Music
West Chester University of Pennsylvania School of Music (SOM) has a long tradition of excellence. Fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the SOM’s music education program is among the finest in the nation while performance programs have earned acclaim from reviewers.

With 450 undergraduate and 100 graduate majors, the SOM provides both comprehensive instruction and personal attention. As the only School of Music in the State System of Higher Education, and because of its excellent reputation, demand for admission is high. The incoming class has grown by 25 percent over the past five years, even though only one applicant in four is granted admission to the school.

Music faculty — more than 60 strong — are outstanding mentors with wide-ranging expertise and distinguished credentials as performers, composers, and teachers. Complementing the outstanding faculty and curriculum is an array of remarkable performance opportunities. For example, the University’s 275-member marching band is among the nation’s finest, while the “Criterions” are the longest continuously operating jazz ensemble in the nation.

Nearly all of the SOM’s 5,000 graduates enjoy successful careers in music teaching and performance, and many assume leadership roles in the profession. WCU trains more music teachers than any other university in the Commonwealth.

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Theatre
WCU maintains an outstanding theatre program featuring faculty with varied professional and regional theatre experiences, and a tradition of leadership in national theatre organizations. Through outreach activities such as the High School Theatre Festival and Traveling Players, the department provides students with opportunities to experience the exhilaration of performance and to value service.

Each year, Department of Theatre productions attract 10,000 people to campus and feature more than 200 students in acting and technical roles. The department has received honors and awards including invitations to perform plays at the prestigious Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Since its inception in 1994, the department has doubled its enrollment to 100 students. Graduates have found opportunities in professional theatre as well as law, business, and education.

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Dance
By incorporating dance into a variety of health science professions, the WCU dance program gives students opportunities to participate in and view dance as an educational tool, recreational activity, and performing art. WCU offers a dance minor as well as the option for students to perform with the University’s Contemporary Dance Company and Dance Production Workshop. In addition, a joint degree/certification program allows students to train in classical dance with the Brandywine Ballet Company while earning their undergraduate degree at WCU.

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Art
For nearly a century, art has been critical to WCU’s commitment to the visual and performing arts. Enrollment in the art program exceeds 200 students, and more than 500 non-majors take art courses each year. In addition to studios and instructional space, the department maintains two professional galleries for traveling exhibitions, including national, regional, and student shows. Typically, the annual shows draw thousands of visitors to the art galleries. Most program graduates enter careers in design or education, or they pursue graduate study.

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Community Partnerships
WCU offers the surrounding community an extensive calendar of cultural arts performances that attract 60,000 people to campus each year. Programs range from classical symphonies and contemporary dance to noted lecturers and children’s theatre. Maya Angelou, the Vienna Choir Boys, Jon Faddis from the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and Philadanco are among recent performers.

Also, the University supports community arts by offering venues and visibility to groups such as the Brandywine Ballet Company, Kennett Symphony, and the Gilbert & Sullivan Society. Providing an affordable home to these organizations raises the region’s quality of life while enhancing students’ educational experiences.

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