Music at Concordia
Concordia offers the B.A., B.S., and B.Mus. in several areas of music. All programs are fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. We have the largest number of students majoring in music of any university in the Concordia University System, and over half of our full-time faculty have won teaching awards.
The department’s home is the Music Center, which contains teaching studios, rehearsal rooms, faculty offices, practice rooms (including eleven with pipe organs and five with SmartMusic accompanying software), a music instruction laboratory with sixteen workstations, an electronic piano lab, a recording studio, libraries for ensemble and organ music, and the 200-seat Heine Recital Hall. A new 3-manual, 38-rank organ by Casavant Frères will be installed in Heine Hall in May 2008.
The career goals of our music majors are diverse. Many, attracted by Concordia’s outstanding College of Education, plan to teach in Lutheran, other private, or public schools. Some are preparing for a career in church work, such as parish musician, pastor, or director of Christian education. Others plan to attend graduate school to continue their education as performers, teachers, and scholars. Still others combine music with another area of interest.
Students who are not music majors also contribute to Concordia’s musical life. Ensembles and private lessons are open to all students regardless of major, and any prospective student accepted to Concordia may apply for a music scholarship.
Graduates of Concordia’s music programs are working in over forty states and in several foreign countries. The career placement rate for our graduates is exceptionally high, with about 86 percent of music graduates either finding full-time employment in their field of study or attending graduate school within three months of graduation.
Career placement rate
Our career placement statistics reflect this question: “What percentage of music majors graduating in the past five years either began full-time work in their field of study or enrolled in graduate school within three months of their graduation?” We exclude from the statistics those who are specifically not looking for work, such as spouses staying at home to care for families.
The placement rate for music majors graduating in 2002 through 2006 is:
- B.A. in music, 89%
- Education (all music programs), 85%
- Parish music, 86%
The largest single reason for not finding employment is the inability to relocate, typically because of family needs.
By comparison, the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that about 50% of college graduates (in all fields, not just music) typically have jobs at graduation (not necessarily in their field of study), and about 76% have jobs within six to seven months.
| Department | Department secretary | Tour manager |
Department of Music
Concordia University
800 North Columbia Avenue
Seward, NE 68434
music@cune.edu
Phone: 402-643-7282 or 800-535-5494, then press 9, then extension 7282
Fax: 402-643-3671 | Lana Eiting
Office: MC-117
lana.eiting@cune.edu
402-643-7282 | Nancy Middendorf
Office: MC-103
nancy.middendorf@cune.edu
Phone: 402-643-7386 |