TCC to offer new Associate of Fine Arts in Music
TCC is the first community college in the state to offer an AFA in Music, a 63-credit program which gives students a foundation in performance, music theory and history. It also provides opportunities to enhance skills in groups, such as chorus, orchestra or jazz ensemble.
“TCC’s Associate of Fine Arts is a brand new pathway to study music in the state of Virginia,” said program head Mark Denison. “This degree will help many students realize their musical dreams, whether it is transferring to a four-year school or simply achieving a certain level of proficiency as a musical performer.”
The program combines music with liberal arts studies. The degree includes many of the general education requirements for the first two years of a bachelor’s degree and is intended to facilitate transfer to any public four-year institution in Virginia. Acceptance into a baccalaureate music program is pending a student’s successful audition.
The degree is designed for those interested in pursuing careers as music educators, sound technicians, performers, composers and music therapists.
Areas of study include:
- Applied instruction in the student’s major instrument or voice
- Ensemble groups to enhance performance skills
- Music theory and ear training
- Piano class to include music sight reading
- Benchmark performances that prepare students to audition for bachelor’s degree programs
All credits from TCC’s two-semester Career Studies Certificate in Music stack toward the Associate of Fine Arts in Music.
Fall classes start Aug. 21.
The new associate program was approved following a rigorous review process by the college’s Curriculum Committee and Board, the State Board for Community Colleges and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
For more information and to develop an academic plan, contact Denison at mdenison@tcc.edu or 757-822-1262.