Bachelor of Music in Musical Arts - Guitar
Deciding where to
study is one of the hardest decisions a young guitarist ever makes. You need an
environment that both nurtures and challenges, an artistic atmosphere to
inspire, and facilities that reflect and serve your ambition in order to
develop your talents to their fullest capabilities.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University Bachelor of Music in Musical Arts (Guitar) degree has a dynamic and
adventurous curriculum, which has earned a strong reputation for treasuring and building upon the traditions
of Western Classical music,
with exploration and experimentation of ideas outside classical boundaries,
helping you carve out your own professional or personal path and gain the
skills and experience necessary to achieve your goals.
The Bachelor of Music in Musical Arts (Guitar) degree realises an environment of the creation, performance, and study of music that is innovative, opportunistic, and broad in scope. Training covers all aspects of music, enabling you to enter the music profession equipped with the “tools of the trade.”
Prospective students for the Bachelor of Music in Musical Arts (Guitar) degree already possess significant experience and training in music. All applicants have achieved a minimum standard equivalent to Royal Conservatory of Music Grade VI. (See Audition Requirements For BMMA - Guitar Degree Below)
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS FOR BMMA - GUITAR
To be eligible to enter the BMMA program, guitar applicants must be able to demonstrate the following skills:
- Perform two solo guitar pieces of different periods, contrasting style, tempo, and technique (minimum level equivalent to Royal Conservatory of Music Grade VI).
- Play one guitar etude or study.
- Demonstrate practical knowledge of major, harmonic and melodic minor scales (two octaves) up to and including four sharps and four flats.
- Chromatic scale: 2 octaves - A to a'.
- I-IV-V7-I chord progression in major and minor keys up to and including four sharps and two flats. Chords may be fingered in open and/or closed positions.
- The ability to sight-reading melodies and simply accompaniment in first through fifth positions on the fretboard.
(Note: All auditions must be played on a nylon-string guitar)
EXAMPLES OF REPERTOIRE APPROPRIATE FOR ENTRY INTO THE FIRST YEAR OF THE BMMA PROGRAM – GUITAR CONCENTRATION
- Pavane III – Luis Milán
- Bourrée (From Lute Suite BMV 996) – Johann Sebastian Bach
- Divertimento – Mauro Giuliani
- Waltz – José Ferrer
- Adelita (Mazurka) – Francisco Tárrega
- So Unusual – Caról van Feggelen
- Chicago Style Blues – William Beauvais
- Moderato, Opus 35, No. 17 – Fernando Sor
- Etude, Opus 100, No. 12 – Mauro Giuliani
- Etudes simples, No. 6 – Leo Brouwer
- Lesson 18, Las cuartas lecciones – Julio Sagreras
- Prelude No. 4, Cinq preludes – Heitor Villa-Lobos
How to Apply
APPLICATIONSEXAMPLES OF REPERTOIRE APPROPRIATE FOR ENTRY INTO THE FIRST YEAR OF THE BMMA PROGRAM – GUITAR PERFORMANCE
- Allemande (From Lute Suite BMV 996) – Johann Sebastian Bach
- Ciacona – Silvius Leopold Weiss
- Mazurka en sol – Francisco Tårrega
- Caprichio arabe – Francisco Tarrega
- Granada – Isaac Albeniz
- Julia Florida – Augustin Barrios Mangore
- Vals Venezolano, No. 3 – Antonio Lauro
- Danza caracteristica – Leo Brouwer
- Allegretto moderato, Opus 6, No. 11 – Fernando Sor
- Allegro, Opus 60, No. 20 – Matteo Carcassi
- Etude No. 1, Douze
etudes – Heitor Villa-Lobos
Students must provide, at the time of the interview, ONE EXTRA COPY of the music they will be performing.
How to Apply
APPLICATIONSQUALIFYING COURSES FOR GUITAR
"If you lack a solid foundation, you compromise the entire structure.... In fact, nearly every difficulty you face in your chosen training can be traced to skipping steps in the past—to weaknesses in your foundation." — Dan Millman
Applicants who demonstrate musical talent but have not established a thorough grounding in the practical skills and knowledge of the guitar at the appropriate level (i.e., equivalent to Royal Conservatory of Music Grade VI) may be permitted to undertake qualifying studies (MUSI 1105 & 1205) to upgrade specific musical and technical skills.
If you
have no formal training, applicants may still be considered if you can
demonstrate an appropriate level of musical knowledge, skill, and literacy. All
applicants will be tested/interviewed at the audition to ascertain this.
MUSI 1105 - MAJOR INSTRUMENT – FOUNDATION I
MUSI 1205 - MAJOR INSTRUMENT – FOUNDATION II
To be eligible to register for these courses, students must be able to demonstrate the following skills:
- Basic music reading abilities (sight-reading modern music notation in 1st position).
- Basic knowledge of major, minor, and pentatonic scales.
- Practical knowledge of common major, minor and dominant seventh chords.
- Perform two pieces of contrasting style, learned from written music, minimum level equivalent to Royal Conservatory of Music Grade IV.
