prepares Grand Canyon University graduates to think critically, communicate clearly, live responsibly in a diverse world, and thoughtfully integrate their faith and ethical convictions into all dimensions of life. These competencies, essential to an effective and satisfying life, are outlined in the General Education Learner Outcomes. General Education courses embody the breadth of human understanding and creativity contained in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Students take an array of foundational knowledge courses that promote expanded knowledge, insight, and the outcomes identified in the University’s General Education Competencies. The knowledge and skills students acquire through these courses serve as a foundation for successful careers and lifelong journeys of growing understanding and wisdom.
Requirements
Upon completion of the Grand Canyon University's University Foundation experience, students will be able to demonstrate competency in the areas of academic skills and self-leadership. They will be able to articulate the range of resources available to assist them, explore career options related to their area of study, and have knowledge of Grand Canyon's community. Students will be able to demonstrate foundational academic success skills, explore GCU resources (CLA, Library, Career Center, ADA office, etc), articulate strategies of self-leadership and management and recognize opportunities to engage in the GCU community.
Course Options
- UNV-103, University Success: 4
- UNV-303, University Success: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to construct rhetorically effective communications appropriate to diverse audiences, purposes, and occasions (English composition, communication, critical reading, foreign language, sign language, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of English grammar or composition.
Course Options
- ENG-105, English Composition I: 4
- UNV-104, 21st Century Skills: Communication and Information Literacy: 4
- ENG-106, English Composition II: 4
- COM-263, Elements of Intercultural Communication: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to express aspects of Christian heritage and worldview. Students are required to take CWV-101/CWV-301.
Course Options
- CWV-101, Christian Worldview: 4
- CWV-301, Christian Worldview: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to use various analytic and problem-solving skills to examine, evaluate, and/or challenge ideas and arguments. Students are required to take 3 credits of college mathematics or higher.
Course Options
- MAT-144, College Mathematics: 4
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to demonstrate awareness and appreciation of and empathy for differences in arts and culture, values, experiences, historical perspectives, and other aspects of life (psychology, sociology, government, Christian studies, Bible, geography, anthropology, economics, political science, child and family studies, law, ethics, cross-cultural studies, history, art, music, dance, theater, applied arts, literature, health, etc.). If the predefined course is a part of the major, students need to take an additional course.
Course Options
- PSY-102, General Psychology: 4
- INT-244, World Religions: 4
- SOC-100, Everyday Sociology: 4
Core Courses
Course Description
Study is devoted to the structure of music, which includes harmony, melody, form, and rhythm. Skill development in analysis and composition is emphasized. The music of the "common practice period" will be studied. Co-requisite: MUS-130L.
Course Description
This course is a study in rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation; basic keyboard performance; and sight singing. Computer-assisted ear training is utilized. Study is devoted to the structure of music, which includes: harmony, melody, form, and rhythm. Skill development in analysis and composition is emphasized. The music of the “common practice period” will be studied. Co-requisite: MUS-130.
Course Description
This course is the private applied study required for music majors in their major instrument or area. Prerequisites: Music Department approval and placement audition.
Course Description
This large choral non-auditioned campus community ensemble performs masterworks of the choral-symphonic literature, with major presentations in the Fall and Spring. The Canyon Choral Society is open to the students, faculty, and staff of Grand Canyon University and to the Phoenix community at large. Members of the Canyon Chorale, Critical Mass, and Canyon Singers are required to participate in the Canyon Choral Society.
Course Description
The Canyon Chorale is an auditioned ensemble presenting the best in choral literature from historic masterworks of all stylistic periods and different cultures. Members are selected through an annual audition open to both music and non-music majors at Grand Canyon University. The chorale performs on campus, in the metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson areas, and in churches and schools throughout the region. All members of the Canyon Chorale are required to participate in the Canyon Choral Society. Prerequisite: Admission into this ensemble by audition only or instructor's permission.
Course Description
A continuation of MUS-130, this course emphasizes skill development through analysis and composition. Prerequisites: MUS-130 and MUS-130L or Music Department approval. Co-requisite: MUS-160L.
Course Description
A continuation of MUS-130L, this course emphasizes aural skill development through practical study in rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation; basic keyboard performance; and sight singing. Computer-assisted ear training is utilized. Prerequisites: MUS-130 and MUS-130L or Music Department approval. Co-requisite: MUS-160.
Course Description
This course is the private applied study required for music majors in their major instrument or area. Prerequisites: MAP-120 or Music Department approval and placement audition.
Course Description
This writing intensive course is a survey of music from primitive times to the mid-18th century. It presents the growth of music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance through the contrapuntal schools, culminating in the work of J. S. Bach and the development of opera and oratorio during the baroque period.
Course Description
A continuation of MUS-160, this course emphasizes skill development through analysis and composition. Music examples are selected from Bach through Wagner. It also includes an advanced study in analysis and part writing utilizing modulation and chromatic harmony. Prerequisites: MUS-160 and MUS-160L or Music Department approval. Co-requisite: MUS-262L.
Course Description
A continuation of MUS-160L, this course is a study in rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation; basic keyboard performance; and sight singing. Computer-assisted ear training will be utilized. Prerequisites: MUS-160 and MUS-160L or Music Department approval. Co-requisite: MUS-262.
Course Description
This course is the private applied study required for music majors in their major instrument or area. Prerequisites: MAP-130 or Music Department approval and placement audition.
Course Description
This writing intensive course is a survey of music from the mid-18th century to modern times. Study is devoted to the rise of homophonic music, the art song, the nationalistic schools, and the principal composers of the classical, romantic, and contemporary periods. Prerequisite: MUS-360 or Music Department approval.
