The Department of Music offers six programs of study in music:
- B.M. in Commercial Music with four track options
- Commercial Music Performance & Artist Development
- Composer-arranger
- Songwriting
- Worship Leadership
- B.S. in Music Education
- B.S. in Music Leadership with three track options
- Audio Engineering
- Entrepreneurship in Commercial Music
- Music Business
- B.M. in Music Performance (Instrumental)
- B.M. in Music Performance (Vocal)
- A.A. in Music
Trevecca Nazarene University also offers studies in Worship and Music Business.
Trevecca Nazarene University is located in Nashville, Tenn., often referred to as the "Third Coast" due to the presence of many publishing and record companies located in "Music City, USA." As a result, students have opportunities for internships within every aspect of the music industry meeting and working with some of the finest musicians in the country. Graduates of the department have gone on to careers in music performance, worship leadership, public and private school education, private studio instruction, and various areas of the music industry.
If you are intending on majoring in music, please contact David Diehl at DDiehl@trevecca.edu.
Trevecca Studios
Trevecca's School of Music and Worship Arts houses two newly renovated (2023) studios for students to get hands-on recording experience along with the capability to create well-produced digital recordings of original songs.
Craig Adams
Assistant Professor of Music and Executive Director of the Center for Commercial Music
Brian Fullen
Assistant Professor of Music, Coordinator of Percussion Studies, and Coordinator of Audio Engineering
Mark Hosny
Assistant Professor of Music and Worship and Coordinator of Undergraduate Music Theory
Dr. Timothy W. Sharp
Artist-in-Residence, Adjunct Professor of Conducting and Music Leadership
Craig Adams
Assistant Professor of Music and Executive Director of the Center for Commercial Music
Brian Fullen
Assistant Professor of Music, Coordinator of Percussion Studies, and Coordinator of Audio Engineering
Mark Hosny
Assistant Professor of Music and Worship and Coordinator of Undergraduate Music Theory
Dr. Timothy W. Sharp
Artist-in-Residence, Adjunct Professor of Conducting and Music Leadership
Instrumental Ensembles
Who can play in ensembles?
- Any student regardless of their major
- TNU faculty, staff, and members of the Nashville community
At Trevecca, we believe music is an essential part of the liberal arts education. Our goal is to provide an outstanding ensemble experience for all Trevecca students. Ensembles provide all students an opportunity for continued musical training, arts education, fellowship and spiritual growth. For music majors, we view the ensemble component of the degree as the practical, daily application of both the private applied study and the core degree music classes including written music theory, aural music theory and music history.
As a member of one of our ensembles, you will learn from expert faculty and take part in performances on and off campus. Our ensembles tour regularly within the Southeast Educational Zone of the Church of the Nazarene and abroad. A complete listing and information on all of our ensembles and their directors is available below. If you have questions or would like more information on getting connected with an ensemble, please contact the ensemble's director.
If you’re interested in making music at Trevecca, we have a place for you!
Instrumental Ensemble Auditions
Instrumental ensemble auditions are held at the beginning of each year. All instrumental auditions are held in the Jackson Center for Music and Worship Arts and last ten minutes. Students should be prepared to play two short (30 seconds to a minute) excerpts of music – one lyrical and one technical, play scales, and/or sight-read. There will also be time to answer any questions you may have about the different ensembles we offer.
We will be happy to schedule auditions for students interested in joining an ensemble mid-year on a case-by-case basis. If you have questions or would like more information, email Susan Sims at smsims@trevecca.edu or call (615) 248-1536.
Guitar Ensemble
Guitar Ensemble gives students an opportunity to develop sight-reading skills and to improve classical and fingerstyle techniques in an ensemble setting. Students explore improvisation and refine ensemble skills while playing classical, Latin, Celtic and popular selections. For more information about Guitar Ensemble, please e-mail director Jeff Cox at jcox@trevecca.edu.
Jazz Combo
Jazz Combo, under the direction of professor Jeff Cox, allows students to explore traditional jazz styles (swing, Latin, cool, bebop, contemporary) and develop improvisational skills in a small ensemble setting. For more information about Jazz Combo, please contact professor Jeff Cox at jcox@trevecca.edu or call (615) 248-1292.
