The Music Department's varied, challenging, and exciting program is open to Presidential Scholars in the Arts regardless of their choice of major.  Through ensemble concerts, solo performances, and musical theater, students offer the University music for intellect, entertainment, and ceremony, earning high marks for their high quality work.  PSA students compete successfully for leading roles and solos such as our annual solo competition with the GW orchestra and our annual musical production with the Department of Theatre and Dance (supported by students in the pit).  Although our full program is open to non-PSA students, scholarship students are among the leaders in performance, in academic work, and in our thriving musical community.

GW music students perform off campus in the DC area and beyond.  Our choral groups have sung recently at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, the National Cathedral, and on tour internationally (spring 2007 in Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia).  The chamber choir was the chorus for the Washington National Opera acclaimed world premiere production of Scott Wheeler's opera Democracy.  Our jazz ensembles have performed in venues such as Blues Alley, HR57, the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, and in a joint concert with American University.  Wind and brass players support the men's and women's basketball teams at home and away.  Plans for this year include our women's choir with the respected Cantate Chamber Singers and a solo and choral performance at the new Strathmore Performing Arts Center in Maryland.

All Scholars take private lessons in their chosen instrument or voice, receive priority registration for them, and (along with majors and minors) are exempt from the supplemental fees.  Some scholarship students take secondary studies, especially in piano, and may cross over between "classical" and jazz styles.  PSA students perform in ensembles ranging from duos to the large University Singers and orchestra, and most vary their performance experience over their time at GW.  Students who reach the highest level of achievement (Mus 185) perform full programs prepared with individual research and study.  PSA students who take classes usually qualify for upper-level courses with enrollments of 20 or fewer and special-topics seminars capped at 12 students.  Regardless of major, all PSA students have a music advisor for planning their work in the department.

Although not required to take a formal music program, many Scholars do so.  They distinguish themselves as music majors or minors, often doubling with another field.  Senior music majors design and complete their own independent study "capstone" projects, which have ranged from a themed concert to a philosophical and historical thesis, a composition performed by musical friends, or a multi-media art installation.  Many of the projects qualify for honors and one last year was accepted by the university-wide Enosinian Scholars Program.  We currently have music majors in graduate school at Harvard, Oxford, Yale, CUNY, and Northwestern, among other universities, doing advanced work in fields such as performance, musicology, composition, conducting, and arts administration. 

For more information on the Department of Music, please visit our web site at www.gwu.edu/~music or call us at 202-994-6245.  Email questions to gwmusic@gwu.edu.