Music Major

Why Wesleyan?

No one knows Wesleyan better than our alumnae who have experienced learning, living, and thriving at Wesleyan. Alumnae reflect on their experiences on campus and the impact on their lives through lifelong friendships to skills acquired on campus impacting their careers.

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Career Development

A liberal arts education prepares you for your first job and your last. Wesleyan has a four-year plan to prepare students to make the connection between a liberal arts education and success in the workplace.

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Majors

Wesleyan offers 25 majors and 35 minors, including self-designed interdisciplinary studies, eight pre-professional programs and the bachelor of science in nursing and bachelor of fine arts degrees.

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UNRIVALED PERSONAL ATTENTION

Music majors at Wesleyan receive unrivaled personal attention and abundant performance opportunities at school and around the community. Our outstanding facilities include elegant performance venues (Burden Parlor, Pierce Chapel, Porter Auditorium), a collection of beautifully restored Steinway and Boesendorfer pianos, one of the most well-known organs in the Southeastern United States (Goodwyn-Candler-Panoz Organ), and access to an extensive number of scores, books, and electronic resources.

Many music majors double major—a possibility unique to our liberal arts curriculum. By earning a bachelor’s degree with more than one major, students are extremely well prepared for flexibility in their career path.

Music student practices singing.

Outside The Classroom

Internships: Wesleyan's music majors have interned in major cities around the United States as well as worked for many local community organizations, including Macon Symphony Orchestra, Macon Arts Alliance, Central Georgia Opera Guild, and Macon Little Theatre. Several churches in the area also offer paid internships.

Travel: Music students have attended international summer music festivals or studied abroad in Spain, Korea, Greece, Austria, Germany, and Italy; our vocal ensembles offer additional opportunities for travel and performance to schools and churches throughout the Southeastern United States.

Professional Development: Students regularly present or compete with professional organizations such as Georgia Music Teachers Association, Georgia Music Educators Association, Music Teachers National Association, Atlanta Music Club, National Association of Teachers for Singing, Georgia Collegiate Honors Council, and others.

Rawlanda Hercules

Current Student

When I graduate, I can go into any music- or theatre-related field. I could become an actress on stage or screen, a teacher of theatre or music, a vocalist, composer, or musical artist.

Pursuing A Dream

Valentina Huang sits at the piano in the Burden Parlor on campus.

Qishan “Valentina” Huang (Class of 2019) came to Wesleyan as part of the dual-degree partnership from Jiangxi Province, China. She soon decided that spending only one year on campus was not enough, so she surrendered her dual-degree and transferred to Wesleyan as a full-time student double majoring in economics and piano performance.

While at Wesleyan, Valentina won the Southeast Young Artist Piano Competition, Georgia Music Teachers Collegiate Concerto Competition, GMTA Collegiate Auditions, and the Rome (GA) Symphony Concerto Competition. She also studied at the Interharmony International Music Festival in Germany and was selected as an Outstanding Performer and attended the Brevard Music Festival, one of this country’s premier summer training programs.

Since her time at Wesleyan, she earned a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Music in Organ Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance at Rice University. READ MORE

MUSIC MAJORS STUDY AT PRESTIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS:

Indiana University, University of Texas, Berklee School of Music, Carnegie Mellon University, University of California Los Angeles, Southern Methodist University, University of Southern California, University of North Carolina, Mercer University, University of South Carolina, Belmont University

Chenny Gan, student, alumna and professor at Wesleyan.

Assistant Professor of Music and Wesleyan Alumna Chenny Gan speaks fondly of of her time as a student at Wesleyan. Her relationships with professors and how integral they were in helping her in accomplishing her goals. "If you are thinking about Wesleyan, I promise this is a place you are going to grow, and your going to know more about yourself."