The music curriculum is intended to meet the general needs of liberal arts students while providing students interested in a music major or minor with the skills needed to excel in their area of concentration—performance, education, history, composition. In keeping with a liberal arts philosophy, the department encourages interested students campus-wide to participate in its varied ensembles. Curriculum also combines theory and practice to provide students majoring in music with the necessary skills to excel in their area of concentration (performance, composition, history, bluegrass). Acknowledging the need to examine the contributions of various cultures, the curriculum exposes students to a broad spectrum of musical influences (western European, jazz, world music, American folk, African- American, computer music).