A student in a red shirt playing a marching tuba featuring a "The Cardinal Sound" logo on the bell cover.

Music

Ensembles, private instruction and international tours await.

Music

Music Program at William Jewell

Our music program was founded more than 150 years ago, making music an integral part of the culture and traditions at Jewell, from our choir’s second-place and national finalist finishes in The American Prize in Choral Performance and the release of their third CD, to our opera workshops, holiday concerts, collaborations with Theatre and our Cardinal Sound band.

Billy J. Bird, the William Jewell College mascot, posing with wings spread open, framed in a circular cutout with campus trees and a red phone booth in the background.

Interests & Attributes:

  • Arts & Culture
  • Performing Arts
  • Creative

Our Music Programs

Private instruction, performance labs, ensembles, studio recitals and research add depth to classroom instruction for music majors and minors. Non-music majors also may take applied lessons and participate in Jewell’s highly acclaimed vocal, instrumental and choral ensembles. At Jewell, you may choose a B.A. in Music or a B.S. in Music, where you take more hours specifically in music. If you opt for the B.S. you may choose to gain a specific emphasis in performance. Or you may study for a B.S. in Music Education.

Graduates of the William Jewell College music program will:

  • Perform to a standard appropriate for the course of music study being undertaken at an undergraduate Liberal Arts college on at least one instrument or voice as evidenced by incremental improvement in regular performance juries and assessment through the Sophomore, Junior and Senior departmental recitals;
  • Demonstrate an informed understanding of common practice and post tonal theory as evidenced in the Summative Music Theory Examination;
  • Demonstrate an informed understanding of the development of music in the western and non-western traditions as evidenced in the Synthesis Portfolio presented in the Senior year;
  • Demonstrate the various demands of large and small ensemble performance as evidenced through involvement in a variety of ensembles, venues and styles of music throughout the duration of the degree;
  • Demonstrate appropriate functional piano skills as evidenced through passing the Keyboard Barrier Examination; and
  • Confidently undertake and present research, making use of diverse resources as evidenced in the Synthesis Portfolio presented in the Senior year.

Master Class

Through the internationally acclaimed Harriman-Jewell Series, you can get free tickets to see the world’s greatest artists in concert. Each year the Department of Music and the Harriman-Jewell series team up to bring some of this outstanding talent to campus to give free master classes.

You can perform for and interact with leading performers from around the world and receive direct feedback and instruction. Recently we hosted sopranos Joyce DiDonato and Danielle de Niese, violinists Robert McDuffie and Jeremy Denk, vocalists The King’s Singers and Stephanie Blythe.

This season the line-up of artists is equally great – you can find full information on the Harriman-Jewell Series web site.

Interested In a Music Minor?

View from behind the choir as Dr. Anthony Maglione conducts a performance for an audience seated in a red brick chapel with wrought iron railings.

Instrumental Ensembles

Our ensembles are treated as learning labs where majors and non-majors work side-by-side and are challenged to not just produce the right notes, but to create outstanding performances with insight and understanding.​

Members of the Concert Choir singing in red robes under the direction of a conductor during a performance.

Vocal Ensembles

Our ensembles are treated as learning labs where majors and non-majors work side-by-side and are challenged to not just produce the right notes, but to create outstanding performances with insight and understanding. Some ensembles tour nationally every year and internationally every few years.​

Music Scholars

We honor a centuries-old tradition, designating students with outstanding music skills and high academic achievement for our Scholars programs. Anyone who auditions for a music scholarship at William Jewell is already considered for these distinguished scholarships, regardless of major.

The Choral Scholars Program

Participants exhibit exceptional vocal skills and the ability to express those skills sensitively within a choral setting. They perform in Concert Choir (our premier choral ensemble), take part in other ensembles and benefit from voice lessons and master classes with renowned vocal groups such as The King’s Singers, James Galway and Joyce DiDonato.

The Instrumental Scholars Program

This group consists of players with exceptional technique and mastery of their wind or percussion instrument. These musicians form a pool of players that participate in the Jewell Symphonic Band and chamber winds, act as section leaders and participate in clinics and master classes with visiting professionals like the principals of the San Francisco Symphony.

The Orchestral Scholars Program

This program brings together a pool of advanced string players interested in quality orchestral and chamber music performance. These players serve in leadership roles with the chamber music program, collaborate in various ensembles and are active members of the Liberty Symphony Orchestra.

The Keyboard Scholars Program

Keyboard scholars display high levels of technical proficiency and musicality and demonstrate a desire to advance their skills as collaborative keyboard musicians. Scholars will participate in both chamber and conducted ensembles and they will have the opportunity to perform in high-visibility events on campus.

Beyond Jewell

By offering rigorous intellectual challenges in the art of music, we aim to produce graduates who are not only accomplished musicians but also well-rounded individuals.

Many graduate programs seek our music students since the nature of thoughtful inquiry and dedication needed to be a successful music graduate are also a great foundation for other demanding careers. Our music alumni pursue a variety of careers and graduate programs throughout the country and overseas.

Music Faculty

See All Faculty

Find Your Place at William Jewell

Close-up of a person holding a black smartphone while typing with their thumb.
Contact
A student wearing a backpack walks along a paved brick campus pathway toward campus buildings, featuring a dome observatory on the left under a clear blue sky.
Visit
Close-up of hands typing on a laptop keyboard at a desk.
Apply