Music
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Music At Westmont

The Music Department at Westmont is dedicated to the serious study and performance of great music within the scope of the liberal arts tradition and the context of the Christian faith and worship.

Major The music major is designed to develop musical skills, knowledge, and attitudes. Professors place special emphasis on encouraging and developing creativity. Students majoring in music may complete a liberal arts music program or may elect to complete a track in music education, music performance, or music composition.

Minor The music minor is designed to enable students who concentrate in other disciplines to receive training in music theory, history, and performance.

Lessons

Westmont College offers group and individual lessons taught by highly trained instructors. These include:

	Keyboard Glory Fisher Steven Hodson Heather Levin Woodwinds Stuart Horn Laura Walter
Guitar Patrick Anderson Composition Steve Butler Voice Grey Brothers Bill Christensen Rebecca Hodson Celeste Tavera Strings Emily Sommermann Deborah MacCallum Alita Rhodes Jazz Ron McCarley Brass Jim Mooy Robert Van Erde Harp Christine Holvick

Westmont Ensembles

Vox Lumina Women's Chorale This ensemble, under the direction of Professor Marilee Mouser, specializes in a variety of accompanied and a cappella literature for women's voices. The ensemble performs in concert with the College Choir, appears in chapel, and travels on tour.

Chamber Orchestra Directed by Professor Emily Sommermann, this ensemble studies and reads original literature, transcriptions, and arrangements. Included are works for full orchestra, string orchestra, and small ensembles.

Wind Ensemble Directed by Professor Ron McCarley, the Wind Ensemble performs throughout the year. Music covers various style and historical periods.

Jazz Groups Westmont has three small improvising groups of varying levels plus a larger Big Band, all under the direction of Professor Ron McCarley. All groups study the jazz idiom, including the art of improvisation, and perform both on and off campus.

College Choir Westmont's principal choral ensemble, a large mixed chorus, is under the direction of Dr. Steven Hodson. The choir performs the classic repertoire of the past five centuries, along with spirituals, folk songs, and music of non-Western cultures. The ensemble presents local concerts, appears at Westmont events, performs in chapel, ministers in local church services, participates in regional choral festivals, and tours every spring.

Chamber Singers This select ensemble, directed by Dr. Grey Brothers, specializes in a cappella literature, from Renaissance madrigals and motets to folk songs and spirituals, contemporary sacred music, and vocal jazz. In addition to joining the College Choir on the spring tour, the group performs across southern and central California. Membership is contingent upon membership in the College Choir.

Music Faculty

Grey Brothers teaches voice, music history, and world music, and directs the Westmont Chamber Singers. He frequently appears as tenor soloist with regional choral ensembles and completed a Ph.D. in musicology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Scholarship Auditions   Voice and non-Keyboard Instruments Dr. Grey Brothers, (805) 565-6279 Keyboard Instruments Dr. Steve Hodson (805) 565-6192 Composition Dr. Steve Butler, (805) 565-6130   For more information, call (805) 565-6040 or e-mail srandall@westmont.edu

Steve Butler teaches music theory, composition, orchestration, form and analysis, and computer technology in music. An ASCAP award-winning composer whose works have received broad circulation, he earned his D.M.A. in composition from the University of South Carolina.

Steven Hodson directs the College Choir and teaches piano, church music, and music survey. President of the American Choral Directors Association, Western Division, he holds a D.M.A. in the literature and performance of choral music from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

About Westmont

Westmont is an independent, residential, four-year Christian college offering B.A. and B.S. degrees in 25 liberal arts and science majors to 1,200 select undergraduate men and women.

Its program emphasizes intellectual, personal, and spiritual growth and features cross-cultural studies, internships, nine pre-professional programs, a fifth-year credential program, leadership development, and innovative study programs at home and abroad.

Directions to campus: From Los Angeles: Take the Olive Mill exit from Highway 101. Turn right on Olive Mill, then left on Hot Springs Turn right on Sycamore Canyon, then right on Cold Spring. From San Francisco: Take the Hot Springs exit. Turn left under the freeway and then left at Hot Springs. Turn left at Sycamore Canyon, then right at Cold Spring.

A student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1 and an average class size of 22 promotes close relationships between professors and students.

Beyond the classroom, students may participate in a strong creative and performing arts program, volunteer for more than 20 student-led outreach programs, gain valuable experience through a variety of internship programs, and compete in an extensive intramural program. Westmont intercollegiate athletic teams have won three NAIA national championships and offer outstanding opportunities for male and female athletes.

Westmont has earned a national reputation for its academic program and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for the Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Several national publications, including U.S. News and World Report, Barron's Best Buys in College Education and The Best Buys in College Education, edited by Edward Fiske, have recognized Westmont for its excellence.