Music and Worship Arts Minor

Worship Arts

Are you a musician with a passion for worship and an interest in developing your music skills and knowledge? If so, regardless of your major, the Music and Worship Arts minor offers you a rich and rigorous education in music and worship.

As a Music and Worship Arts minor, you will explore contemporary performance practices such as gospel choir and worship band, song writing, and media technology for worship services. You will also explore traditional worship and liturgical traditions, foundations in church worship music, and the theology of worship. If you are interested in serving a local church music or worship ministry, or serving in ministry in a parachurch organization — or if you are an artistic entrepreneur who desires to engage the contemporary culture through worship arts — the Music and Worship Arts minor is designed for you.

Benefits

A minor in Music and Worship Arts will train you to use your musical gifts — whether as a worship leader, a performer, a composer, a conductor, or a teacher. It will also provide you with advanced study in music theory and literature. As a Music and Worship Arts minor, you can prepare for service in a broad range of positions relating to music ministry. Through a series of skill-building exercises and experience with larger and larger forms, in-class and private instruction, you will be prepared for a promising future in music.

Degree Requirements

View the minor courses and degree requirements:

Music and Worship Arts minor

As a Music and Worship Arts minor, you will follow an integrative approach to advancing your musicianship. Your studies will cover the history and theology of worship music, music’s role in religious experience, and congregational singing, including its history, genre, and effective use in worship. You’ll also explore music theory, aural skills, and worship styles from the early Middle Ages to the 21st century.

You’ll study music composition, technology, instrumentation, and orchestration. You’ll have the opportunity to reflect on the integration of music and faith, as well as your sense of vocation.

Admission to the Major

You may apply to the minor in Music and Worship Arts in Banner when you have completed your freshman year at SPU. To be admitted to the minor, you must have earned a 3.0 overall GPA and have decided upon your area of emphasis. Once admitted, you are required to maintain a 2.8 minimum GPA.

Career Opportunities

  • Arranger/Composer
  • Choral Director
  • Church Musician
  • Composer
  • Conductor
  • Music Director
  • Music Librarian
  • Music Professor
  • Music Teacher
  • Musicologist
  • Sound Engineer
  • Worship Leader

Faculty Contact

Ryan Ellis

Assistant Professor of Music; Director of Choral Music
DMA, University of Washington

Email: ellisr3@spu.edu
Office: Nickerson Studios 112