Music Mount Allison University

Overview

The Music programme at Mount Allison University provides an immersive environment for students to develop as versatile musicians through rigorous academic study and practical performance. This long-standing department blends professional musical training with a solid grounding in the liberal arts to prepare graduates for diverse creative careers.

Students benefit from small class sizes that facilitate close collaboration with a faculty of talented and enthusiastic professionals. The department offers performance study across a wide range of specialisations, including voice, piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, guitar, organ, and harpsichord. While the curriculum is classically based, it remains flexible, offering electives in jazz, musical theatre, and world music.

Why Music at Mount Allison University?

The university is home to the Marjorie Young Bell Conservatory of Music, regarded as one of the finest music facilities in the country. This vibrant hub features the 310-seat Brunton Auditorium, which hosts over 80 concerts and recitals annually, providing students with frequent opportunities to perform in a professional setting.

Facilities include extensive rehearsal spaces, practice studios, and a sophisticated computer lab for audio editing and electroacoustic composition. The department also boasts one of the best piano collections in Atlantic Canada, including a Yamaha CFX Concert Grand, and houses the largest musical resource collection in the Maritimes at the Alfred Whitehead Memorial Music Library.

Students can participate in numerous prestigious ensembles such as the Symphonic Band, Chamber Orchestra, and the Jazz Ensemble. Additional opportunities are provided through the Bragg Women Music Opportunities, which funds artist-in-residence programmes, summer touring, and student research grants, enhancing the experiential learning environment.

Tuition Fee Breakdown

• International fee: CAD 21800 per year
• National fee: CAD 10800 per year

Visit the Fees and Funding section for a breakdown in your local currency.

Syllabus

Modules may include:

• Music History and Literature
• Music, Culture, and Context
• Composition and Music Technology I
• Chamber Music I
• Modern Musical Theatre
• The Beatles
• Conducting
• Applied Music VIII with Full Recital
• Music Appreciation
• Music in Canada
• World Music
• Opera
• Collaborative Piano

Careers with Music

Graduates are well-prepared for professional paths such as music teaching at elementary or secondary levels, choral or instrumental conducting, and music therapy. The programme also equips students for roles in arts administration, instrument design, music librarianship, and sound engineering.

The skills developed during the degree, including creativity, teamwork, and dedication, are highly transferable to other professional fields. Many alumni successfully transition into diverse areas such as law, medicine, music journalism, broadcasting, and speech therapy, supported by the university's strong academic reputation.