Music BA
Develop your skills, knowledge, and passion for music to prepare for a variety of music careers.
Why Music (BA)?
A Music (BA) degree prepares students with a strong knowledge of music theory, history, and skills. Students have the flexibility to shape their experience of the program, including a wide variety of electives and a personalized senior project. Upon graduation, students build a foundation of music education and performance on which to enter graduate-level study or a musical profession.
Music (BA) at Cairn
Biblical Integration
Learn in an interdisciplinary program within a biblical, Christian context
Academic Opportunity
Utilize the individual faculty studios, practice rooms, technology labs, and classrooms in the Music Building
Experienced Faculty
Develop under the direction of faculty who are accomplished musicians and educators
Campus Location
Take part in the vibrant music cultures of Philadelphia (30 minutes away) and NYC (just over an hour away)
Hands-On Education
Practice and perform on all Steinway & Sons pianos
Campus Community
Join University ensembles like the symphony orchestra, wind ensemble, chorale, and opera theatre. Develop strong bonds and friendships with other devoted musicians.
more Details
Get an inside look at our Music Program
There are over 70 unique programs at Cairn to choose from! Not sure if this is the best program for you? Here are some more details to help you decide.
Required Credits: 120
Curriculum Highlights:
- MUS Music Theory I-IV
- MUS Music Survey
- MUS 316 World Music/Ethnomus
- MUS Music History
Graduate studies in music
Worship ministry
Music education
Private music instruction
Connect With Us
An Affordable Education
While the cost of a Cairn University education is competitive with similar institutions, we realize you may need financial assistance to take this journey. You are not alone. 97% of our full-time undergraduate students receive some form of financial assistance.
Meet Our Faculty
Kenneth Borrmann
Chair, Keyboard Studies; Associate Professor, School of Music
Kenneth Borrmann is an Associate Professor of Music and Chair of Keyboard Studies at Cairn University. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Bible and a Bachelor of Music in piano from Cairn University and a Master of Music in piano performance from West Chester University. He is the director of the Cairn Handbell Choir and the ensemble Laudate.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he is active as a soloist, accompanist, and chamber music collaborator. Mr. Borrmann has conducted major portions of Handel’s Messiah on multiple occasions and has been active as a church music director for almost 30 years. He has served on the faculty of the Csehy Summer School of Music, teaching piano and conducting the Csehy choir.
His solo piano recitals have featured the works of Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms and Rachmaninoff. As part of the dedication of a new Steinway concert grand piano, Mr. Borrmann performed the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Prokofiev with the Cairn Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed the Piano Concerto No.1 by Brahms with the CSO. Mr. Borrmann studied piano with Dr. Samuel Hsu and Benjamin Whitten and has most recently been a student of Martin Canin of the Juilliard School.
Scott Watson
Faculty, School of Music
Dr. Scott Watson is a full-time faculty member teaching various courses in the School of Music. For 35 years prior to coming to Cairn, Scott was a band director and elective music teacher in the Parkland School District (Allentown, PA). Additionally, he taught music theory full-time at Temple University for one year and continues to serve as an adjunct instructor at several Philadelphia-area universities. Scott is a frequently commissioned and published composer, whose award-winning music has been performed at prestigious venues including Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, and the White House. Scott is an exclusive composer for Alfred Music, with over 100 published works for band and orchestra at all levels. Watson is also a sought-after clinician who has delivered sessions and professional development training at music conferences and for school music departments around the U.S. His book, Using Technology to Unlock Musical Creativity, is published by Oxford University Press.
Scott and his wife, Kim, have two adult children, Benjamin and Abigail, who are both music teachers themselves. The Watsons attend Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church, where Scott plays keyboard in the worship. Whenever he can get away, you can find Scott with his family “down the shore” visiting his parents in Cape May, reading a good non-fiction book.
What Our Students Have To Say
Addie Olsen
Cairn's BA in Music program gives me the freedom to craft my music degree to my own interests. A strong core curriculum has provided me with a foundation to pursue electives relevant to my career aspirations, all of which are taught by professors whose focus on Christ drives their artistry.