Why Baylor School of Music?

Shine Bright at Baylor

About Us

The Baylor University School of Music provides transformational experiences that prepare students for careers in music. Our students thrive in a Christian environment characterized by a nurturing resident faculty, an unwavering pursuit of musical excellence, a global perspective, dedication to service, and devotion to faith.

Conveniently Located

Nestled on the banks of the Brazos River, Baylor University’s 1,000-acre campus is located in Central Texas (Waco, Texas) making it conveniently located. Waco is approximately 90 miles from large metropolitan areas including Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston.

Small campus, big on community

Once you step foot on Baylor’s picturesque campus you immediately feel a sense of connection and community. Students genuinely care for their peers, and faculty members form life-long nurturing bonds with students.

Faculty is Family

With a 5:1 student-teacher ratio it’s not hard to believe the strong connection our faculty form with each and every student. Students are given individual attention with faculty who also act as advisors and assist with getting assistantships and internships with ensembles and opera companies. We understand that no one can take place of mom or dad but our faculty strive to come close while students are away from home.

Award-winning Ensembles

Upon arrival, students may not be aware of how many ensembles we have and that’s okay. The School of Music has 19 ensembles including orchestras, bands, choirs, opera, jazz, chamber music, early music, hand bells and many more. Our prestigious ensembles are made up of freshman through seniors and graduate students so there are ample opportunities for students to try different ones throughout the course of their college careers.

Small Class Sizes

Students benefit from small class sizes in the School of Music which leads to more personal attention from our faculty. In addition, our music majors’ study exclusively with our faculty members.

Within Our Walls

Baylor University’s School of Music is housed in two separate buildings; the historic Waco Hall and Glennis McCrary Music Building. We own and operate four performance halls, composition facilities, practice rooms, Crouch Music Library and the Music Education Resource Center (MERC). The School of Music has additional performance spaces outside our buildings including Armstrong Browning Foyer and Armstrong Browning Treasure Room both located in the historic Armstrong Browning Library. Students studying composition may utilize our two electroacoustic music studios (one 8-channel and one 2-channel) and our publishing lab for editing, printing, binding, and packaging compositions. Our facilities house 192 pianos, including six Steinway concert grand pianos and 36 digital pianos, six pipe organs, five harpsichords, two analog synthesizers, one Hammond C3 organ, and one fortepiano.

Golden Opportunities

Our students not only have the opportunity to perform in our national award-winning ensembles, they also receive multiple opportunities to perform in solo environments, televised events, and in world-renowned concert halls across the country. Solo opportunities include the Concerto Competition whose winner performs with the Baylor Symphony and Semper Pro Musica Solo and Chamber Music Competition whose winning students go to New York City for free to perform in Carnegie Hall.

Careers Abound

Music Education majors seeking teaching positions have a 100 percent job placement rate since 2001. Our students have gone on to pursue careers as faculty in more than 70 institutions, on Broadway, in numerous churches across the globe and also have been accepted into advanced degree programs at many of our nation’s finest universities.  Our alumni hold prestigious positions of music and professional leadership nationally and internationally. University presidents, conservatory deans, academic leaders, music critics, music and recording industry executives, church music artists, legendary music entrepreneurs, award-winning composers, and honored conductors underscore the diversity of fields in which our graduates excel.

Pack Your Bags

Travel is a major character-building experience for our students and enhances their college involvement. They have the opportunity to travel through international missions, with ensembles, for master classes, and for summer internships.

Enhanced Education

In addition to the mentoring and teachings of our highly-regarded faculty, the School of Music welcomes internationally acclaimed professionals from various fields of music to the Baylor campus through its Lyceum and Distinguished Artist Series. These top-tier professionals work with our students through master classes, one-on-one sessions, lectures, and recitals to share their professional knowledge and skills.

Degree Plans

As a vital professional school within Baylor University, the School of Music has been a member in good standing of the National Association of Schools of Music since 1930. Degrees offered in the School of Music satisfy all requirements of this accrediting agency and degree programs leading to the Bachelor of Music Education degree also conform to certification requirements of the Texas Education Agency. Our programs are four-year professional programs that prepare students for careers as professional musicians and educators.

World-Renowned Research

Research in the School of Music takes a variety of forms and reflects the diversity of our musical scholars. For some, it leads to traditional types of scholarship, such as journal articles, books, and conference presentations. For others, it is about artistic creation that results in a new musical work, a recording of world-class performances, or collaborations that bring new music to life for audiences.

Soon, there will be a site dedicated to showcase School of Music research.