Music (No Concentration)

About the Bachelor of Music

Viterbo's Bachelor of Music degree is for students who want a professional degree in music with the flexibility to pursue numerous areas of specialty. 

Bachelor of Music students have available credits to either pursue a music-area concentration or to double major. These options uniquely prepare students for professional careers in the field of music, such as performance, music education, music business, non-profit work, or church musician, to name a few. The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Program Highlights:

  • Triple Threat Voice Training: Classical, Music Theatre, and Contemporary
  • Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (50 + years)
  • International and regional touring for choral ensembles 
  • Artist-faculty with extensive performing and teaching experience
  • Performance opportunities: two main stage productions, a chamber opera series, two show choirs, three repertoire choirs, student recitals, and competitions.

Quick Facts

Degree Options
Music (BM - No Concentration)
Music (Minor)
College/School

Conservatory for the Performing Arts

Credits Required

120

Cost and Aid

Explore Costs

Financial Aid Support

Admissions Counselor

Katie Furlan
admissions@viterbo.edu
608-796-3014

Schedule a Call

Nationally acclaimed visiting artists

Triple Threat Voice Training: Classical, Music Theatre, and Contemporary

International and regional touring for choral ensembles

Why study this program at Viterbo?
Teacher

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (50 + years)

Viterbo Statue

Artist-faculty with extensive performing and teaching experience

Outside Party

Numerous performance opportunities

Performance opportunities include two main stage productions, a chamber opera series, two show choirs, three repertoire choirs, student recitals, and competitions. 

Graduation Student

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Audition Information Choral Ensembles Music Department Handbook Music Department Events

Music Faculty and Staff

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Ready to get started?

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Student Stories

Music

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Music Performance

About Music Performance

Pursue your passion for music with expert guidance and countless performance opportunities. 

Viterbo’s music performance program is your gateway to a vibrant and fulfilling career in vocal performance, piano, or music education. Our curriculum is meticulously designed to hone your talents and prepare you for professional success, with our esteemed faculty bringing years of industry experience and providing you with unparalleled mentorship and guidance.

Program Highlights:

  • Triple Threat Voice Training: Classical, Music Theatre, and Contemporary
  • Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (50 + years)
  • International and regional touring for choral ensembles 
  • Artist-faculty with extensive performing and teaching experience
  • Performance opportunities: two main stage productions, a chamber opera series, two show choirs, three repertoire choirs, student recitals, and competitions.

Quick Facts

Degree Options
Music Performance (BM Concentration)
Music (Minor)
College/School

Conservatory for the Performing Arts

Credits Required

120

Cost and Aid

Explore Costs

Financial Aid Support

Admissions Counselor

Katie Furlan
admissions@viterbo.edu
608-796-3014

Schedule a Call

Nationally acclaimed visiting artists

Triple Threat Voice Training: Classical, Music Theatre, and Contemporary

International and regional touring for choral ensembles

Why study this program at Viterbo?
Students

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (50 + years)

Viterbo Statue

Artist-faculty with extensive performing and teaching experience

Split Image Overlap

Numerous performance opportunities

Performance opportunities include two main stage productions, a chamber opera series, two show choirs, three repertoire choirs, student recitals, and competitions. 

Outside party

Find Out More

Audition Information Choral Ensembles Music Department Handbook Music Department Events

Music Faculty and Staff

Campus shot with flowers

Ready to get started?

Request Further Information

Student Stories

Music

See All News

Acting (BFA)

About the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting

Dive deep into acting technique, voice, movement, and the business of theatre. 

Our program is a conservatory-style program designed for students ready to pursue a professional acting career. The performance-driven curriculum builds a strong foundation in both the art and business of acting, with intensive training, one-on-one faculty mentorship, and opportunities to perform each semester.

