Commercial Music Learning Opportunities
At MSUM you’ll benefit from numerous opportunities to step outside of the classroom and apply what you’re learning, gain valuable experience performing live in front of captive audiences, record music for live events and participate in theatre productions. Engaging in these activities ensures you’ll be prepared for a successful career in the music business.
The culminating project of the Commercial Music degree program is a recording project that exhibits your skill on your instrument and as an arranger/composer along with your knowledge and expertise in the studio and with marketing your “product.” Most often, this will take the form of a CD-type recording project but could also be such projects as a website with musical examples, a film score (done in collaboration with our film department), a YouTube channel or any of a number of other possibilities.
The MSUM Partnership with Community School for the Arts (CSA) has a Music Lesson Program that is a non-degree program offering private instrument lessons. These lessons are from music students who are pursuing degrees in music education, performance, and commercial music giving students hands-on experience in teaching music.
Join one of our three vocal and nine instrumental ensembles to pursue your love of music performance while attending MSUM. Many ensembles are open to both music and non-music majors and are highly admired in the Fargo-Moorhead community.
Interested in learning and living with students pursuing the same degree as you? Join the Film, Animation, Music and Entertainment Industries & Technology (FAME) Learning Community to explore career options in your field, collaborate on group projects, attend film screenings and more.
Through our collaboration with the School of Entertainment Industries and Technology, commercial music students have the opportunity to work annually on a wide variety of live and studio-based projects covering both traditional and contemporary musical genres.
You have the opportunity to perform in pit orchestras and/or on stage as featured performers (through collaboration with our Musical Theater program) as part of our University Theatre Series or our summer theater company, the Straw Hat Players.
Your courses allow you to be an integral part of the event culture on campus. Opportunities include the Cheryl Nelson Lossett Performing Arts Series, concerts, recitals and more. Each year, hundreds of live production opportunities are available.