Music students take both performance courses, what we call applied music,and then also the more academic courses: music history and music theory. So we have a variety of faculty obviously who specialize in each of these areas.

That’s partly why I love the Mount A music program. It’s a general degree so you get to touch a lot of different aspects of music, not just performance but also conducting, musicology, theory as well and so you can kind of go in not really knowing what you want to do and once you experience those different facets, then it gives you a better idea.

I love master classes so much, it gives us the chance to have another perspective on our pieces, not only as doing solo piano but as a collaborator.

While the Bachelor of Music does not require a minor in another area, many of our students do decide to focus their non-musical electives in a specific secondary areaIt depends really what the student’s career goals are.Peoplegoing on to an education degree will often choose a minor and then use that as a secondary teachable area whether it’s sciences or history. We’re looking for that rounded overall more liberal arts type of experience for our students.

What’s really great about this department is that we have a lot of performance opportunities because we’re so small so every week we have colloquiums where students get to perform here in Brunton and it’s a great experience.

We have so many ensembles here. This year I’m involved with the symphonic band again for the fourth year and it’s my first time playing in the university orchestra. There’s also a jazz ensemble, there’s an opera workshop and there’s two choirs and there’s the choral society.

We’re really lucky that we do have that one-on-one once a week at least for an hour and they’re even willing to give us more time, more help, more lessons.

Our faculty are very active for the most part, our performance faculty are performing concerts regularly throughout Canada. They’re active in the recording studio.

It’s a very close knit community and oftentimes going on into music it’s small musical community and you make connections here that would last a lifetime.