Bachelor of Music
Music and Worship
Equipping students with musical, artistic, practical and pastoral skills to thoughtfully lead diverse generations of worshipers.
Is This Program for Me?
The Bachelor of Music degree in Music and Worship is a professional degree designed for the student who wishes to pursue vocational music and worship ministry.
This may be in the role of a musician, music director, worship pastor, or worship leader in the local church. Some congregations give these individuals titles such as Minister of Music, Director of Worship Arts, Music/Worship Associate, or Music and Worship Pastor. Other students pursue careers as a musical missionary who impacts the global church through service to a congregation or high school outside North America.
The program includes coursework in music, ensembles, worship, ministry, and a supervised experience in a congregational setting. Many students completing this degree pursue graduate studies in church music, worship studies, sacred music, liturgy, or theology. Concentrations include Keyboard, Instrumental or Vocal.
This major (BM) may be right for you if you...
- desire to serve as a musician, music director, worship leader, or worship pastor in the church.
- are intrigued about the possibility of leading the church in public Christian worship.
- desire skills in planning, writing, and arranging music for worship.
- enjoy teaching music to different ages in a faith-based community.
- are exploring a call to ministry that integrates your musical experience with your call to discipleship.
- are interested in pursuing graduate studies in church music, worship studies, sacred music, liturgy, or theology, etc.
“When I visited Samford in high school, I discovered that the faculty are not only outstanding musicians, scholars, and educators, but they are also dedicated to helping you succeed and genuinely interested in you. This program allows you to attain an excellent and thorough musical education while giving you the freedom to pursue whatever genre of worship to which God calls you. This program trains you with real, practical experience in your field. This exposure to different forms of music and worship practices will equip you for excellence in the future. Studying Music and Worship is a fantastic opportunity to develop spiritually, musically, and in leadership, to prepare you to follow God’s call upon your life!”
—Katie Schansberg, Music and Worship Major
What Will I Learn?
Upon degree completion, graduates will be able to:
- Articulate a calling to pastoral music and worship ministry.
- Describe and implement biblical, theological, philosophical and historical principles for music and worship ministry in congregational life.
- Apply critical thinking skills and exercise discernment in Christian music and worship.
- Design, plan and administrate music and worship ministries that serve the local church and its worship practices.
- Implement strategies for music ministry with worshipers of all ages.
What Makes Us Different?
- Faculty/student ratio – 10:1
- Hands-on experience through classes and ensembles, observations and field experience in other churches/contexts
- Experience with worship programming through our leadership team, Samford Worship Collective, including travel and ministry leadership opportunities, chapel leadership and recording projects
- Worship Leadership Network: church and ministry leaders in worship, music and the arts are frequent classroom guests and support our program.
- Internships: Students complete a 2-semester internship experience in a local church music/worship ministry under the supervision and guidance of a ministry staff leader and in coordination with Samford faculty.
- Technology Resources: Fully-portable audio road system, Propresenter, Finale/Sibelius, ProTools, Ableton, Multitracks, Planning Center Online, On-site recording studio
- Center for Worship and the Arts, housed in the School of the Arts, provides dynamic teaching models for intergenerational worship practices and allows students to teach and explore worship and the arts through a variety of ongoing programs.
Career Preparation
A Bachelor of Music in Music and Worship can lead to a variety of careers:
- Worship pastor
- Worship leader
- Worship band leader or member
- Music Director (MD)
- Director of worship/music
- Children/student music director
- Worship/music missionary
Admission and Scholarship
Appointments for auditions and placement examinations are scheduled upon receipt of the School of the Arts application materials. Students are notified by mail of the results of the auditions and are admitted for registration only if they have acceptance notices sent by the Dean of the School of the Arts. Transfer students must audition in the principal performance area(s) and take a music theory and piano placement examination to determine both acceptance and transfer of credit. Transfer of credit for other music courses is determined by either placement examinations or review of the student’s previous work in an equivalent course.
Instrumental Concentration
- Common Application
- Division of Music/School of the Arts application
- Audition/interview in principle area (see details below)
- Interview with worship faculty
- Music theory placement exam
- Piano placement exam (non-keyboard majors)
Students auditioning for the Instrumental concentration should prepare the following pieces:
Guitar (acoustic)
- Two solo pieces from contrasting style periods
- Both pieces should demonstrate strumming and picking techniques Major Segovia scales
- The applicant may choose to offer major Segovia scales, but they are not required
- Auditions should be played on a classical or acoustic guitar.
- Bring 3 copies of your sheet music for faculty.
Brass (euphonium, horn, trombone, trumpet, tuba)
- 2 pieces
- Pieces should be solo music such as an etude, sonata, or movement from a concerto
- Two contrasting style periods or tempi must be represented
- Bring 3 copies of your sheet music for faculty.
- Perform your audition pieces. We prefer no accompaniment with your audition.
Strings (cello, string bass, violin, viola)
- One piece of solo music such as an etude, sonata, or movement from a concerto
- One contrasting piece of solos music such an etude, sonata, or movement from a concerto
- Bring 3 copies of your sheet music for faculty.
- Perform your audition pieces. We prefer no accompaniment with your audition.
Percussion
- 2 pieces:
- One selection for snare drum
- One selection for mallets
- If you have 4-mallet experience, we recommend a selection demonstrating your ability. 4-mallet technique is not required.
- An optional third selection for timpani or drum set is encouraged but not required
- Bring 3 copies of your sheet music for faculty.
Woodwinds (bassoon, clarinet, flute, oboe)
- 2 pieces
- Pieces should be solo music such as an etude, sonata, or movement from a concerto
- Two contrasting style periods or tempi must be represented
- Bring 3 copies of your sheet music for faculty.
- Perform your audition pieces. We prefer no accompaniment with your audition.
Keyboard Concentration
- Common Application
- Division of Music/School of the Arts application
- Audition/interview in principle area (see details below)
- Interview with worship faculty
- Music theory placement exam
Students auditioning for the Keyboard concentration should prepare the following pieces:
Piano
- 3 pieces
- At least two contrasting style periods must be represented
- Two pieces must be from standard classical repertoire
- All pieces must be performed from memory
Organ
- 4 pieces
- All pieces must be performed from memory
- Two other works in contrasting style from between the nineteenth through twenty-first centuries
- One traditional hymn with introduction and no less than three verses
- The hymn must be performed with music. All other works may be performed by memory or with music.
Vocal Concentration
- Common Application
- Division of Music/School of the Arts application
- Audition/interview in principle area (see details below)
- Interview with worship faculty
- Music theory placement exam
- Piano placement exam (non-keyboard majors)
Students auditioning for the Vocal concentration should prepare the following pieces:
Voice
- Two pieces
- One English art song
- One art song in a foreign language, preferably Italian
Audition pieces must be performed from memory and with piano accompaniment. Be prepared for a vocal and musical assessment with tonal memory exercises, sight-reading, and vocal range check.
