Music Program
Music is for everyone at George Fox University.
Whether you plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree in music, minor in music, or simply join one of our vocal or instrumental ensembles, you will find a place to explore your love of music here. You are invited to participate regardless of your field of study. In fact, about three out of five students enrolled in ensembles at George Fox are not music majors or minors.
Music Degree Options
Our music degree has a shared general core of classes, ensembles and lessons, and we offer two concentrations – in recording and production and performance and pre-teaching – that allow you to customize your degree based on your area of interest.
Recording & Production
Formerly known as our industry concentration, this area of study is for those interested in pursuing work in the music industry. In the recording and production concentration, you’ll take courses in lighting and sound, recording, music theory, lessons, and overviews of global, pop, jazz and classical music literature. You’ll also have opportunities to network, perform, record, produce, compose and teach while in school, as well as have the option to spend a semester in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Contemporary Music Center.
Performance & Pre-Teaching
This concentration is the most flexible of all. Here, you’ll be prepared for any number of professional careers, such as teaching, composing, performing, or working as a freelance musician. Other students select this concentration when they’re passionate about music but are leaning toward other careers, since this option has the room to accommodate a minor in any field George Fox offers. It will also prepare you for graduate school in music, or to enroll in George Fox’s highly successful Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program, where you can earn your Oregon K-12 music teaching credential.
Minors
George Fox University also offers a music minor and a worship arts minor, in which you can participate in music and learn practical skills in recording, sight reading, and composing while learning in another area of study.
Worship Arts Pathway and Minor
Students who feel the call of God to go into music ministry, whether that be full time, part time or as a volunteer, may also choose to study worship arts. This is offered as a minor, which would typically be paired with a theology major; alternatively, students could pair it with any major, or even do a music/theology interdisciplinary major.
Ensembles
Love to sing or play an instrument? Consider joining one of our ensembles, which include our Concert Choir, Worship Team, Chamber Singers, and Master Chorus for vocalists, and Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, and Symphony Orchestra for instrumentalists.
We also offer a flexible instrumentation ensemble to give you extra performance opportunities, including Keyboard Ensemble, String Quartet, Flute Choir, Percussion Ensemble, Brass Quintet, and others.
And, for those interested in improving their skills, we offer applied music lessons on campus.
Upcoming Performances
Our music ensembles perform throughout the academic year. Visit our concert schedule page to view upcoming performances.
National Accreditation
As a nationally recognized Christian university, George Fox’s music curriculum is Christ-centered as well as academically rigorous. George Fox University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) through a peer-reviewed accreditation process and has been recognized by the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME).
Contemporary Music Center
As a music industry major, you have the opportunity to spend a semester in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Contemporary Music Center. The program is designed for students who feel called to a career in the music industry as performers, executives or promoters. The principal goal is to help Christians impact the secular music industry, although the program would benefit those who are interested in Christian music as well.
Courses include Faith, Music, and Culture; Inside the Music Industry; and specialized courses in two tracks for performers and music managers.