Program Highlights:

  • Train and perform at three professional venues
  • Numerous performance opportunities
  • Practical theatre experience and career prep courses
  • Masterclasses and workshops with Broadway professionals
  • Optional study abroad in London, where you’ll immerse yourself in British theatre

Why study this program at Viterbo?
Student

Expert faculty and individual support

Work closely with full-time professors who have extensive experience as actors, directors, and coaches. With our 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, you’ll receive one-on-one feedback, coaching, and mentorship throughout your program.

Viterbo Statue

Professional spaces and real-world experience

Rehearse and perform at some of the region’s top venues, such as the 1,100-seat Main Stage and LaCroix Black Box Theatre at our Fine Arts Center and the Weber Center for the Performing Arts in downtown La Crosse. Showcase your talent in five to six productions annually, including student-run projects, and attend industry-led masterclasses and audition workshops.

Fine Arts Center Weber Center for the Performing Arts
Student and teacher

Career-building opportunities on and off campus

From Viterbo’s London Theatre Experience—where students see up to 15 live shows and train with British theatre professionals—to local community theatre partnerships, you’ll gain diverse perspectives and expand your network while still in school.

Study Abroad in London
Students

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Our Approach Audition and Interview Applicant FAQs Senior Showcase: Class of 2025 Past Senior Showcases Current Season Past Seasons Alumni Success

Careers in Theatre

Viterbo graduates go on to become

  • Acting coach or private instructor
  • Arts administrator
  • Cruise line or theme park performer
  • Graduate student in MFA or MA theatre programs
  • Stage actor (Broadway, touring, or regional theatre)
  • Theatre educator
  • Theatre director or producer
  • Voiceover artist

More than 90%

of acting graduates working in theatre

Experienced Faculty

Learn from theatre professionals with real-world industry experience

Five Productions

Perform in five full-scale productions each year, with early performance opportunities

Theatre and Musical Theatre Faculty and Staff

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Ready to get started?

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Student Stories

Theatre and Musical Theatre

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Musical Theatre (BFA)

About Musical Theatre

Train for a life on stage with conservatory-style instruction, early performance opportunities, and one-on-one mentorship.

Our Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre prepares you for the realities of a competitive, creative career. In this rigorous, performance-driven program, you’ll work closely with experienced faculty, receive personalized training in acting, singing, and dance, and enjoy numerous opportunities to perform onstage.

Program Highlights:

  • Train and perform at three professional venues
  • Numerous performance opportunities
  • Practical theatre experience and career prep courses
  • Masterclasses and workshops with Broadway professionals
  • Optional study abroad in London, where you’ll immerse yourself in British theatre

Careers in Musical Theatre

Viterbo graduates go on to become

  • Arts administrator
  • Musical theatre performer
  • Stage or production manager
  • Theatre director or choreographer
  • Theatre educator
  • Theme park or cruise ship entertainer
  • Touring company performer
  • Voice or acting coach

Masterclasses and workshops with Broadway professionals

Train and perform at three professional venues

Optional study abroad in London, where you’ll immerse yourself in British theatre

Why study this program at Viterbo?
Teacher

Numerous performance opportunities

Step into the spotlight from your very first semester with opportunities to audition for roles in five professionally staged mainstage productions each year. Additional opportunities include student-directed shows, fully staged operas, and local community theatre productions.

Viterbo Statue

Real-world theatre experience

From assisting with professional touring shows to joining student clubs like Improv and Film, you’ll gain practical experience beyond the classroom. Career prep includes an Audition Business course, portfolio coaching, and on-campus auditions with visiting companies. 

Viktor the V-hawk

Industry exposure and professional connections

Gain insight, feedback, and career-building connections through masterclasses and workshops with Broadway actors, choreographers, casting directors, and alumni. 

Students

Find Out More

Our Approach Audition and Interview Applicant FAQs Senior Showcase: Class of 2025 Past Senior Showcases Current Season Past Seasons Alumni Success

Theatre and Musical Theatre Faculty and Staff

Campus shot with flowers

Ready to get started?