Fuze and Element
Fuze and Element are organized each Fall and Spring semester and focus on today’s exciting contemporary jazz literature. These ensembles provide an excellent experience for advanced students to refine their improvisational skills performing in a small group setting. While covering a range of different styles within the contemporary jazz element, students are encouraged to submit arrangements and original compositions of their own choosing. This group is by audition only during the first weekend of September. For more information about Lab Band, please e-mail professor Jeff Cox at jcox@trevecca.edu or call (615) 248-1292.
Percussion Ensemble
The TNU Percussion Ensemble was founded on a foundation of a servant attitude during the 2001-2002 school year to prepare students for performance in small ensemble situations in the professional world. The focal point of the ensemble is the improvement of individual musicianship through cooperation within the ensemble as a whole. The ensemble seeks to help students turn their individual focus on self-improvement toward a broader focus on an ensemble as a whole, thereby adding greatly back to their own individual skills. Students may also find that they are able to reach their potential through the discipline and organization of musical practice and performance. While also being exposed to various genres of percussion ensemble music, students are given a better understanding and appreciation for people of different cultures and values. The TNU Percussion Ensemble is directed by Dr. Brian Fullen. For more information about Percussion Ensemble, please e-mail him at BBFullen@trevecca.edu or call (615) 347-2020.
TNaz Jazz
TNaz Jazz performs music from the big band era through contemporary jazz. In addition, the group performs popular vocal songs from Motown/Stax to present day. The group has performed in every state in our district including performances at Disney, Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne, IN and Jackson Square in New Orleans. The group has been recognized for outstanding musicianship on numerous occasions at the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival in Chicago. For more information about TNaz Jazz, please email Dr. David Diehl at DDiehl@trevecca.edu or call (615) 248-1291.
Vanderbilt Band
Students at Trevecca are invited to participate in the "Spirit of Gold" Marching band through Vanderbilt University. Students play at all home games and receive an all-expenses paid trip to one away game. For details call the Vanderbilt band office at (615)343-BAND.
Wind Ensemble
The Wind Ensemble is a group comprised of about 40 Trevecca students, alumni and friends of the University. This group plays a wide variety of wind band literature from pop music to the standard Wind Band repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries. Wind Ensemble is led by Dr. David Diehl. For more information about Wind Ensemble, please email Dr. David Diehl at DDiehl@trevecca.edu or call (615) 248-1291.
Other ensembles offered: Brass Ensemble and String Ensemble (contact Dr. David Diehl ddiehl@trevecca.edu)
Other Ensembles Offered
Brass, Woodwind and String Ensembles are also offered.
For more information, contact Dr. David Diehl at DDiehl@trevecca.edu.
Choral Ensembles
Who sings in choirs at Trevecca?
- Any student regardless of their major
- Student athletes
- Actors and members of the theatre department
- Members of student government & residence life
- Members of the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Band, and PR groups
- TNU faculty, staff, and members of the Nashville community
Trevecca Sings!
Choral singing has a rich tradition at Trevecca Nazarene University. We seek to honor the Lord by continually raising the standard of excellence in choral singing so clearly inherent throughout the history of the university. We strive to provide outstanding choral ensemble experiences for all Trevecca students, preparing them for a lifetime of contributing to the church and greater choral world community. Each of our choral ensembles offers singers an opportunity for the refinement of their vocal and musicianship skills in a collaborative environment of fellow believers. At Trevecca you will sing choral music of all styles and varieties, including great choral-orchestral masterworks, and tour the world. Trevecca’s choral program also supports the activities of future church musicians, choir directors, and choral music educators by sponsoring a student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. To learn more about the choirs we offer, contact Dr. Thomas Lerew at TELerew@trevecca.edu or call 615-248-1571.
Trevecca Chorale
Established in the fall of 2016, the Trevecca Chorale is the premier traditional choral ensemble at Trevecca Nazarene University. Membership is composed of the university’s most skilled singers across all academic areas of the university, not just music. The ensemble strives for the highest levels of choral artistic excellence and performs a variety of repertoire from mass settings of the Renaissance era, to choral-orchestral masterworks, to contemporary compositions of today. In addition to performing on-campus concerts throughout the year, the Trevecca Chorale showcases Trevecca’s choral program by singing at local schools and churches, and by touring throughout the southeast United States. The Trevecca Chorale is conducted by Dr. Thomas Lerew.
