Majors: Music with an emphasis in Organ, Piano, or Voice
Minor: Music
Facilities | Field Study | Scholarships | Special Features | Outcomes | Faculty
With a rich heritage of excellence in the fine arts, the Music Department provides multi-faceted and extensive opportunities for participation in music for students as well as the entire community. The Bachelor of Arts degree in music is designed for the student who wishes to continue her study of music in college while acquiring a broad background in the liberal arts. It is an appropriate preparation for graduate degrees in a variety of fields including music education, musicology, performance, or arts administration. The major consists of courses in musicianship, performance (solo and ensemble), music literature, music theory, and history. At Wesleyan, a music major may select piano, organ, or voice as her primary performance area. Wesleyan students may also select these or other instruments (wind, brass, or strings) as electives or as part of a music minor. For information about specific courses offered, please see our Academic Catalogue.
Concentrations
Concentrations in Music are offered in Organ, Piano, or Voice.
Facilities
Wesleyan's music students have access to outstanding facilities. The Porter Fine Arts Building houses music classrooms, studios, and an 1,127-seat auditorium. Twelve practice rooms and rehearsal/performance space in other areas of the campus provide convenient places for practice.
- All classrooms and studios have grand pianos. The college owns 4 concert grand pianos, and 12 grand pianos.
- Our beautiful harpsichord is a reproduction of a 16th century Flemish instrument. It was given to Wesleyan in 1981 by Linda Anderson Lane
- The Music Technology lab consists of five work stations with notation software, networked computers and keyboards, five additional keyboards, and listening equipment.
- The Lucy Lester Willet Memorial Library maintains a collection in support of all academic programs of the College. The music collection is a part of this main Library and includes more than 5,000 recordings and an extensive collection of scores and books.
- A Listening Room facility houses more than 3,500 musical recordings in vinyl LP, audiotape, and CD formats. In addition, this collection includes more than 50 biographies of composers, musical performances, or operas on videocassette.
- The development of the Library collection of music serials, monographs, standing orders, and sound recordings is almost entirely faculty driven. The faculty of the Music Department dictates all purchases in these areas. Music faculty members are responsive not only to the Library needs of music students, but also the needs of other students.
- The Goodwyn-Candler-Panoz Organ, in Porter Auditorium, is currently being renovated by the Schantz Organ Co. of Orville, Ohio. The 1925 Aeolian instrument will be re-installed in the auditorium in July 2008.
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Field Study
Wesleyan's music majors have interned with a number of community organizations such as MidSummer Macon, the Macon Arts Alliance, Central Georgia Opera Guild, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Several churches in the area offer internships. Music students have also completed internships in other localities such as Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
There are part-time jobs available in the middle Georgia area for music students who may qualify for internship credit. They include teaching private lessons and working with local churches as organists, pianists, and choir directors.
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Scholarships
Talented students in the performance arts may compete for scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $16,000 per year. Fine Arts Scholarships in Music are available to students who are interested in being involved in the music program as a music major or minor. The scholarships require a commitment from the student beginning the first year. Candidates for fine arts scholarships also may be candidates for academic or leadership scholarships. All scholarships are renewable for up to eight semesters.Those interested in music scholarships are required to audition. Please contact the chair of the Music Department to schedule auditions for music scholarships. Get Tips for a Successful Music Audition.
The prestigious Lane Scholars Program provides two scholarships annually to academically superior first year applicants for admission whose intended major is in the area of Fine Arts. Each scholarship recipient receives an annual award valued at $16,000 per year. This program is in honor of Linda H. Lane who was a friend, leader, benefactor, and an associate professor of music at Wesleyan. Eligible candidates must possess high academic credentials and demonstrate their interest, and the ability to engage, in research. Interested candidates should contact Wesleyan's Office of Admission for more information about this and other scholarship opportunities. Request more information!
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Special Features
The Macon Concert Association presents its annual subscription series of performances by internationally acclaimed artists in the beautiful Burden Parlor. Call for information on upcoming concerts which may include: Degas Quartet, Pianist Bertrand Giraud, and Ibis Camerata.
The Wesleyan Idea program and MidSummer Macon offer opportunities to work with artists from other disciplines as well as with other musicians. Music, visual arts, and theatre faculties work together to provide interdisciplinary experiences. Wesleyan College is a member institution of the National Association of Schools of Music.
