As a student in the Dana School of Music, you’ll have extraordinary educational opportunities, study with world-class faculty who are award-winning performers, composers, and scholars, experience numerous diverse performance opportunities, learn from internationally acclaimed visiting artists, and perform in exquisite historic venues.
For over 150 years, the Dana School of Music has offered a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs, integrating advanced musical training with professionally oriented experiences. No matter where your aspirations lie, you’ll connect with a community of mentors and colleagues committed to helping you succeed.
In the Dana School of Music, we honor the traditional while embracing the experimental. Those rich experiences will prepare you with the diverse musical skills you’ll need for a fulfilling career and life-long artistic and professional growth.
Dana School of Music students and alumni regularly earn national and international recognition in performance, teaching, and research. They have won competition awards, been accepted to prestigious graduate programs, and been awarded fellowships and internships. They are Grammy® Award winners, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame members, performers with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, award-winning producers and arrangers, and academic faculty across the globe. Our graduates may be found in every segment of America’s musical life. Our graduate and undergraduate degrees will further your success and prepare you to thrive within the ever-evolving field of the musical arts.
The Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in Audio + Music Production major provides students with the knowledge and experience to thrive in a dynamic and ever-evolving industry. Our students learn by doing and are prepared to build enjoyable, productive careers as audio engineers in record production through engineering, producing, mixing, and mastering; in live sound as engineers or technicians; in media (e.g., TV, film, gaming) roles in composition, sound design, or Foley sound; as well as forensic audio, restoration, and more. Students gain professional experience through internships and working with faculty, students, and professionals to record, produce, and distribute music for our student-run record label, Dana Records.
The Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in Music Education provides exceptional instruction that prepares students for licensure as music teachers and educators in all learning environments. Music Education students are musicians who want to teach, and the comprehensive curriculum includes significant applied studio instruction and multiple opportunities to perform and conduct with diverse ensembles, as well as courses in composition and songwriting, popular and contemporary music, and musical theatre. Music Education students are encouraged to pursue the Audio and Music Production Pedagogy Certificate concurrently. Our Music Education graduates who seek a teaching position enjoy a 100% placement rate. Students may elect to pursue one of three concentrations.
The Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in Music Performance provides exceptional individualized applied studio instruction and offers comprehensive study in areas necessary to prepare for careers as performers, educators, arrangers, producers, and more. The curriculum includes multiple diverse ensemble offerings, and students may diversify their studies with elective classes and professional skills, such as audio and music production, composition and songwriting, and career development in music. The curriculum goes beyond traditional artistic training—incorporating a strong emphasis on innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset—and includes certificates or minors such as Audio + Music Production, Non-Profit Leadership and Digital Market Strategy within the degree program. The dynamic and innovative B.M. in Music Performance at Youngstown State prepares students for careers in a myriad of fields and is dedicated to the success of our graduates in a competitive and diverse professional landscape.
Adding a minor or certificate to your academic program is an excellent way to customize your degree plans and specialize in areas in which you're interested. The Dana School of Music offers several minors and certificates from which you can choose, and our flexible curricula make it possible for you to study what you love, including studio lessons and performing in ensembles.
You might pursue a minor or certificate to explore a subject about which you're passionate or dive deeper into an area that will complement your major. Either way, a minor or certificate will help you build skills and prepare to achieve your life and career goals.
Certificate in audio + Music Production pedagogy
The Master of Music (M.M.) degree offers exceptional advanced training for performers, teachers, composers, and scholars. The M.M. provides individualized instruction that focuses on the professional development and unique career goals of each student. Working closely with a world-class faculty, students develop advanced competencies in their majors—which includes a 100% online M.M. in Music Education and a M.M. in Performance. The dedicated faculty in the Dana School of Music are actively engaged in helping students successfully transition into a wide range of careers nationally and across the globe.