Career Paths
Valpo prepares students for active roles in professional life, in schools, in churches, and in the community.
With that preparation, alumni of the music department pursue careers of varied kinds:
- Teaching music in elementary and secondary schools, universities, and in private studios
- Leading music in churches
- Serving as a licensed music therapist
- Performing in bands, orchestras, and professional choral ensembles
- Producing concerts and performances
- Managing performers or musical organizations
- Composing and arranging music
In all of these professions, students benefit from Valpo’s emphasis on musical preparation, critical thinking skills, and a broad foundation in the liberal arts.
Potential Hiring Institutions
Valpo’s music alumni find work in school districts (public and private), churches, art organizations, arts-related businesses and retail operations, clinical settings, and institutions of higher education.
Graduate Study
The music curriculum is also especially well-designed to prepare students for graduate study in music, leading to professions in higher education and performance.
In the last five years, the department’s alumni have attended some of the nation’s top graduate institutions and even studied internationally.
- Notre Dame University
- Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
- The Ohio State University
- University of Iowa
- Case Western University
- East Carolina University
- Boston University
- Houghton College
- Bowling Green State University
- Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg