The Bachelor of Arts in Music Production is a unique program rooted in contemporary popular music styles and practices, and intended for instrumentalists, singers, songwriters, and producers who are interested in performing and creating original music. The BA equips students with the fluency, experience, and adaptability to use the latest tools in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, to produce, shape, and deliver original musical content. Whether interested in songwriting, producing, or performing, the BA offers students the opportunity to develop their unique voice and express their artistry in recorded media and live settings. The program includes specialized courses in music production, business, theory, performance, and songwriting. For their capstone projects, students focus heavily on collaborative projects for the purpose of developing, recording, and performing original music suitable for professional presentation.

Our BA and BMus programs are enhanced by Columbia’s downtown Chicago campus, where students are plugged into the vibrant city music scene and are mentored by a faculty of professional musicians and renowned resident artists with established connections in the national and international music business.

Students successfully completing the Bachelor of Arts should be able to demonstrate:

• applied skills in music production, songwriting, arranging, performance, and improvisation to create and produce original music in both individual and collaborative contexts;
• the preparation and development of a portfolio of original music suitable for the professional market, including professionally recorded and documented media projects;
• preparation of a viable business plan for a career in music performance, songwriting, and production.