Music

Overview

The CWU Horn Studio prepares you for careers in teaching, performance, and research. Through participation in brass ensembles as well as numerous solo opportunities, you will enjoy an innovative approach to your musical studies.

Explore expressive musicianship, develop a rigorous practice ethic, and pursue technical mastery of your instrument. Experienced faculty will help guide your cultivation of your musical voice and offer opportunity for you to express yourself in performance situations. Central’s horn studio provides students with immersive study, weekly lessons and multiple performance opportunities.

Experiences

With many solo, chamber, and large ensemble experiences, the performance opportunities provided by the Music Department combine well with the “learn by doing” approach offered in private lessons and studio classes.

Frequent special events, featuring regional, national, and international guest performers and ensembles augment these opportunities to provide more “real world” exposure to the challenges of musical careers. Past guests have included Frank Lloyd, Frøydis Ree Wekre, The American Horn Quartet, Arkady Shilkloper, Richard Seraphinoff, Greg Hustis, James Decker, Douglas Hill, Gail Williams, Andrew Clark, Christopher Leuba, John Cox and the Oregon Symphony horn section, among others.

Relevant coursework in CWU’s different degree programs range from strong core work in theory and history, to intensive specialized courses in brass literature and pedagogy.

Current and former horn students perform with such groups as US armed service bands, the Oregon, Walla Walla, Spokane, Yakima, Olympia, Wenatchee Valley, Mid-Columbia, and Okanagon (BC) Symphony Orchestras as well as the Tacoma Philharmonic, Issaquah Chamber Orchestra, Lake Chelan Bach Fest, Washington East Opera, Seattle Wind Symphony, Federal Way Concert Band, and the Henry Mancini Summer Institute. They've also performed for solo, natural horn, and jazz masterclasses at regional and international workshops, including International Horn Society workshops in Eugene, Banff, Kalamazoo, Denver, and San Francisco.

Audition Information

In order to study Horn at CWU, you must first audition for the music faculty. Visit our Horn Audition Requirements page for specific information on the audition process. Transfer students should visit our Transfer Student Information for Music Majors page for important transfer student considerations.

Overview

The CWU trombone studio provides you with a supportive yet competitive environment in which you can develop your artistry and educational practice. Participation in our CWU Ensembles, including wind ensembles, bands, orchestra, Jazz Ensembles and combos, as well as, brass quintets and choirs, provides you numerous opportunities to become comfortable developing the craft of musical expression.

You will be guided in the search to find your musical voice and career through the careful instruction and dedicated nurturing of a community of full-time instructors who live on campus, and whose primary objective is your success. CWU's trombone studio encompasses immersive study, weekly lessons and multiple performance opportunities.

Experiences

The trombone studio ranges in size from 18-24 music majors and is one of the largest and strongest programs in the entire Pacific Northwest Region. The Trombone area includes the CWU Trombone Choir, various trombone chamber ensembles, a jazz trombone ensemble, and the Trombone Club, a student group designed to support guest artists, trips, and group building activities for those students involved in our program.

Audition Information

In order to study Trombone at CWU, you must first audition for the music faculty. Visit our Trombone Audition Requirements page for specific information on the audition process. Transfer students should visit our Transfer Student Information for Music Majors page for important transfer student considerations.

Overview

Join the ranks of the premier trumpet students of the Northwest at Central Washington University. You will have opportunities to perform with nationally recognized directors as a member of the wind ensemble, orchestra and jazz band. There are also chamber brass groups such as student brass quintets, trumpet choir, brass choir and jazz combos. The opportunity to perform will help develop your performance and educational goals.

You will be guided in the search to find your musical voice and career through the careful instruction and dedicated nurturing of a community of full-time instructors who live on campus, and whose primary objective is your success. CWU's trumpet studio encompasses immersive study, weekly lessons and multiple performance opportunities including solo and CWU Ensembles.

Many of the graduates have gone on to accept teaching assistantships at the University of North Texas, University of Oklahoma, University of North Carolina, and the Frost School of music at the University of Miami. Recent graduates are currently serving in the army and marine bands. Many students have auditioned and been able to perform with local professional orchestras.

Relevant coursework in CWU’s different degree programs range from strong core work in theory and history, to intensive specialized courses in brass literature and pedagogy.

Experiences

The CWU Trumpet Club hosts an annual Trumpet Festival. Past guests have included “Earth Wind and Fire” trumpeter Bobby Burns, Dr. Karl Seivers - Bach Corporation’s online answer man, trumpeter/writer for Disney feature movies Nic Thorpe, Fred Powell - trumpeter and trumpet manufacturer, Larry Jess - Principal Trumpet in the Spokane Symphony, Walt Blanton -Las Vegas Freelance trumpeter and Jerry Hey, world renown trumpeter, composer, arranger for Michael Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire, and numerous other groups and soloist. 

The CWU trumpet students have annually auditioned, and have been selected to compete in, the semifinal rounds of the National Trumpet Competition (NTC) in the graduate and undergraduate solo divisions as well as the ensemble division.  The trumpet studio has been represented at NTC every year since 2002. Our trumpet students won the young artists division at the Spokane Musicfest competition numerous times.  The CWU trumpet ensemble has performed at the International Trumpet Guild’s Convention and at the William Adam International Trumpet Seminar.

Audition Information

In order to study Trumpet at CWU, you must first audition for the music faculty. Visit our Trumpet Audition Requirements page for specific information on the audition process. Transfer students should visit our Transfer Student Information for Music Majors page for important transfer student considerations. You may access Professor Harbaugh’s audio and video files archive.

Overview

The CWU Tuba/Euphonium Studio prepares you for careers in teaching, performance, and research. Through participation in brass ensembles as well as numerous solo opportunities, you will enjoy an innovative approach to your musical studies.

Explore expressive musicianship, develop a rigorous practice ethic, and pursue technical mastery of your instrument. Experienced faculty will help guide your cultivation of your musical voice and offer opportunity for you to express yourself in performance situations. Central’s tuba/euphonium studio provides students with immersive study, weekly lessons and solo and CWU Ensemble performance opportunities.

Experiences

With many solo, chamber, and large ensemble experiences, the performance opportunities provided by the Music Department combine well with the “learn by doing” approach offered in private lessons and studio classes.

Frequent special events, featuring regional, national, and international guest performers and ensembles augment these opportunities to provide more “real world” exposure to the challenges of musical careers.

Relevant coursework in CWU’s different degree programs range from strong core work in theory and history, to intensive specialized courses in tuba and euphonium literature and pedagogy.

Current and former students perform with such groups as US armed service bands, the Oregon, Walla Walla, Spokane, Yakima, Wenatchee Valley, Mid-Columbia and Okanagon (BC) Symphony Orchestras to name a few.

Audition Information

In order to study Tuba and Euphonium at CWU, you must first audition for the music faculty. Visit our Tuba and Euphonium Audition Requirements page for specific information on the audition process. Transfer students should visit our Transfer Student Information for Music Majors page for important transfer student considerations.