About Us


Give to Music
Central Washington University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

Mission

  • The Department of Music is a community of artists, scholars and educators dedicated to achieving the highest standards of musical knowledge, performance and teaching.
  • The department is committed to preparing students for careers in music, providing them with the skill to become knowledgeable and confident music educators, performers, and practitioners, enabling them to enrich the lives of the communities in which they live and serve.
  • The music department also provides opportunities for the CWU students in general, to study music and to engage in artistic experiences as an essential part of their liberal arts education.
  • The CWU music department serves as a leader for K-12 music education and provides opportunities for the general public to experience music performances of the highest quality in a broad range of styles and genres.

Vision

  • The Department of Music will be recognized and respected for:
  • Its commitment to offering a challenging curriculum and for maintaining a supportive environment
  • The excellence of its student, ensemble and faculty performances in a broad range of styles and genres, and
  • The fulfillment of its motto: “Where Teaching is a Performing Art, and Performing is a Way of Life.”

Core Values

  • As a community of practicing musicians and scholars, we believe that the Department’s mission is best realized when we emphasize:
  • Students: Hold each student’s greatest good as our primary concern
  • Integrity: Provide models of the highest ethical and moral standards
  • Teaching: Deem outstanding teaching to be the most important attribute of the faculty
  • Academics: Implement a rigorous curriculum in each degree program
  • Curriculum: Regard each degree program as equally valid, with no program intrinsically superior to any other
  • Learning Environment: Create an intellectually and emotionally safe environment in which students can learn, develop and mature
  • Diversity: Respect and embrace diversity in all its forms
  • Relevance: Respond creatively and thoughtfully to the inevitable changes of the fluid society in which we live

Strategic Objectives for the CWU Music Program

Teaching and Learning

Objective: The Department will maintain and enhance academic programs and ensure student success by:

  • Preparing students for graduate schools and entry-level positions in the profession.
  • Reviewing and remodeling degrees to prepare students for an always-changing world.
  • Providing excellent advising so students succeed in all degrees.
  • Providing support to enhance faculty teaching.
  • Maintaining accreditation to demonstrate credibility in the field.

Inclusiveness and Diversity

Objective: The Department will continue to build and retain an inclusive, diverse, and outstanding musical community by:

  • Recruiting and retaining students, faculty, and staff of diverse backgrounds and capabilities that sustain high standards.
  • Maintaining and enhancing an atmosphere of inclusiveness for members of the department, the local and university community, and the underserved in the region.
  • Maintaining a balance of the different music major concentrations.
  • Using interdisciplinary degree offerings (including minors and certificate programs) as a means of attracting students and increasing diversity.

Scholarship and Creative Expression

Objective: The Department will assist students, faculty, and staff in receiving recognition for their creative and scholarly contributions to the profession by:

  • Supporting opportunities for scholarly and creative growth for faculty, students and staff.
  • Seeking and promoting means by which students, faculty, and staff may pursue scholarly and creative activities.

Public Service and Community Engagement

Objective: The Department will maintain and enhance service opportunities to connect with external communities and serve as a model for life-long learning through a variety of cultural and educational activities by:

  • Promoting student and faculty service to the profession, the university, and the community.
  • Maintaining and enhancing support for festivals, guest artists, faculty and student presentations at conferences, student and faculty touring, and publicity.
  • Maintaining and enhancing outreach into local and regional communities.

Resource Management and Stewardship

Objective: The Department will exercise responsible stewardship of its programs and facilities by:

  • Maintaining and enhancing department budgets, enrollment management, and scholarship offerings to meet department objectives.
  • Ensuring that there are adequate faculty, staff, and support to meet department objectives.
  • Ensuring that there are adequate facilities, maintenance to support facilities, upgrades to technology, and upgrades in equipment to meet department objectives.

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