Bachelor of Science
Commercial Music Performance

Hone your craft, perfect your performance, utilize digital media, and gain excellent technical skills.

Perform live with bands, record with state-of-the-art studios and develop as both performer and engineer. Get personalized attention from caring professors and industry pros committed to making you the best you can be. 

Were you born to be on stage? Were you born to make the stage event happen? This degree provides a strong foundation in a main area of study with flexibility to add other areas of specific interest and suit students’ future desires.

Commercial Music Performance covers all aspects of music performance - vocal and instrumental musicianship, stage presence, artistry, live performance of all commercial musical styles - and provides foundations in studio recording, producing, and live audio sound reinforcement. 

Our graduates work in all aspects of the music industry at the highest levels, and are desired for their capabilities as well as their character. All information within the degree is provided in a hands-on format as a primary way of integrating the skills, and the students are connected every semester to the degree, beginning the first day of classes. The flexibility, cooperation with related areas, the ability to craft a degree that fits future goals, along with all GU's resources (5 recording studios, multiple performing facilities, touring systems (audio, staging and lighting), recitals, concerts, and ensembles), prepares you to move directly into the industry when you graduate.

Be prepared for a variety of jobs upon graduation through a broad-based set of skills and flexibility. Today’s market demands an employee to be well-versed in many aspects, not a “master of one.”  In fact, many students double major in Audio Engineering and Commercial Music Performance (a unique feature of our program) or even triple major in conjunction with Worship Arts. 

Graduates of our program work as independent artists, singer/songwriters, session musicians, function as the house band for venues, or even lead worship at churches around the world.

“Projects” are the centerpiece of the Commercial Music Performance and Audio Engineering degrees, where all of the different areas (studio, live audio, performing, promotion, touring) work together in a tight, integrative manner toward a common goal. Core courses strengthen individual areas and connect through the "Projects" course as an integral part of a whole. Students will hone their craft and integrate Christian values at the core of what they do, prepared to present themselves as moral and responsible Christian professionals. 

Have questions? We’d love to talk to you!