College Catalog 2024-2025
Department of Visual and Performing Arts
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Visual and Performing Arts
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences
Majors: Art, Music, and Theater
Chair: Ben Mays
Coordinator Music Major: Peter Ryan
Coordinator Art Major: Ray Stratton
Faculty: Richard Galyean, Michael Hunt, Ben Mays, Michael McNulty, Hannah Ryan, Peter Ryan, Donald Sorah, Misty Stratton, Ray Stratton, James Veenstra
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences with majors and minors in art, music and theater.
The Department also offers performance/production related courses for all students that may fulfill the Liberal Arts Core arts and humanities credit requirements. Certain studio, production, and applied theory courses are offered for repeat credit with the proper prerequisites and permission of the instructor.
It is recommended that interested students declare a major in art, music or theater in the first year in order to complete required course sequences in a timely manner and fully profit from the creative exploration of the four-year program.
Students interested in a major in art, music or theater should contact the corresponding Coordinator for an advising appointment.
Visual and Performing Arts
Statement of Purpose
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts endeavors to serve the larger educational mission of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise by designing opportunities to engage fundamental human questions through the unique understandings engendered in artistic expression. These understandings emerge from a collective imagining of who and what we are by giving form to the experience of being human. It is our conviction that the process and forms of creative expression represent fundamental ways of knowing and constitute the basic human occupation with making meaning. As such, we hold the pursuit of artistic expression as essential to the development of an individual and civilization.
Freshman and Sophomore Evaluations
At the conclusion of two semesters of applied music study in both MUS 14xx and 24xx (course numbers determined by the instrument studied), students will be juried by the Division of Music faculty to determine their eligibility for advancement in applied music study and/or performance of the Junior Lecture Recital.
The Freshman Evaluation, which follows the completion of the second semester of MUS 14xx: Applied Music: Principal, consists of the performance of two pieces of contrasting style for the Division of Music faculty as well as appropriate rudiments and/or scales on the student’s instrument. Academic progress in music courses will also be reviewed. Music majors who, at the conclusion of two semesters of study in MUS 14xx, do not demonstrate, in the faculty’s opinion, suitable progress in solo performance or have not completed required preparatory course work in MUS 1010 or MUS 2030 mandated by their entrance exams will not be permitted to enroll in MUS 24xx until such deficiencies have been remedied. Students may, at the faculty’s discretion, continue to enroll in MUS 14xx on a space-available basis, but credit earned in MUS 14xx beyond two-semesters of study is not applicable toward the music hours required for the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences Music major.
The Sophomore Evaluation, which follows the completion of the second semester of MUS 24xx: Applied Music: Principal, consists of the performance of a minimum of ten minutes of music as well as the review of academic progress in music course work. Music majors who, at the conclusion of two semesters of study in MUS 24xx, do not demonstrate, in the faculty’s opinion, suitable progress in solo performance or who have not successfully completed MUS 1551 , MUS 1552 , MUS 1553 , and MUS 1554 will not be permitted to enroll in MUS 3900 or MUS 34xx until such deficiencies have been remedied. Students may, at the faculty’s discretion, continue to enroll in MUS 24xx on a space-available basis, but credit earned in MUS 24xx beyond two-semesters of study is not applicable toward the music hours required for the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences Music major.
Students who have successfully completed the Sophomore Evaluation may enroll in one or two semesters of MUS 34xx (course number determined by the instrument studied) in preparation for the Lecture Recital. Additional hours earned in MUSI 34xx may be counted as general music electives.
Capstone Lecture Recital
The Lecture Recital serves as the “capstone” for the Music major. The Lecture Recital is a minimum forty minute presentation to be divided equally among performance of repertoire of an appropriate degree of difficulty for Senior-level undergraduate music majors and the historical and analytical criticism of that repertoire in a lecture format. The Lecture component of the recital must present a clear thesis explored by the student’s historical and analytical comments and reinforced by the student’s musical performance. The scholarly and technological expectations of the Lecture Recital are outlined in the Division of Music Applied Music syllabi.
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