Music (BMus)

Discover a new era in post-secondary music education with Laurier’s Bachelor of Music. Starting in 2025, our updated, flexible curriculum invites students from all genres to explore diverse musical styles or concentrate on specific areas of interest. Learn from faculty with strong industry ties, providing personalized guidance and collaboration opportunities throughout your education. Benefit from personalized lessons in classical or contemporary/commercial genres, or cross-train for an enduring, sustainable career.

Our diverse courses let you customize your education, improve your job prospects, and build useful skills. Join Laurier by auditioning and shape your musical path to succeed in today’s evolving music industry.

group of music students laughing in front of music building

Program Details

Degree Highlights

Your future professors work hard to make sure your academic experience is current, complete and designed to open doors in your career. Here are a few things you can count on:

  • Innovative Curriculum: For the first time, all genres—whether classical, jazz, opera, rock, pop, musical theatre, or beyond—are welcomed within one degree. Our program offers a flexible and inclusive approach, allowing you to focus on your preferred genre or explore multiple styles.
  • Choose Your Path: Take lessons in classical or contemporary/ commercial styles, with opportunities in later years to cross-train in the other. Customize your learning with diverse courses and specializations like Performance, Music Therapy, Composition, and more to complement your interests and career goals. 
  • Career-Ready Training: Benefit from partnerships with Metalworks Institute, Suzuki String School of Guelph, and others for valuable networking and industry insights. Earn our “Navigating the Music Industry Ecosystem” certificate, equipping you with essential business knowledge to succeed in the music industry. 

Top Experiences

Here are just a few of our students’ favourite ways to apply their learning throughout their degree:  

  • Mentorship and Studio Classes: Participate in lessons and classes and get paired with a studio teacher who becomes your mentor, guiding you through personalized lessons. 
  • Coach-Accompanists: Work closely with a coach-accompanist who provides dedicated accompanying time. They’ll help you prepare and refine your materials, ensuring you are ready and confident for your lessons and performances.
  • Ensembles: Join our dynamic ensembles, guided by experienced conductors who support you every step of the way. Enhance your collaborative skills and gain valuable performance experience.
  • Placements and Work Experience: Engage in placements with community organizations, education placements, and faculty-led research projects. Participate in on-campus music-related jobs, regional ensembles, and international exchanges, enriching your musical experience beyond the classroom. 

Instruments and Specializations

Instruments

We know your passion for your instrument or voice is a big part of what defines you. Find your instrument below to learn what makes studying it at Laurier unique, as well as audition advice and repertoire requirements.

Complete list of audition requirements.

Don’t study an instrument listed below? Contact musicauditions@wlu.ca for audition information.

Specializations 

At Laurier, our Bachelor of Music program offers a dynamic range of specializations that allow you to tailor your musical education to your passions and career goals. You can combine these areas in various ways to create a customized and comprehensive learning experience.

Choose one large specialization, two small specializations, or a mix of one large and one small specialization — or opt for a broad-based education with no specific specialization. Find the perfect combination that aligns with your musical ambitions and career aspirations.

Courses, Options and Pathways

First-Year Required/Core Courses

  • Large Ensemble
  • Lessons and Studio Class
  • Keyboard Foundations
  • Vocal Foundations
  • Ear Training Lab
  • Theory Foundations and Explorations
  • Three Electives

First-Year Music Electives

  • Guitars, Hooks and Beats: Music Since 1950
  • Intro to Composition
  • Intro to Music Therapy
  • Intro to Community Music / Education
  • Intro to Small Group Performance
  • Introduction to Digital Music
  • Introduction to Live Sound
  • Introduction to Music Notation

Sample Upper-Year Courses

  • Songwriting
  • Instrumental Conducting
  • History of Music in Popular Culture
  • Monetizing your Music

Options and Minors

These are a few of the many popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge:

  • History, English, Math or Science Minor (towards a second teachable)
  • Management Option
  • Psychology Minor
  • Education Minor
  • Teaching Option

Check out other options to enhance your degree.

Combinations or Combined Degrees

Students can pursue a double degree with music in most areas. For more information, contact us at choosemusic@wlu.ca.

Pathways

Admissions

  • Format: full time
  • Duration: four years
  • Start: September (fall term)

Your Career Awaits

It’s not only about the journey; the destination matters. Let us help you get set up for a meaningful career.

Laurier's Bachelor of Music graduates pursue both traditional and non-traditional career paths, leveraging their versatile skills beyond music-specific roles.

Many alumni venture into fields such as medicine, law, and technology, applying their creativity and discipline in unexpected ways.

Sample Career Options

Note: Additional training and education may be required.

  • music producer
  • sound engineer
  • arts administrator
  • music therapist
  • performer
  • digital content creator
  • music educator

Explore more careers.

Support After Graduation

Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.

Tuition and Scholarships

Getting a university education is an investment in your future.

At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

Faculty of Music Scholarships

On top of any entrance scholarships, you may earn a Faculty of Music audition scholarship. Audition scholarships recognize well-rounded students who demonstrate strong technical ability, academic achievement, recreational/extracurricular involvement and/or financial need during their audition process.

Our top first-year scholarships based on audition include the $5,000 Ken Murray Entrance Scholarship and the $2,000 Martens-Falk Voice Scholarship. Roughly $100,000 is awarded to first-year students each year. 

Financial success doesn’t end in first year; scholarships are available to upper-year students by application.

 

Laurier is among the top 6 percent in the Global 2000 World University Ranking

 

Laurier students engaged in hands-on learning in 2023

 

Laurier graduates employed or in post-graduate studies in 2023

Waterloo Campus

The Waterloo campus is tucked into about one city block, so you’re steps away from your classes, food and your new favourite study spot.

There are many ways to tour our Waterloo campus, whether that's on a guided tour with one of our Laurier student ambassadors, on your own using virtual reality, or even on-demand through one of our pre-recorded tours. See our campus spaces and start to picture yourself at Laurier.

Chat with Current Students

Want to know what it’s really like to be in this program? U Community is our Discord server where future Golden Hawks like you can connect with current students to get their first-hand stories and tips on living and learning at Laurier.

Connect with Us

Questions? Email choosemusic@wlu.ca, call 548.889.8888 or see all Music faculty and staff.


You Belong Here

Think this program might be the perfect fit for you and your future?