A Contemporary Music Program

This paper describes the development of a new music industry program whose purpose is meant to meet the needs of the following three demands: 1) Sectors of the music industry are nearing extinction and need new and well-prepared leaders to create innovative means of revitalizing business; 2) Traditional schools of music need new program designs to stimulate their declining enrollments; 3) Students need well-designed curriculums that adequately prepare them for careers in todays music industry. A strategically designed program is the key to answering all three of these ever-present demands. This new program design evolved from the study of over 100 educational institutions, the standards and guidelines established by NASM, the curricular analysis of five leading music industry programs, and the authors experience as a music industry professional and lecturer. With this newly acquired data, the author outlined a "Bachelor of Music" example as one of this programs possible degree formats. This design adhered to NASMs guidelines by having the correct percentages and course types (General Education Courses, General Music Courses, Music Industry Courses, and Emphasis Area Courses.