Courses Offered

The Bachelor of Music in Music Education features general education, core music courses, music education courses, and professional education courses designed to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for students to successfully teach in various music instruction settings. It requires an applied music emphasis and an applied music minor in any of the following: voice, instrument, music technology, composition, or choral conducting.

(178 units including practicum and a recital)

Perfect for:  If you enjoy teaching other people and you imagine yourself working in a classroom

Career opportunities: Classroom education, music studio instruction, ensemble director

This course is also available for Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP).

This course is also available for Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP).

The Bachelor of Music in Ethnomusicology features general education, core music courses, and ethnomusicology courses designed for individuals interested in pursuing research, instruction, and performance of traditional and popular music with an emphasis on Philippine Music. (159 units including thesis)

Perfect for: If you enjoy doing research and learning about different music cultures, learning to play a wide variety of traditional music cultures.

Career opportunities:  Culture and heritage preservation, cultural research, music research, world music performance, music studio instruction

The program is designed for individuals who already have a Bachelor’s degree. It features a combination of advanced music education courses and research methodologies including training in teaching classroom music. The program requires a thesis. (39 units including thesis)

The Bachelor of Music in Ethnomusicology features general education, core music courses, and ethnomusicology courses designed for individuals interested in pursuing research, instruction, and performance of traditional and popular music with an emphasis on Philippine Music. (159 units including thesis)

Perfect for: If you enjoy doing research and learning about different music cultures, learning to play a wide variety of traditional music cultures.

Career opportunities:  Culture and heritage preservation, cultural research, music research, world music performance, music studio instruction

The program is designed for Bachelors degree holders in order to equip them with effective classroom music teaching techniques following the Kodály approach. Training in this approach is done in cooperation with the Kodály Society of the Philippines who provide a pool of local and international trainers through their yearly summer certificate course held at the Philippine Women’s University. (38 units including the Kodály summer certificate courses)

The program is designed for musicians who seek special preparation in performance. Incoming students must be holders of a Bachelor of Music degree major in Music Performance. An audition is required before admission to the program. This is a non-thesis program but requires public recitals. (39 units including two recitals)

The Master of Music major in Piano Pedagogy program is designed for pianists and music educators who seek specialized preparation in piano teaching. The curriculum features a combination of piano performance, piano pedagogy lectures and practice teaching. Incoming students must be a holder of a Bachelor of Music degree major in Piano or Music Education. A piano audition is required before admission to the program. It is a non-thesis program but requires an oral examination and a public lecture-recital. (30 units including practice teaching and a public lecture-recital)

The Master of Music major in Music Education with emphasis in Choral Conducting is designed for teachers and individuals interested in improving their skills in leading a choir. It is intended particularly for those with some experience in handling church choirs, community choirs and school choirs. The applicant must hold a Bachelor of Music degree and must show proficiency in playing an instrument or voice. This is a non-thesis program that requires an oral examination before a faculty panel and a public recital. (38 units including a recital)

The program is designed for individuals who have a Bachelors degree in Music. It features advanced courses in music education and research with an emphasis on an instrument or voice. The program requires a thesis and a public recital. (41 units including a recital and a thesis)

This is a specialized program in music research and is the first such program in the Philippines. The applicant must have a Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology or Master of Music in Musicology/Ethnomusicology or its equivalent. The program requires comprehensive examinations in Ethnomusicology and Philippine Music as well as a dissertation. (60 units including dissertation)

The Music Performance Program provides in-depth knowledge and understanding of art music including Filipino art music. The applicant must have a Master of Music degree in Music Performance or its equivalent. The program requires comprehensive examinations, public recitals, and a dissertation. (60 units including dissertation and three recitals)

The School of Music is an institution that welcomes students engaged in different forms of musicking. With its long legacy of excellence in music that parallels the storied history of the country’s first university for women, it continues to re-invent itself to meet the needs of a globalized and modern musical public and community. True to its mission of providing an environment of growth for the world’s music artists, educators, and researchers, the School of Music continues to foster a culture where individual talent and skills are recognized and nurtured, teachers are mentors, and students are dynamic partners in their education. Attuned with the current times, the PWU School of Music remains committed to bringing quality education to its students through its flexible learning program that recognizes the individual’s unique situation and learning context. At the PWU School of Music, music is created, transformed, and shared.