Trevecca Chorale Mission Statement:
As the Trevecca Chorale, we aspire to glorify God alone as one body and one voice, bringing our best to Him and for Him, in musical excellence, intentional like-mindedness, and personal devotion
For more information or to schedule an audition for Trevecca Chorale, please e-mail the director at TELerew@trevecca.edu or call (615) 248-1571.
We will be happy to schedule auditions for students interested in joining an ensemble mid-year on a case-by-case basis. If you have questions or would like more information, email Susan Sims at smsims@trevecca.edu or call (615) 248-1536.
Concert Choir
The Concert Choir offers an entry-level singing experience to students. This ensemble is non-auditioned and seeks to instill the necessary musicianship skills of aural and notational music literacy, ensembleship and vocal development necessary to audition into higher levels of the Trevecca choral music program. The repertoire consists of music from various historical eras of the Western canon as well as traditional and contemporary repertoire throughout the world. songs, to hymns, to spirituals, Concert Choir pursues sensitivity in their musicianship and excellence in performance.
For more information about Concert Choir, please e-mail the director, Dr. Thomas Lerew, at telerew@trevecca.edu or call (615) 248-1571.
Commercial Voice Ensemble
Commercial Vocal Ensemble (CVE) performs commercial music of varying genres and decades with an emphasis on artistry. The ensemble also focuses on background vocal skills, arranging, while including pedagogical elements to develop efficiency and longevity.
For more information about CVE, please contact Craig Adams at scadams@trevecca.edu or 615-248-1313.
TESTIFY! Worship Choir
There’s nothing like the sound and experience of a dynamic choir lifting their voices in song! Testify, Trevecca's Gospel Choir, is known for its passionate and high-energy performances and its diverse repertoire. Their transcendent take on everything from traditional Gospel to contemporary Worship has made them a go-to source for live and studio performances with Zach Williams, Casting Crowns, Mandisa, NewSong at Winterjam, and more. Under the leadership of Director Mark Hosny, Testify frequently performs around Nashville and on tour.
No audition is required, but interested singers should have a passion for worship and a desire to lift their voice to the Lord!
For more information about Testify, please contact Mark Hosny at mhosny@trevecca.edu.
ACDA at Trevecca
American Choral Directors Association
Founded in 1959, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) is a nonprofit music-education organization whose central purpose is to promote excellence in choral music through performance, composition, publication, research, and teaching. In addition, ACDA strives through arts advocacy to elevate choral music's position in American society.
Membership & Benefits
The student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) at Trevecca exists to support the goals of the nationwide ACDA, to equip TNU choral students with the tools necessary to succeed in the worlds of professional and educational choral music and to support the efforts of choral ensembles within the School of Music & Worship Arts.
Membership in ACDA will benefit any student who may one day be in the position of directing a choir. This includes music education students, vocal performance students, commercial music students, future worship leaders, and music composition students. TNU-ACDA will help you by providing practical experiences and a deeper understanding of the choral field. Nationally, ACDA membership consists of choral directors who represent more than one million singers across the United States. ACDA members teach choral music in public and private schools — kindergarten through senior high school — and at the college and university levels. They conduct a variety of choral groups, including boy choirs, children's choirs, men's and women's choruses, junior and senior high school choirs, college and university choruses, ethnic choirs, vocal jazz ensembles, and symphony choruses. They also conduct choirs in their communities and in the church.
In order to experience the full benefits of being a member, the student chapter encourages everyone to become a member of ACDA. Student membership costs only $35 per year.
Activities & Events
We provide a chapter lecture series that brings experienced vocal music professionals to campus to share their knowledge and techniques. We create opportunities to go off-campus to observe rehearsals or view performances of the highest caliber. We maintain a fundraising program that provides assistance to chapter members attending ACDA conferences. In an attempt to increase the excellence of everyone’s college choral experience, we work to recruit students for Trevecca’s choral ensembles.