- Perform one study or etude, minimum level equivalent to Royal Conservatory of Music Grade IV
(Note: Auditions must be played on
a nylon-string or an acoustic guitar)
EXAMPLES OF THE MUSICAL AND TECHNICAL
LEVEL OF THE REPERTOIRE TO QUALIFY TO REGISTER FOR MUSI 1105 – FOUNDATION I
- Lágrima – Francisco Tárrega
- Choros – Domingo Semenzato
- Der Fuggerin Tanz – Melchior Neusidler
- Mrs. Winter's Jump – John Dowland
- Petite valse des cinq cordes – Francis Kleynjans
- Allegretto, Opus 50, No. 22 – Mauro Giuliani
- Andante, Opus 35, No. 13 – Fernando Sor
- Etudes Simples, No. 5 – Leo Brouwer
- Rondo, Opus 241, No. 34 Ferdinando Carulli
Students must provide, at the time
of the interview, ONE EXTRA COPY of the music they will be performing.
How to Apply
APPLICATIONSTRANSFER STUDENTS
In addition to the general admission requirements to Kwantlen, students from another institution wishing to transfer into the second or third year of the BMMA (Guitar) degree program are expected to prepare the following:
Second
Year Admission
Students wishing to transfer into second year should prepare to play three pieces of contrasting style and tempo as well as two studies (or etudes), one focusing in on the right-hand and the other on the left-hand. The musical and technical difficulty of the pieces should be a minimum level equivalent to Royal Conservatory of Music Grade VII. Applicants should also be able to play major, harmonic and melodic minor scales (two octaves) up to and including four sharps and four flats.
Third Year Admission
Students wishing to transfer into third year of the BMMA degree program should prepare to play a twenty minute program of contrasting styles and tempos. Applicants should also be able to play major, harmonic and melodic minor scales (two & three octaves) up to and including four sharps and four flats.
Third Year
Admission - Performance
Students
wishing to transfer into third year of the BMMA degree as a Performance Major should prepare
to play a forty-five minute program of contrasting styles and tempos, and ideally incorporating one
multi-movement composition or suite. Applicants should also be able to play major,
harmonic and melodic minor scales (two & three octaves) up to and including
four sharps and four flats.
PLACEMENT TESTS
A student entering the BMMA program must have an understanding of all elements of music in order to benefit fully from the courses offered. Therefore, all applicants to this program must take a placement test prior to being recommended for admission. The test is usually written on the same day as the audition.
The placement test is designed to determine a student's knowledge and ability in the areas of aural skills, music theory, and music history. The results of the test are used to help place students in the appropriate course of studies. An applicant may be admitted with deficiencies in musical knowledge, provided such deficiencies are made-up and the necessary standards met in later testing.
Applicants may be exempt from the placement test if they have achieved good
scores on recent Royal Conservatory or Western Board theory examinations, Grade
3 or higher. Transcripts of these results should be sent directly to the
Department of Music.
COURSES FOR GUITAR
MUSI 1105 / 1205 -
MAJOR INSTRUMENT – FOUNDATION I & II
Students will work on the interpretation and performance of repertoire, and on developing
the musical understanding, technical skills, and sight-reading abilities that
will prepare them to undertake advanced studies.
MUSI 1157
– 4857 – MAJOR INSTRUMENT - CONCENTRATION
A series
of courses exploring the repertoire of the classical and acoustic guitar.
During the course of study, a student is required to learn a progressive series
of works from five historical periods: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical,
Romantic and Contemporary. Students are expected to develop musicianship
(including phrasing, dynamic range, style, articulation, and tone production)
and technique.
MUSI 1156
– 4856 – MAJOR INSTRUMENT - PERFORMANCE
A series
of courses for Guitar Performance Majors that explore the repertoire of the
classical guitar. During the course of study, a student is required to learn compositions
from five historical periods: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and
Contemporary. In third and fourth years, students are expected to present half and
full recitals respectively.
MUSI 1133/1233 – FRETBOARD STUDIES I & II
Students will develop a full knowledge of the harmonic and melodic capabilities
of the guitar fretboard. They will study fretboard harmony (using four-note
chord voicings), scales, arpeggios, and will cultivate music reading skills in
lower, intermediate, & upper positions.
MUSI 1171 - 4871 – GUITAR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
This course will focus on the rehearsal and performance of literature written
or transcribed for the classical and acoustic guitar. The development of
performance and ensemble skills, as well as sight-reading skills will be
central to this course. The repertoire will encompass many different periods
and styles of classical music from early Renaissance through to the 20th
century and may include compositions from other idioms.
MUSI 3113 - SOCIAL HISTORY OF THE GUITAR
Students will survey the history and repertoire of the guitar as a means to
understand how people of other times and places interpreted human experience,
and how these beliefs and values affected music creation and expression. They
will also use examples of guitar music from both history and our own time to
explore long-standing debates and fundamental issues regarding the role of
music in society.
MUSI 3533 - ACOUSTIC GUITAR STYLES
Students will examine selected styles of guitar playing, such as flamenco, Celtic, world music, fingerstyle steel-string, Latin/South American, or fingerstyle jazz and blues. They will utilize audio and digital presentations as well as personal instruction to gain basic skills in each style.