Request Further Information

Student Stories

Theatre and Musical Theatre

See All News

Arts Management (Minor)

Overview

The Minor in Arts Management provides students with the skills  needed to help arts facilities to run smoothly so artists, production teams, and audiences have an exceptional experience at events. Art directors, creative services managers, and directors of development have a passion for the visual and performing arts enhanced by a strong foundation of business practices.

Theatre (BFA)

Overview

This conservatory-style program is designed for students who demonstrate the talent, potential, commitment, and drive to pursue careers as professional actors. Our intensive actor training curriculum is enhanced with courses such as theatre history, dramatic literature, makeup, introductory design, technical production, and stage management, all designed to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the craft and industry. The Viterbo program is an excellent choice for those dedicated to becoming professional actors who also aspire to be multi-skilled theatre makers.

Policy
  • Students wishing to major in theatre or music theatre must audition and interview with a faculty committee.
  • All theatre and music theatre students are considered “candidates” for their designated degree program through the first four semesters. The process for determining each student’s degree track includes a meeting with faculty at the end of the first year of study to make a preliminary assessment about student progress toward the desired degree program and area of emphasis. In the spring semester of the sophomore year, students meet with the faculty to formally audition or interview for entry into the upper division of their desired degree program. Transfer students also audition or interview for entry into their desired program on a timeline determined by the faculty based on individual experience and background.
  • Students in all degree programs are considered part of the department’s theatre “company.” All majors are required to be actively involved in each production through design, performance, and technical support in one of the shops or in service as a member of a production crew. Through practical experiences in all aspects of theatre, students enhance their knowledge and gain a respect and appreciation for theatre as a collaborative art form.
  • Students in the BFA program: of the eight total credits of required theatre practicum for the acting emphasis (four semester in the theatre core; four in the major), one semester must be a performance of a minor role, and one must be a performance of a major role.
  • Students must earn a grade of C or higher in any theatre course required for the major or emphasis. Earning lower than a C will require the student to retake the course.
Learning Outcomes
  • Read and analyze a variety of texts for the purpose and intent of production.
  • Demonstrate familiarity with the history and traditions of theatre practice.
  • Make connections between academic training, classroom and studio experience, and production with the goal of a professional experience.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in the use of research for a variety of theatrical practices.

Music Education (BM Concentration)

Overview

The Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in music education prepares students for teacher licensure through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Students are certified to teach K–12 general music, 6–12 choral music, and receive instrumental instruction in compliance with the state rule requiring broad preparedness in music. Viterbo University has active student chapters in the National Association for Music Education, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the American Choral Directors Association and a near 100% placement rate for its graduates. The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Policy
    • All music majors are required to attend the weekly music department forum every semester in which they are enrolled except for semesters they are registered for MUSC 425 or 429.
    • All music majors are required to register for MUSC 137/337 (Concert Choir) every semester in which they are enrolled except for semesters they are registered for MUSC 425 or 429.
    • All music majors must register for a piano class, aural skills class, and music theory class each semester until all sequences are successfully completed. Music majors who have not completed all levels of Piano Proficiency, Aural Skills, and Music Theory by the end of their sixth semester of full-time study in music must petition the music department to continue as a music major.
    • 100-level ensembles and applied lessons courses are for freshmen and sophomore standing and 300-level ensembles and applied lessons courses are for junior and senior standing
    • Music Majors taking MUVO 171/371 must concurrently be registered for MUVO 172/372
    • An applied lesson fee is charged for each credit of applied lessons – see Tuition and Fees
Learning Outcomes
  • Develop literacy of music through analysis, arrangement, composition, and improvisation.
  • Distinguish important stylistic trends in music, including western, popular, and world genres.
  • Demonstrate performance skills requisite for artistic self expression.
  • Apply knowledge of current teaching methods, materials, and technology to musical instruction.
Addendum

The degrees Bachelor of Music in Performance, Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Music in Music are currently granted accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music, 11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21, Reston, VA, 20190-5248; 703-437-0700; https://nasm.arts-accredit.org/.

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