CMUS 151 Commercial Applied Music I

Private lessons appropriate to commercial music disciplines, which include voice, guitar, keyboard, bass, drums, recording engineering and producing, songwriting, film scoring, and other solo instruments.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.


The purpose of this course is to develop technical fluency, expressive musicianship, and professionalism in performance. Private instruction is the most effective way to develop a high level of musical skill.


Assigned readings and presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Lesson Assignments (12)

The lesson assignment is the core learning activity of the applied lesson course. In the student’s interaction with the professor, he or she will sing or play music, or compose a song or film-score, receive feedback and guidance, and be given an assignment for the following module’s lesson.

Each module, the student will meet with his or her professor via video using a video platform of the professor’s choice, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The professor and student will discuss the discipline-specific grading rubric used for weekly assessment. If the student is composing a song or film-score, the student must submit his or her song composition or film-score as requested by the professor for review and feedback. The student will upload applied lesson notes utilizing the provided lesson template. 

The Jury System for Final Performance Submission Assignment

The Jury System is an online tool used by applied students and faculty for logging the planned repertoire for their final performance. The student will log into The Jury System using their Liberty Credentials (username and password) which will direct them to the LU portal login form to create their personal account. This account will remain active until students have completed all required applied lesson coursework.

Final Performance Assignment

At the end of the semester, the student will video record a final performance and upload a link to this video to the learning management system. At least two pieces, songs, or projects must be submitted. The student may do three according to discussions and agreement with the professor. This performance consists of assigned selections prepared during the semester.

Quiz: Lesson Scheduling Availability and Biblical Worldview

In this quiz, the student will communicate his/her schedule availability to the instructor. The student must communicate all available times when a lesson could occur, being clear about the time zone in which he/she lives. The student must also indicate his/her top 3 preferred times. The student will answer questions about applied lesson goals and experience. A video of the student playing/singing or example of recent composition is also required, depending on applied area of study. Also, this quiz will allow the student to share the implications of a Bible verse in relation to practicing musical skills. This quiz contains 7 short answer questions, 1 essay question, 1 true/false question, and 1 file upload question. This quiz is open-book/open-notes, has no time limit, and allows 1 attempt.


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