New Music Offerings Highlight Fall Schedule at A&M International

Texas A&M International University is alive with the sound of music this Fall. The Department of Language, Literature and Arts is offering an increased number of music classes in response to increased enrollment and student needs.

Applied music courses, or individual music lessons, will be offered in seven instruments including cello, euphonium, guitar, piano, trombone, tuba, viola and voice, each at several capability levels. Students will receive one-on-one instruction to increase musical proficiency. Class times are arranged between the instructor and student before registration.

Group performance music classes like "Guitar Ensemble" will allow students to learn the unique skills necessary for ensemble playing. The Guitar Ensemble, as well as the Chorale, Chamber Music, and Mariachi Internacional, provide the University and the community with quality musical entertainment through numerous presentations.

Another course, "Medieval and Renaissance Music," will examine the history of musical developments in an important epoch in western musical tradition.

Also, "Diction I" will teach the intricacies of voice training and help students of operatic and other types of singing articulate words properly in English and foreign languages.

In addition to all the new courses, the College of Arts and Humanities is finalizing a proposal to offer three new degrees in music: Bachelor of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music with all-level certification. The proposals will go the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board this Fall.

The B.A. is a broad degree, with course requirements in general academics and the core curriculum. It will also require an 18-hour minor. The B.M. is a performing arts degree, focusing solely on music beyond the core curriculum.

For more information about the new music courses, please contact Dr. Thomas Mitchell, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, at 326.2633, visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 428A, or go online: http://www.tamiu.edu/coah/lla.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu