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How often do we take a student straight into Breadth studies?
Maybe once every two or three years.
my name is Ric Alviso
I am a professor of music and I am the coordinator of Breadth studies
Breadth studies is a good choice at Cal-State Northridge
for those students who don't feel that their needs
are going to be met by going for one of the traditional
other programs. Breadth means broad but
when a student comes here to study very often they'll say well I'd like to try a
little of this and of little of this and a little of this and a little of this
and I say, well that's fine but its
better to be really good at a few things
than to be mediocre at a lot of thing. So the first thing I am going to ask a
student
is what do you see yourself doing in five or ten years from now
and that'll help me determine whether Breadth studies is an appropriate option
rather than having a set list of courses
like the other degree programs do we have
a pool of twenty upper division units
and by sitting down with the student we are able to figure out
what courses in our music catalog
along with maybe a few courses outside of music
might meet their needs to be able to help them achieve that career goal
for instance every once in a while we will have a student coming in here
who has been already working with their local church teaching music
and they want to make a career out of that, so we can piece together a program that
meets their needs
and give them a general bachelor's Arts in in breadth studies
their focus being church music. Part of the Breadth studies experience
is a senior project a capstone and very often
that ideally should be something practical
It will involve some research and some application of that research
to get them closer to being prepared to enter the workforce
and to have a resume that looks attractive to the employer.
I think determining whether a student is right for the breadth Studies program
really involves two things, there performance audition, I need to see their
as talented as any other student we have here. Number two, I need to meet with
them
and see that they are focused. Students need to be able to piece together
sort of a career
sometimes through various different kinds of ways to be able to be successful.
If you are coming to the CSUN music program and you are thinking about majoring
in music
and for one reason or another don't feel that a career path in those
areas is right for you, come see me,
apply for breadth and we will see if we can find
that place for you.