Academic Program Review SUMMARY*
Department under review:_Music______________________________
Date self-study received in Dean’s office: May 2013
Date of external consultant’s review: May 26, 2010 (report), July 3, 2012 (NASM accreditation
letter)
Date APR received report: August 2013
APR’S summary of self-study (first two boxes must be completed)
APR’s summary of how the academic program attempts to reach its goals and objectives
and the extent to which those goals and objectives have been achieved.
The primary objective of the Music Department is to “deliver a curriculum appropriate for Music
Majors and Minors and to provide courses for the general student population”. It successfully
accomplishes this objective by using a mix of full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty to offer a
broad range of classes, in compliance with their accrediting agency, that provide majors and
minors with a variety of degree options in Music and Music Education. The department averages
28 graduates each year, with around 7 of those being Music Education majors. The department
also offers six different general education courses from two categories, and a number of
ensembles that are also open to non-majors thus serving a large number of students from other
disciplines.
Another goal of the Department is to serve as a cultural center for the University and the local
community. To this end, the Department supports a variety of ensembles that perform
throughout the school year, holds an annual concert with several area high school concert choirs
and sponsors several music festivals. The Department continues to advocate for a large concert
hall, which would be a great addition toward achieving this goal.
APR’s comments including:
Notable Strengths
1. Diverse curriculum, which includes one-on-one instruction with talented faculty;
2. Numerous enrichment opportunities, including diverse performance ensembles and
international student exchange programs;
3. Outreach with community;
4. Greater than 98% placement of music education graduates in public school positions;
5. Well defined student learning outcomes and good assessment plan.
Notable Weaknesses
1. High credit load for Music Education majors;
2. Dependence on supplemental funding from college, university and particularly
segregated fees (SUFAC) for equipment, uniforms and instruments;
3. Lack of a large concert hall.
APR comments on any/all of the six specific components of the self-study (if applicable)
Self Study: Purposes
The Music Department serves three different populations: 1) Music majors and minors through a
diverse curriculum that has been approved by the national accrediting agency and by providing
them with numerous performance opportunities; 2) the general student population through a
variety of General Education courses and performance opportunities in various ensembles; and 3)
the community by serving as a cultural center through a variety of events including performances,
festivals, workshops and camps.
Self Study: Curriculum
The Department of Music offers the following degree programs:
• Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Music with emphases in:
◦ Music History,
◦ Music Theory,
◦ Jazz Performance,
◦ Piano Pedagogy, or
◦ Music Theatre (with a required Theater minor);
• Bachelor of Science in Music Education (Teacher Certification Programs) with emphases in:
◦ General Music,
◦ Choral Music, or
◦ Instrumental Music;
• Music Minor or Music Theatre Minor.
The Music Department offers a broad range of curricular experiences, including lecture, lab,
studio, rehearsal, and research, in compliance with their accrediting agency, the National
Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Some of the distinctive features of the program are the
following: it offers opportunities for the education students to learn innovative approaches to
general music; it offers experiences in music in a native folk tradition (Korean percussion); it has
15 different ensemble groups to provide performance experience; it presents different concert
experiences such as the New Music Festival and Festival of Three Choirs; it actively provides
local and state community services (e.g., Summer Vocal Jazz Camp for high school students,
UW‐L Jazzfest, Vocal Jazzfest, and serves as a site for the WSMA solo and ensemble event);
and it has a number of student international exchange programs, including a recently initiated one
in Frankfurt, Germany.
The department recognizes that it needs to continuously work with the School of Education to
improve advising and to prepare for changes in the near future (e.g., Department of Public
Instruction (DPI) licensure requirement of the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA)). The
department intends to re-evaluate its curriculum since the minimum number of credits to graduate
with a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Music Education/ Music emphasis is 145, which
is considerably more than the typical 120. Unfortunately, this excess credit load is mainly due to
DPI licensure requirements, so there are limited options for decreasing credits. A future possibility
is creating a more expedient Bachelor of Music degree, rather than a Bachelor of Arts or Science,
but this would entail getting an exemption from the general education program.
Self Study: Assessment of Student Learning & Degree of Program Success
Each of the degrees/emphases has well laid out student learning outcomes based upon those
set out by their accrediting body, NASM. Assessment of these learning outcomes includes
embedded assignments (particularly for their general education classes), entrance auditions
followed by performance juries throughout the curriculum, standardized Praxis exam for Music
Education majors and indirect measures such as placing greater than 98% of their music
education graduates in public school positions, and accomplishments such as students reaching
the finals in the Metropolitan Opera Guild competitions and becoming performers on state and
national levels (American Idol, Chanhassen Dinner Theater). Documented changes have been
made to the curricula, requirements and advising based on the results from their assessment. In
the future, a clearer linkage between specific assessment results and changes made should be
documented.
Self Study: Previous Academic Program Review and New Program Initiatives
The previous APR report recommended that (1) the Music Department and the School of
Education continue working on advising, admissions and credit policies for music education
students; (2) they explore fund raising in collaboration with the college and School of Arts and
Communication to make a new concert hall a priority; (3) they work on recruiting high profile
teachers for specialty instruments to justify requesting an increase in the adjunct budget; and (4)
they improve mentoring and support of the junior faculty.
Since the last program review, the Department has worked with the School of Education (SoE)
and made significant changes to advising, such as assigning Music Education majors one Music
and one SoE advisor, creating a consistent course rotation for Music Education students and
combining the three tracks into two and reducing credits in the program. They have also created a
Music Department student handbook for all of their majors.
There has been little progress made toward the new concert hall and there was no mention of
efforts in recruiting high profile teachers for specialty instruments. The department has, however,
made an effort to better mentor its latest hires and has plans to include a formal mentoring plan in
the department bylaws.