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Outcomes
Students who graduate with the Bachelor of Arts degree in music attend graduate schools or begin careers. Wesleyan's graduates pursue a variety of careers in music. Currently, Wesleyan alumnae include professors of music in colleges or universities; studio teachers in piano, organ, and voice; church musicians; choral directors; professional singers; professional accompanists; directors of community arts programs; lawyers; English professors; nurses; and designers. Other graduates are currently working at Cirque du Soleil, Texas Legacy, and in a New York City performance collective.
Music and theatre studies help to prepare students for careers in acting, dance, musical performance, stage management, technical theatre production, arts administration, playwriting, public relations, communication, drama therapy, and television and film production; as well as lawyers, schoolteachers, social workers, psychotherapists, arts camp leaders, business executives, politicians, professors, community leaders, and ministers, to name just a few -- everyone who needs strong communication skills in dealing with the public.
Many Wesleyan students combine majors and graduate with unique qualifications that are advantageous when entering graduate programs or career fields. Monica Harper '04, for example, is currently completing coursework for a doctor of music in church music and organ and has performed across the country. Read her story! Chenny Q. Gan ’02 graduated summa cum laude with double degrees in music and studio art. While a student, she produced two CDs and took advantage of the many opportunities for performance and growth available at Wesleyan. During her years at Wesleyan, Gan won numerous awards and accolades, including the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship for 2002-2003. And she credits her preparation at Wesleyan for her quick acceptance into the UNC at Greensboro’s graduate music program. Read her story!
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Faculty
 Edward Eikner Comer Professor of Fine Arts B.M. (Piano) Texas Technological University 1967; M.M. (Piano Performance) Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester 1969; M.M. (Piano Performance) Belgrade Music Academy 1970. Professor Eikner teaches applied piano and courses in music history and literature. He appears as recitalist, soloist with symphony orchestras, and as chamber musician all around the world, including London, Vienna, Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow, Buenos Aires, and New York. He has completed eleven Italian tours, and six Grecian tours, and has presented several performances in the Czech Republic. Porter Fine Arts Building 103. eeikner@wesleyancollege.edu
 Nadine Cheek Whitney Mildred Goodrum Heyward Associate Professor of Music and Music Department Chair. B.M. (Voice) Wesleyan College 1979; M.M. (Vocal Performance) Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music 1981, M.M. (Choral Conducting) Yale School of Music 1991. Mrs. Whitney directs the Wesleyan Concert Choir and the Wesleyannes vocal ensemble, and teaches applied voice. As a mezzo-soprano, she is an active performer in recital, concert, and opera across the United States and in Europe. She has sung in Master Classes with Martin Katz, Ruth Golden, and John Alexander, and been soloist with the Theatrehof Opera in Humbach, Germany, the Dorian Opera Theatre at Luther College in Iowa, and the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium in Italy. Mrs. Whitney is a member of NATS, ACDA, MENC, GMEA Sigma Alpha Iota and Phi Kappa Phi. Currently, Mrs Whitney is serving as Chair of the Music Department.Porter Audio Samples. Porter Fine Arts Building 101. nwhitney@wesleyancollege.edu
 Michael McGhee Assistant Professor of Music and College Organist. B.M. (Organ Performance) Shorter College 1999; M.M.(Organ Performance) University of Georgia 2001; D.M. (Organ Performance and Literature) Indiana University School of Music 2005. Dr. McGhee is the College Organist and teaches courses in organ, harpsichord, music theory, music history and literature. He is an active performer and has won numerous organ competitions. In addition, he is an accomplished church musician and an active member of the American Guild or Organists.Porter Fine Arts 105. mmcghee@wesleyancollege.edu
 Ellen Futral Hanson Assistant Professor of Music. B.M. (Music) Wesleyan College, 1983; M.M. (Music) University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1985. Mrs. Hanson teaches applied voice, voice class, vocal literature and diction. A lyric soprano, she performs often in the Middle Georgia area and was most recently heard as soprano soloist for the Choral Society of Middle Georgia’s performances of Handel’s “Messiah”. Mrs. Hanson has performed many major roles in musical theatre and opera with Macon Little Theatre, UT Opera Theatre, and the Knoxville Opera Company. She is a member of NATS, MENC, GMEA and SAI. Porter Fine Arts 121. ehanson@wesleyancollege.edu
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