Music
At A Glance
Whether you want to perform in our ensembles, pursue a career in music, or both, a Carthage music education will help you reach new heights.
Majors
-
Bachelor of Arts in Music
- Emphasis in Vocal Performance
- Emphasis in Instrumental Performance
- Emphasis in Piano Pedagogy
- Emphasis in Music Composition
- Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano
- Bachelor of Music in Music Education
Minor
- Music
Interdisciplinary Emphasis
More Resources
Ready To Take the Next Step?
Recognizing that the study of music is essential to the full realization of human creativity and expression, the Music Department creates challenging opportunities for students that advance musical excellence and foster lifelong musical engagement.
Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the Carthage program will challenge you to accelerate your musical progression and forge a lifelong connection with music. You’ll grow by performing in choral or instrumental concerts, musicals, and operas while interacting with talented professors and world-class guest artists and conductors.
Performance Opportunities
Carthage students are actively involved in music-making and learning through participation in ensembles and workshops. Carthage offers five choral ensembles, two wind bands, a philharmonic orchestra, a jazz ensemble, a pep band, and many other small ensemble experiences. Carthage also presents yearly Main Stage musicals and operas, as well as musical theatre and opera workshops.
- <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,407,460/36510_Nathan.rev.1670519367.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,407,460/36510_Nathan.rev.1670519367.webp 2x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,407,460/36510_Nathan.rev.1670519367.jpg 2x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,407,460/36510_Nathan.rev.1670519367.jpg" alt="Nathan Koehlert ?24" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,407,460/36510_Nathan.rev.1670519367.jpg 2x" data-max-w="407" data-max-h="460" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “I recommend majoring in music performance because you get to learn how to become a better musician, not just in singing or playing your instrument — you also get to learn how to conduct.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2219-nathan-koehlert">Nathan Koehlert</a> ’24</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
- <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1840,2760/37361_7150_163701665847155.rev.1679618195.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1840,2760/37361_7150_163701665847155.rev.1679618195.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1840,2760/37361_7150_163701665847155.rev.1679618195.webp 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1840,2760/37361_7150_163701665847155.rev.1679618195.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1840,2760/37361_7150_163701665847155.rev.1679618195.jpg 3x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1840,2760/37361_7150_163701665847155.rev.1679618195.jpg" alt="Adam Blackwood" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1840,2760/37361_7150_163701665847155.rev.1679618195.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1840,2760/37361_7150_163701665847155.rev.1679618195.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1840" data-max-h="2760" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “I chose Carthage because I was amazed by how friendly and welcoming it felt when auditioning for the music scholarships. Even after committing, I still felt welcomed by the music staff.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2347-adam-blackwood">Adam Blackwood</a> ’24</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
- <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/89/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,20,300,320/36785_IMG_1401.rev.1674770877.webp 1x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/89/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,20,300,320/36785_IMG_1401.rev.1674770877.JPG 1x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/89/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,20,300,320/36785_IMG_1401.rev.1674770877.JPG" alt="Emily Halfmann" width="183" height="183" data-max-w="300" data-max-h="300" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “You are not a number at Carthage. The smaller programs allow you to form relationships with your peers, faculty, and staff that help you to learn and grow in a way that works best for you.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2244-">Emily Halfmann</a> ’25</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
- <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,374,499/406_KatiannNelson.rev.1638389814.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,374,499/406_KatiannNelson.rev.1638389814.webp 2x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,374,499/406_KatiannNelson.rev.1638389814.jpg 2x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,374,499/406_KatiannNelson.rev.1638389814.jpg" alt="" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/88/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,374,499/406_KatiannNelson.rev.1638389814.jpg 2x" data-max-w="374" data-max-h="499" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “The Music Department has a lot of opportunities to travel and to perform a wide range of repertoire. And the faculty is incredible.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/455-katiann-nelson">Katiann Nelson</a> ’22</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
- <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/127/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,616,719/36565_Avery_Morris_24.rev.1671038352.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/127/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,616,719/36565_Avery_Morris_24.rev.1671038352.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/127/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,616,719/36565_Avery_Morris_24.rev.1671038352.webp 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/127/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,616,719/36565_Avery_Morris_24.rev.1671038352.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/127/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,616,719/36565_Avery_Morris_24.rev.1671038352.jpg 3x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/127/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,616,719/36565_Avery_Morris_24.rev.1671038352.jpg" alt="Avery Morris ?24" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/127/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,616,719/36565_Avery_Morris_24.rev.1671038352.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/127/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,616,719/36565_Avery_Morris_24.rev.1671038352.jpg 3x" data-max-w="616" data-max-h="719" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “One thing about Carthage that I love is the smaller classes, so I really get to know my professors.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2229-avery-morris">Avery Morris</a> ’24</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
Our Prestigious Faculty
Carthage music faculty members hold advanced degrees from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions. Faculty include some of the finest performer-teachers in the Milwaukee-Chicago urban corridor. Many perform or have performed with the Lyric Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, or Chicago Civic Orchestra.
Learn from World-Class Performers
Music students learn through personal interactions with faculty and guest musicians. Musicians who have visited Carthage include
- Opera singers Nicole Cabell and Dean Peterson ’75
- Voice specialist Donald Miller
- Steinway Artist Stephen Swedish
- “Lion King ” actor Tonoccus McClain
- Voice pedagogist Keith Bozeman
- Violinist Frank Almond
- Composers Rollo Dilworth, Jocelyn Hagen, Libby Larsen, Jonathan Newman, Alex Shapiro, Frank Ticheli, and Eric Whitacre
- The Aspen Ensemble, Fifth House Ensemble, Manhattan Brass, Ying Quartet, and Zemlinsky Quartet.
Easy access to world-class performances in Milwaukee and Chicago further extend the Carthage learning experience. Touring opportunities include the Midwestern states, Japan, South America, and Europe.
Academic Choice
Carthage offers a Bachelor of Arts in Music with emphases in music education, performance, and piano pedagogy, as well as a bachelor of arts with an emphasis in music theatre. Students interested in pursuing a music major or minor are required to audition for acceptance to the program. The College offers scholarships to music majors, minors, and non-majors by audition. Those auditions will take place in February.