History

The School of Music upholds the Philippine Women’s University’s enduring commitment to provide a holistic education which treasures cultural heritage. From its formal establishment in 1947 with Felicing Tirona as the founding dean, it has responded to the needs of society by initiating relevant music programs that are globally competitive and help in nation-building while providing opportunities for professional growth. 

Dr. Lucrecia Kasilag, National Artist for Music, assumed the deanship in 1952 and guided the school towards leadership in music education. Dr. Kasilag’s pioneering work in Philippine music and culture ushered in the integration of Philippine music in the school’s academic programs and by extension in music instruction around the country. In the 1960’s, the PWU School of Music developed an integrated teacher training program course for teachers in the elementary and high-school levels to meet the then urgent needs for competent music teachers. This led to the establishment of the Institute of Music Education in 1967 under the direction of Prof. Corazon Maceda. 

The School of Music provides opportunities for students to hone their artistic skills in performance. Well-known music artists are invited as Artists-in-Residence to mentor and share their expertise and experience. Year-round activities showcase the School of Music’s performing groups including the PWU Indayog Gongs, the PWU Guitar Ensemble, the Pop Music Ensemble, and the PWU Vocal Ensemble. Furthermore, it has an extension program that offers individual non-credit lessons for children and adults in voice, guitar, piano, violin and other musical instruments. Workshops for teachers are also held especially during the summer to enhance their classroom music instruction skills in specific areas including Philippine, Asian, and World Musics. 

The School of Music continues to fulfill its mandate to train young talents in the field of music. Designated as Center of Excellence in 2013 by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the school continues to explore new directions and specializations in popular music, chamber music and collaborative performance in art song which represent initiatives to harness local music resources and address current trends.

Today, the PWU School of Music continues to pioneer. It is the first private university that offers the highest academic level of Doctor of Philosophy in Music with two major areas – Ethnomusicology, implemented in 2011; and Music Performance, implemented in 2013. In addition, it is also a deputized higher education institution for the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) in three undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Music major in Music Performance, Bachelor of Music major in Music Education, and Bachelor of Music, major in Popular Music. Its faculty is composed of experienced musicians, music educators, and researchers who are all active in their respective fields.

Full-time Faculty

Dr. Earl Clarence L. Jimenez
Christopher Borela
Amiel Kim Capitan
Benchito Cariño
Dr. Ivar-Nicholas Fojas
Dr. Abelardo Galang II
Dr. Lilymae Montano
Richelle Rivera
Celeste Romulo
Jose Valdez

Part-time Faculty

Jose Benjamin Caaway
Aimee Mina De la Cruz
Mary Jane Egloso-Cowan
Gomer Giron
Archimedes Lacorte
Myramae Meneses
Marvin Gayramon
Antoni Josef Inacay
Dr. Li Yangyang
Crystal Milarose Rodis-Concepcion
Denise Santos-Huang
Ariel Sta. Ana
Waltan Taccad
Mia Ariana Tanciongco
Dr. Wang Chong
Dr. Wang Min

Message from the Dean

Dr. Earl Clarence L. Jimenez

The PWU School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music that parallels the storied history of the country’s first university for women. Today, as it moves towards celebrating its 75th anniversary, it continues to re-invent itself to meet the needs of a globalized and modern musical public and community. True to its mission of providing an environment of growth for musical artists (both men and women as PWU is now co-educational), the School of Music continues to foster a culture where individual talent and skills are recognized and nurtured, teachers are mentors, and students are dynamic partners in their education. Attuned with the current times, the PWU School of Music remains committed to bringing quality education to its students through its flexible learning program taking into account each individual’s unique situation and learning context. Let the music play on.