Music Performance

Your First Choice

Make your mark on Louisiana’s rich musical history with a degree in Music Performance. McNeese offers opportunities to improve your technique, hone your style and gain professional experience through performances on campus and throughout the region. A combination of superb mentoring by renowned artists/teachers, small class sizes, diverse performance opportunities and a well-rounded curriculum is ideally suited to guide you to professional success.

Program Information

Instrumental

B.M. Instrumental Performance Curriculum

The Instrumental Concentration in the Music Performance program offers a diverse array of performance opportunities that increase your marketability in an evolving job market.

Vocal

B.M. Vocal Performance Curriculum

The Vocal Concentration in the Music Performance program helps students become well versed in several performance styles, including opera, musical theater and contemporary commercial music.

Piano

B.M. Piano Performance Curriculum

The Piano Concentration in the Music Performance program prepares students for successful careers as professional musicians and piano pedagogues.

All three performance tracks are also available as a minor, please reach out to a program coordinator listed below for more information!

About The Program

McNeese’s Bachelor of Music in Music Performance creates well-rounded musicians, encouraging your talents and creativity while also developing your discipline and business skills. As a student in the music performance program, you will have access to both the music department’s world-class facilities, and the resources of a university that can uniquely prepare you for a variety of careers within the music industry.

Here at McNeese you’ll have the opportunity to:

Participate in bands, choirs and orchestras

Collaborate with renowned guest artists and clinicians

Take one-on-one lessons with faculty members

Tour and perform at various events

What You’ll Learn
Students in the music performance program complete a rigorous sequence of courses to develop core competencies in music theory, music history, piano proficiency and aural skills. This is supplemented by one-on-one lessons on the student’s primary instrument or voice, and additional studies on a secondary instrument. Classes in arranging, conducting, music technology and pedagogy prepare students for a wide variety of careers, while the professional internship course makes sure they hit the ground running upon graduation.

Why Lake Charles?
Southwest Louisiana is the home of Zydeco, Cajun and Swamp Pop music, which McNeese proudly incorporates into the music major curriculum alongside conventional classics. To keep up with changes in the industry and ensure your bachelor’s degree is highly valuable and marketable, McNeese is modernizing its music program with:

digital technology and software,
new course work in relevant topics such as commercial music, and
partnerships with the McNeese Banners organization and other venues that produce musical performances.

Guest artists from around the globe are invited each semester to teach individual lessons and hold on-site and virtual clinics. Take a look at just some of what McNeese has to offer: