Church Music Major

An array of skills such as analytical, listening, creative, improvisation, communication, problem-solving, team-building, time management, interpretation and other skills position you for diverse career options.

Many of our graduates seek advanced degrees and go on to faculty positions at universities throughout the country. Our music majors have also worked as a business development and marketing manager, chief executive, clergy staff member, worship music assistant, composer, computer support specialist, entertainment and recreation manager, as well as many non-music positions, such as financial manager, general and operations manager and historian.

Train a global lens on your passion for music through “Music in Italy.” The semester-long, conservatory-style program began in 2006 with a partnership with the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo. Each fall, 10 to 14 students study Italian and music history amid the Tuscan landscape.

On top of the Italian language component offered at the Accademia, you’ll study applied music (voice, instrumental or keyboard) in individual weekly lessons and coaching sessions with Italian music teachers. Furman faculty teach a music history course and an interdisciplinary, experiential course, “Italian Art and Culture,” featuring a series of side trips and lectures revealing the richness of Tuscany’s stunning visual art and architecture.

You’ll collaborate in several “Movement for Musicians” sessions taught by Accademia dell’Arte faculty, which allow you to spend class time together with the Accademia’s theater students. You’ll take part in performances of chamber music and solo recitals both at the Accademia and in local venues. Regular concert attendance in Florence, overnight excursions, along with independent travel opportunities during a week-long fall break give you ample opportunity to experience the cultural life of Western Europe.

If a shorter study away is more your style, sign up for courses such as May Experience (MayX) “Opera Overload.” Students split time between Greenville, South Carolina, and New York City, and explore opera, its history in the United States (with a focus on the Metropolitan Opera as an institution), and various topics related to opera, such as elitism, racism and issues of power and sexuality.

The capstone experience of the church music degree unfolds during the spring term of your senior year. The Practicum in Church Music involves an internship at a Greenville-area church, equipping you with the practical experience in all areas of an active, excellent church music program. Furman students intending to major in music must perform an audition and complete a music theory placement examination. Final approval for a music degree takes place during your sophomore year.

Specific courses pertaining to the study of church music are supplemented by the opportunity to participate in Furman’s outstanding choral ensembles – Furman Singers, Furman Chamber Choir, and the Men’s and women’s Chorales – all of which are directed by experienced and committed church musicians who perform substantial sacred repertory in a variety of styles. The annual Furman University Church Music Conference brings to campus distinguished church musicians of national prominence to deliver lectures on subjects related to the study and practice of church music.

Recitals, concerts, master classes, camps and conferences – with over 260 events typically offered year-round, Furman is a vibrant part of both the Furman and Greenville music scene. Abundant on-stage opportunities for displaying your talent await at Furman.

The average base salary for graduates with a bachelor’s in church music is $47,000 annually, according to Payscale.com.

The Bachelor of Music in Church Music degree at Furman is a four-year program.