Course Description
A continuation of MUS-262, this course emphasizes skill development through analysis and composition. This course includes analysis and composition methods of music of the late 19th through the 20th century. Prerequisites: MUS-262 and MUS-262L or Music Department approval. Co-requisite: MUS-351L.
Course Description
A continuation of MUS-262L, this course is a study in rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation; basic keyboard performance; and sight singing. Computer-assisted ear training will be utilized. Prerequisites: MUS-262 and MUS-262L or Music Department approval. Co-requisite: MUS-351.
Course Description
This course is a study of the fundamentals and techniques of conducting. Emphasis is placed on basic conducting skills, fundamentals of baton technique, left hand technique, non-verbal communication, leadership, conducting terminology, transpositions, and score reading.
Course Description
This course is the private applied study required for music majors in their major instrument or area. Prerequisites: MAP-220 or Music Department approval and placement audition.
Course Description
This course is class instruction for students with limited or no previous voice training. Instruction includes the study of vocal technique and is designed to pass Part I of the Vocal Proficiency Examination. The voice proficiency requirements are identified in the music handbook.
Course Description
This course will prepare the College of Fine Arts and Production student for professional success in their chosen field. Students will research their industry, gaining critical knowledge and learning the business practices needed for post-graduation success.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the music of the world as a means to express different elements of culture, civilization, and worldview.
Course Description
This course is a study of the various organizational structures in music, from motive, phrase, and period, through binary and ternary forms to the most complex, such as the variation, rondo, and sonata. Works of the masters are analyzed from the standpoint of form. Prerequisites: MUS-351 and MUS-351L, or MUS-275 or Music Department approval.
Course Description
This course is a survey of baroque and classical periods. Emphasis is on learning the standard piano repertoire through reading and listening assignments.
Course Description
This course is a study of advanced techniques of conducting. Rehearsal techniques, score reading, artistic interpretation, baton technique, and programming will be explored. Prerequisite: MUS-223.
Course Description
This course is the private applied study required for music majors in their major instrument or area. Prerequisites: MAP-230 or Music Department approval and placement audition.
Course Description
This course will survey the history of American popular music genres. Through understanding styles and forms within the context of their origins, popular music is understood in the relationship of its functions in society.
Course Description
This course is a survey of contrapuntal practice from the 18th century. Background reference is made to early polyphonic music. Emphasis is given to 16th century species counterpoint and to analyzing and writing inventions and fugues in the 18th century style of J. S. Bach. An introduction is provided for the use of counterpoint in 20th century composition. Prerequisites: MUS-351 and MUS-351L, or MUS-275.
Course Description
This course is a survey of romantic and contemporary periods. Emphasis is on learning the standard piano repertoire through reading and listening assignments.
Course Description
This course is the private applied study required for music majors in their major instrument or area. Prerequisites: MAP-320 or Music Department approval and placement audition.
Course Description
A formal, public recital, sponsored by the music department, in which the student presents a solo recital of a length appropriate to the major. The recital is to be given in the student's junior year. The student must concurrently be enrolled in the appropriate level of private instruction. Co-Requisite: The student must concurrently be enrolled in the appropriate level of private instruction.
Course Description
This course will survey the development of jazz music from its genesis, transformation, and growth to current postmodern practices. The styles are explored through the social identity of the music and musicians.
Course Description
This course is a study of major jazz techniques and styles, including repertoire, instrumentation, improvisation, innovations, and major jazz ensembles.
Course Description
This course is a study and application in techniques of scoring and arranging music for various combinations of musical mediums. Includes scoring for strings, woodwinds, brasses, percussion, and voices.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to collaborative and accompanying techniques and repertoire. Emphasis is placed on effective personal practice and preparation methods and ensemble rehearsal techniques. Collaborative skills of shared musical leadership, ensemble balance, and other performance issues are addressed through master class and private coaching of repertoire prepared as part of required assignments in vocal and/or instrumental studios. Score study, sight-reading, as well as techniques for dealing with orchestral piano reductions are also covered. Prerequisite: Advanced Standing or Music Department approval.
Course Description
This course is a study of beginner fundamentals of piano teaching. It includes survey, analysis, classification, and evaluation of beginning piano methods. Principles of studio management and planning are introduced. This course includes observation and supervised teaching in the Piano Laboratory Program, and both individual and group lesson settings. Prerequisite: MUS-377 or Music Department approval.
Course Description
This course is the private applied study required for music majors in their major instrument or area. Prerequisites: MAP-330 or Music Department approval and placement audition.
Course Description
This capstone course provides students an opportunity to develop their skills in an area of interest. Students will complete an independent project under faculty supervision.
Course Description
This course is a continuation to Collaborative Piano I. Collaborative and accompanying techniques and repertoire continue to be developed; collaborative skills of shared musical leadership, ensemble balance, and other performance issues are addressed through master class and private coaching of repertoire prepared as part of required assignments in vocal and/or instrumental studios. Score study, sight-reading, as well as techniques for dealing with orchestral piano reductions are also covered. Prerequisite: MUS-417 or Music Department approval.
Course Description
This course is the private applied study required for music majors in their major instrument or area. Prerequisites: MAP-420 or Music Department approval and placement audition.
Course Description
A formal, public recital, sponsored by the music department, in which the student presents a solo recital of a length appropriate to the major. The recital is to be given in the student's senior year. Student must concurrently be enrolled in the appropriate level of private instruction. Co-Requisite: Student must concurrently be enrolled in the appropriate level of private instruction.
Join Grand Canyon University’s vibrant and growing campus community, with daytime classes designed for traditional students. Immerse yourself in a full undergraduate experience, complete with curriculum designed within the context of our Christian worldview.
* Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change.