Music and Performing Arts

Melissa Leonard, Assistant Professor (Theater)
Elizabeth Norris, Associate Professor (Music)

B.S. Music Business and Industry
Minors: Music, Theater

Program Mission Statement

The mission of the department is to provide students with a focused study of the arts in an integrated rather than segregated program that would also provide additional opportunities in creative activities for all students.

Common Program Goals

Students will be able to:

possess awareness of how creative works from past and present eras are both individual expressions of and contributors to major cultural, political, artistic and intellectual forces or changes
gain confidence in identifying different art forms through class presentations, class performances and by attending arts events
express reactions, in a personal and informed manner, to the aesthetic and emotive content of artistic works
demonstrate an understanding of the creative process and produce their own creation and /or performance

Program Assessment

Program assessment will occur through a variety of observable elements.

Experiential courses, by their very nature, result in product, which may be displayed through portfolio, presentation or performance in the classroom or in public venues. Students may execute an existing art or performance piece, create an original art or performance piece, and/or participate in LSC community arts and cultural activities, including student sponsored events. Publicity, reviews, reflective papers, event copy, and acknowledgments are some of the means by which students may provide both documentation and anecdotal evaluation of the work and the experience.

Scholarly exploration of the arts may be evidenced by personal and critical response to attendance at arts events, through written, oral or technology-assisted methods. Courses across the curriculum may include exposure to relevant literatures, published works, reviews and critical commentaries, which in turn may be reflected in subsequent reference or application to presentation or creative work.

All faculty engaged in Fine and Performing Arts at LSC are practicing professionals, constantly producing works for public display and/or performance in art, music and theatre, thus engaging in dialog with other artists and the public and consequently maintaining a constant awareness of activities, developments, trends, and events to share with the students and to bring assessment and enhancement to the program.

Music Business and Industry Degree

The degree program in Music Business and Industry recognizes and addresses the changing trends and market of the 21st Century. As such, the program will equip students to meet the demands of the contemporary Music Industry scene through creative and supportive use of curriculum, technology and industry parternships within an enriched environment. Lyndon State College’s unique degree program will bring students to a level of professional mastery that will send them into the field prepared to address the complex and exciting world of music, technology, and business that is today’s Music Industry.

Because the Music Business and Industry program strives to keep pace with an ever-changing field, the program will be reviewed yearly by LSC faculty in conjunction with industry consultants, and alterations to the various tracks will be made as needed. Students who do not successfully complete the internship portion of the degree program will not be granted a Music Business and Industry degree. In addition to successfully meeting all course and experiential requirements, students must complete all of the Graduation Standards required by the Vermont State College system.