Music Department

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Larry B. Schou, Chairperson
114 Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts
(605) 677-5274
lschou@usd.edu

FACULTY:

Professors: 

Richard Rognstad, Low Strings, Orchestra, String Methods
Larry Schou, Organ, Harpsichord, World Music
Susanne Skyrm, Studio & Class Piano, Piano Literature

Associate Professors: 

Darlene Fett, Music Education
Susan Keith Gray, Studio & Class Piano, Rawlins Piano Trio, Piano Pedagogy
Christopher Kocher, Saxophone & Woodwinds, Theory, Jazz Studies
David Moskowitz, Musicology, Coordinator of Graduate Music Studies
Rolf Olson, Trumpet, Brass Choir, Jazz Studies, Marching Band, Pep Band
Gary Reeves, Horn, Instrumental Methods Classes, Bands, Electronic Music
John Thomson, Violin and Viola, Chamber Orchestra, Rawlins Piano Trio
Steven Sudduth, Low Brass, Director of Bands
Stephen Yarbrough, Composition, Electronic Music, Music Theory

Assistant Professors: 

Marie-Elaine Gagnon, Cello, Chamber Orchestra, Rawlins Piano Trio
Paul Hindemith, Voice, Solo Vocal Literature and Technique, Opera Workshop
Aidan Soder, Voice, Diction
Darin Wadley, Percussion, Percussion Ensemble, Marching Band Drumline

MAJOR: MUSIC EDUCATION, B.M.
MAJOR: MUSIC PERFORMANCE, B.M.
MAJOR: MUSICAL ARTS, B.M.A.
MINOR: MUSIC

Established in 1887, the Department of Music was one of the first formal departments created by the founders of USD. The Department of Music has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music since 1953. The department is also accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Our faculty members are internationally active through research projects and performances to help us bring the most current information back to the classroom.

The mission of the Department of Music at The University of South Dakota is to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to become professional musicians—performers, educators, scholars, and life-long learners. Students are provided opportunities for musical development, leadership development, and personal enrichment through mentored performances, classroom studies, individual instruction, and guided research.

The Department of Music offers undergraduate degrees in Music Education, Music Performance, and Musical Arts and graduate degrees with specialization in Music Education, Music Performance, Music History, or the History of Musical Instruments. These programs are realized, in part, through outstanding research opportunities using the resources of the internationally renowned National Music Museum and I.D. Weeks Library, located on The University of South Dakota campus. They are further enhanced by world class faculty members committed to excellence in teaching, research, performance, and service. Through this extraordinary combination of factors, the Department of Music maintains its role as a cultural leader in the region.

All music majors must audition for entrance in to the program. Students seeking a music scholarship will use that audition process as meeting the requirement. Any student not seeking a music scholarship or any student applying after the scholarship process is complete should contact the Chair of the Department of Music or the appropriate faculty member in the area of study to set up an audition. A late audition may take place during the summer months or at the beginning of the semester.

All music majors must receive a letter grade of “C” or better in every music class for it to count towards graduation requirements. Music Education majors must also receive a grade of “C” or better in education classes as well. If a student receives a “D” or “F” in a music class or an education class, that class must be retaken.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Music Scholarships are open to all music majors, minors, and participants unless otherwise indicated.
Usher & Barnes Abell Music Scholarships (Strings)
GeLoris Akland Music Scholarships (Keyboard)
Elizabeth Kathryn Ames Music Scholarship
Ronald O. Barkl Memorial Scholarships
Begeman/Griffith Scholarships (Instrumental Music Education)
Mary Ellen Stanley Beukelman Scholarships
Matthew P. & Maria Brzica Music Scholarships
Ray DeVilbiss Band Scholarships (Band)
David Eyres Band Scholarship (Band)
Joe Gullion Memorial Scholarships (Band)
Ethel Gunderson Vocal Scholarships (Voice)
Louise Hansen Music Scholarships (Voice)
Murrell F. Kautz Music Scholarships 
Arne B. & Jeanne F. Larson Music Scholarships (Woodwinds)
Robert C. & Leona P. Marek Scholarships (Strings)
Jack L. Noble Music Scholarships (Organ)
Marjorie Townsley Rawlins Music Scholarships (Strings and Keyboard)
Deborah and Gary Reeves Scholarships (Clarinet and Horn)
Ringley Music Scholarships 
L & R Music Scholarships (Strings)
John & Genevieve Truran Music Scholarships (Keyboard)
J. Laiten Weed Music Scholarships (Strings)
Wilson/Streim/Barkl Music Scholarships (Voice) 

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