There have been several new program initiatives. One is the new emphasis in Music Theater
that has attracted an influx of talented students from WI and MN. The Department has also been
working with Admissions to improve recruitment and admissions to the program, and planning to
develop a Music Business Emphasis & Music Business minor. In addition, two faculty members
were awarded a CLS grant to develop a writing in the major program (WIMP) for the department.
Self Study: Personnel
The Department of Music currently consists of 9 tenure-track faculty positions, seven tenured
and two tenure-track. The department anticipates a retirement in the next 5 years and so will need
to look at their long range needs to plan for hiring this position. The department also has 6
academic staff, 6 adjunct faculty, and 2 classified staff. The faculty and staff bring diverse
specializations and interests, such as jazz, brass, marching band, music technology, music theory,
music history, numerous applied instruments, and chorus. They are involved in various
scholarship and service activities, which include (1) Fulbright scholarships, (2) sabbaticals, (3)
College of Liberal Studies grants, (4) presentations at national, state and regional conferences, (5)
international and national travel grants, (6) publications of articles, compositions and musical
methods, and (7) performances at the regional and national level.
Self Study: Support for Achieving Academic Program Goals (Resources)
The Department of Music has major concerns in this area. In terms of physical facilities, there is
a need to renovate and improve facilities in the Center for the Arts. The lack of a large concert
hall, as well as acoustical issues, have been particular concerns. Maintaining and upgrading
infrastructures, such as electrical, data, and lighting, is also needed.
The department base budget has not increased over the period of this review. With the support
of the College of Liberal Studies and the University, however, the department has updated or
replaced some equipment, including a new Steinway piano (2009), lab modernization of CFA 141
(2010), new iMacs, software and networking in CFA 232, keyboard/CAI lab (2012), new iMacs,
software and networking in CFA 145, listening lab (2012), networked printer/copiers (2012), and
humidifier/dehumidifiers for the instructional and practice pianos. (2012). Additionally, the
Segregated University Fee Allocation Committee (SUFAC) has supplied some funding for
equipment, uniforms and instruments. While the department acknowledges improvements in
supplies and equipment due to these supplemental funding sources, the department continuously
has to deal with the use of and replacement of music stands, chairs, risers, and other equipment
that gets heavy usage for rehearsals and performances by UW-L students as well as external
organizations. The department has established user fees for the external groups to help fund
replacement costs. These fees and support from sponsors for various events are the only
external funds received by the department.
External Reviewer Recommendations
APR’s Comments on External Reviewer (if applicable)
The initial report from the NASM reviewers identified a number of program strengths including an
experienced chair, a diverse, experienced faculty that cooperates well, support from the
administration, generally good facilities (excluding the lack of a sizable concert hall), a rich variety
of large ensembles, and numerous enrichment experiences for the students. They also provided
some recommendations for short-term improvement in the areas of technology/electronic media
resources, the department mission and by-laws, recruitment, course rotation, and vocal diction
and pedagogy. Suggestions for long-term development included engaging in a strategic planning
process and a comprehensive curricular analysis, stabilizing the budget for large-scale capital
expenditures to aid in long term planning, possibly adding a staff position in facilities/concert
management and promotion, and working more with the Department of Educational Studies on
course offerings and student advising. The external reviewers from NASM did have some
concerns as to whether the department was in compliance with several standards. The
compliance concerns included governance, facilities, published materials concerning the university
and music department, providing opportunities to experience broad range of repertory, essential
pedagogical skills sufficient to teach voice, current technologies and acquiring a rudimentary
capacity to create derivative or original music.
Department’s response to the Reviewer Recommendations
APR’s Comments on the Department’s Response (if applicable)
The Music Department was able to clarify and provide more information regarding the standards
the NASM reviewers had indicated that they were unsure if the department was in compliance. For
instance, the use of Valhalla as a concert venue was explained to be adequate for some
performances and other large concert spaces such as at Viterbo University will be rented as
needed. The department does, however, intend to continue to advocate for a new large concert
hall on campus. The department response to NASM cleared up most of the issues and the
program received its accreditation, although an additional progress report, due June 2014, has
been requested that is to address issues concerning providing the students and faculty with
information about health and safety issues of importance to musicians - hearing, vocal, and
musculoskeletal health and injury prevention.
Dean’s Letter
APR’s Comments on Dean’s Letter (if applicable)
The Dean's letter addressed the report from the NASM reviewers and the response and required
actions of the department. The Dean agreed with the strengths cited in the report and noted that
some of the suggested improvements are being worked on by the department and a few have
already been completed such as the bylaw revision. One point noted by the Dean, that was not
prominent elsewhere, is that the lack of a large concert hall has sometimes required rental of other
spaces and that plus the associated transportation and labor costs has made this solution
expensive to the department and college. The Dean, therefore, feels the addition and renovation
of the Center for the Arts (which includes the concert hall) is essential. The need for student
scholarships to aid in recruitment and the lack of any progress toward the development of a Music
Business Emphasis and Music Business minor was also noted.
APR’s Recommendations (must be completed)
Recommendations:
1. Continue to provide a broad curriculum, with one-on-one instruction and numerous, diverse
ensembles;
2. Investigate the Bachelor of Music degree, particularly with respect to the impact on Music
Education majors and their overall credit requirements;
3. Carefully investigate the addition of a Music Business major and minor, with respect to
demand/interest, resources required, new course development, additional instructor load,
and how it fits in the department’s overall strategic plan;
4. The Department should continue to make a strong case for a large concert hall.
X No serious areas to address – review in next regularly scheduled cycle
□ Some areas to address – review in next regularly scheduled cycle
□ Some areas to address – department should submit short report on progress to Faculty
Senate/Provost’s Office in 3 years
* APR’s report to faculty senate will consist of this completed form in electronic form.