By Staff
BENTON TOWNSHIP – Area students interested in information about the Music Department at Lake Michigan College are invited to attend Music Orientation Day on Thursday, August 21, at 1 p.m. The program will begin in the Hanson Theatre of the Mendel Center on the Napier Avenue Campus in Benton Harbor.
Tours of the music facilities, individual auditions for new students, and music theory placement testing will follow the general meeting. Orientation Day is geared to both new and returning students and will provide information on the music program at LMC, as well as careers and opportunities in the music industry.
The LMC music faculty includes national award-winning teachers, active solo, chamber and orchestral musicians, experienced ensemble directors, and published composers.
"Our instructors combine a high standard of teaching with small class size and personal attention," explained Dr. Elfie Schults-Berndt, director of the LMC Music program. "LMC is also proud to be a Steinway Institution, with new pianos and practice rooms for student use."
LMC offers financial aid to qualified music students including the Board of Trustees and endowed music scholarships. Auditions for music scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year will be held immediately following the orientation meeting. Scholarships are available to music majors and minors, and are also open to all students who want to participate actively in an ensemble. Scholarships are awarded competitively to qualified students who meet academic requirements and who demonstrate musical potential, regardless of their major.
LMC offers two degree tracks for music majors – Associate in Arts/Music Concentration and Associate in Applied Sciences/Music Concentration. Both programs provide the first two years of a four-year degree program leading to careers in music education, music therapy, music business, composition and arranging, and church music. Performance opportunities at LMC include the Concert Choir, Southshore Concert Band, Jazz Band, Voices LMC, as well as chamber ensembles, student recitals, master classes, clinics and choral and band festivals.
To schedule an audition on Thursday, Aug. 21, call the Performing Arts Office at (269) 927-8100 ext. 5237. For information on financial aid and scholarship opportunities, call the Financial Aid Office at (269) 927-8112. For more information on Music Orientation Day or the LMC Music Program, contact Schults-Berndt at (269) 927-8192.