The Department of Music

The Music Department at York College is passionate about exploring the body-mind-spirit connection and how faith and learning are integrated in such a way as to prepare students for life -- not just a profession. The York College Music Department offers skill and content courses to vocal performance and music education majors, through formal classroom instruction, field experiences, performance opportunities and directed study. These work together to prepare students for a future in their chosen vocation or graduate school, while adding to a life more enhanced by music.

While at York College, students have the opportunity to participate in various collegiate level ensembles. The Concert Choir has a long tradition of excellence and is the premier performing ensemble of the department. Celebration Singers is a show choir that offers students a chance to perform “entertainment music” of the highest caliber.
In addition to the ensembles, private instruction is offered in both voice and piano by highly qualified professors. The music department periodically joins forces with the theater department to produce musicals. The music department also provides the musical leadership for York College’s annual all-school musical variety show, Songfest.

The York  College Concert Choir has performed twice with the Omaha Symphony Chamber orchestra, twice at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, at multiple state conventions of the Nebraska Music Educators Association, and has toured 30+ states, Canada and Japan. They have also appeared on the stage of Avery Fisher Hall in New York City’s Lincoln Center with composer Eric Whitacre.

The Celebration Singers perform two major shows each year — Cocoa and Carols is a sell-out every December, and in the spring they perform a theme-based popular music show. This group frequently performs for area civic organizations and community events.

York College voice students have placed in state and regional vocal competitions.

Job Placement

• 100% of our departmental graduates who have actively sought employment in the field have found it.
• 100% of our departmental graduates who
have applied to graduate school have been accepted to the graduate school of their choice.
• Music majors at York College have continued their studies at the graduate level in: music education, special music education, choral conducting, voice and vocal pedagogy, music history, and theory and composition.

Meet Our Faculty

​Dr. Clark Roush
Endowed Chair for the Performing Arts
Chair of the Division of Arts and Sciences
Professor of Music
Director of the Concert Choir

Dr. Amy Fraser
Assistant Professor of Music
Director of Celebration Singers and Songfest

Courses

Some of the courses you may take  as a vocal music performance major include:

• Private Piano Instruction
• Private Voice Instruction
• The Voice and Vocal Production
• Ear Training 
• Senior Recital​​​
• Planning and Producing Music Production

• Music Theory 
• Music Literature 
• Diction
• Conducting 
• Music History 

Some additional courses you may take as a vocal music education major include:

• Interpersonal Communication
  
• Introduction to Learners w/Exceptionalities 
  
• Field Experience in Elementary & Secondary Education
  
• Educational Psychology: Learning & Evaluation 
  
• Human Relations/Multicultural Awareness
  

• Instructional Technologies
• ​Conducting 
• Elementary Music Methods
  
• Secondary Vocal Music Methods
  

Performance Groups

Alumni Success

Brianna Smith '15
Graduate Student 
University of Nebraska
Private Voice Instructor
The 402 Arts Collective
​Omaha, Nebraska

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Lester Miller '02
Director of Choral Activities
Ankeny Centennial High School
​Ankeny, Iowa 
 

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Sara Firm '10
Director of Choral Music Program
Northeast School District
Arma, Kansas 
Member, Sweet Adelines International

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Tisa Lawrence '15
Graduate Student
University of Nebraska
Vocal Coach
Aurora High School
Aurora, Nebraska

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Learn More About the Music Department

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