Department Mission

The Music Department, newly established, began instruction as of the Academic Year 1999-2000. The language of instruction is English, enabling our graduates to continue their studies abroad and to participate in an international career. The department offers a BM in Music, focusing on the development of each student in musical skills, whether it be instrumental performance, musical ear, music theory and history, computer music, composing, or music education. Each candidate is chosen after an audition and interview, testing for the presence of a musical ear, the level of instrumental ability, and general musical perception and leniency. The program aims to raise musicians in different areas, taking into account the individual assets, interests and abilities of each student. Our mission is to graduate students possessing creative and questioning minds in the field of music as well as performing artists.

Staff and their Qualifications

The staff consists of qualified music artists, composers, and musicians of other specialties from the conservatories and major music schools of Turkey and foreign countries. The multiculturalism and variety of skills our instructors possess are the essential qualities in our Department. New instructors will be added to the staff each year as new instruments are offered. The Music Department has an academic chamber orchestra, consisting of staff members and qualified students, and our goal is to establish a large-scale symphonic orchestra in the near future.

Undergraduate Program

The department admits around 20 students each year. Majors offered are piano, flute, violin, viola, cello, bass, voice, composition/theory and classical guitar. Each year, as the student and instructor body grow, new instrumental majors are added. The department has a chorus and students perform regularly as various instrumental ensembles, under the supervision of their instructors.

Students have to take an average of 7 courses each semester, a total of 3 of these being free elective courses. These courses have credits of 1, 2, or 3. Students will graduate with a total of 121 credits as instrumental majors, 122 credits as piano majors and 123 credits as composition/theory majors. The first 3 semesters also include a course in English to enhance the students' abilities in reading, writing and research, necessary skills for reading literature and writing papers on music. Foreign students have 1 year of Turkish and Turkish students have History of Turkish Reforms in their last semester as required 0-credit courses. Students majoring in an instrument other than piano have 1 year of piano/keyboard. All students receive choral training and are required to take part in chamber music and orchestral performance. The senior year includes a senior-project, by which each student will have a choice of presenting a recital, composition or thesis for graduation, under the supervision of a staff member.

For students in the Preparatory School, the Department offers lessons in their major instrument once a week with tutors of the staff, and students are urged to attend chorus.

Infrastructure

The temporary Music Building is built according to acoustical standards, consisting of 20 small studios for teaching and practicing, eight of these containing a new upright Petrof or

Yamaha piano; three large classrooms, containing an upright piano, stereo-system with CD-player, DVD-player, television and video player, one large room with grand Yamaha piano for chamber music, a vocal studies studio with piano, a flute and guitar studio, an electronic keyboard studio, as well as instructor offices. There is a library of printed music for various instruments, as well as choral repertoire and a video collection.

A large CD collection and listening room, music books and other sources are available at the EMU Library. The EMU Blue Hall with new full grand Petrof Piano and the EMU Library Auditorium are available for concerts, conferences, and master classes.

New musical instruments which belong to the Department but can be used by the students with agreement are available. Manuel Rodriguez Classical guitars, Yamaha flutes and piccolos, Otto Josef violins, violas and cellos as well as various makes of clarinets, trumpets, oboes and French horns are available. Twenty-five electronic metronomes are available for students and instructors, as well as music stands and other apparatus.

Quality of Graduates

The Music Department is offering a challenging and fulfilling program in both traditional and contemporary music, with a rich, varied, stimulating and provocative source of experience across the spectrum from fundamental to more advanced musical disciplines. This will help the students acquire knowledge and skills they will need to pursue post-graduate studies at any European or North American University and advance their professional careers.

Job Opportunities

he Majors offered are piano, flute, violin, viola, cello, voice, composition/theory and classical guitar. The students will be our future members of a large philharmonic orchestra, composers, theoreticians, teachers in primary or secondary education, and after earning MA or PhD degrees they may join either the EMU's Department of Music or any other department in Europe or North America .