Majoring in Performing Arts? | Montgomery College, Maryland

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Interested in music, film, theatre, or dance? Our department at Takoma Park/Silver Spring has a multiple options for our performing arts majors. You can choose to major in AA - Performing Artsnew window, AA - Musicnew window, or pursue a Certificate in Music. There is also a AA General Studies - Film Option available.

The performing arts area includes the disciplines of dance, film, music, and theater. Students may select from diverse offerings in introductory and advanced courses in these disciplines. A wide variety of courses fulfill the art distribution requirement under the colleges general education program. The Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus offers Montgomery College's only array of film classes including film writing, movie production, and editing.

The department produces two to three theater productions per year in the Cultural Arts Center which is the home of the performing arts on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus. The Cultural Arts Center has two theaters, the Main Theater, which is a 500 seat proscenium theater, and the Studio Theater, which is a 116 seat modified thrust theater. Specialty classrooms include a large, glass walled dance studio and a 16 station piano lab with individual keyboards.

The AA Performing Arts degree is planned to provide a fundamental course of study and training in basic skills for students who plan to continue study at a four-year institution, expect to enter a professional training program in theatre or dance, or wish to seek professional employment in theatre, dance, or related areas. Completion of all requirements will lead to the award of the AA in performing arts.

The AA Music is designed for the student who plans (1) to earn the bachelor of arts degree with a major in music; (2) to earn the bachelor of music education degree; (3) to earn the bachelor of music degree with a major in performance, theory-composition, or history-literature; or (4) to seek employment upon completion of the AA. MC is a community college member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

The Music Certificate curriculum consists of music courses that are required in music major programs at professionally accredited colleges, universities, and conservatories. It is intended for students who wish to transfer to these institutions. Students would be advised to take approximately 30 additional credits chosen to match the first two years of the program into which they plan to transfer.

The AA General Studies Film Option will not only introduce you to the foundations of production and screenwriting, but you will also understand film and its wider, global relationship to culture, race, identity, and aesthetics, giving you a strong historical and theoretical foundation in the field of film and film studies. In a rapidly growing global, visual, and digital culture, moving images and storytelling through film and electronic media are shaping the way we experience the world. From documentary, to television, web series and apps, today there is an increasing demand for innovative ways to capture and explore the personal, the cultural, identity, and more through the camera lens.

No matter which you prefer, if you intend on attending the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus as a performing arts major, please consult with a department performing arts advisor prior to choosing a major or enrolling in art classes. We are happy to advise.