Music, Theatre and Dance

Department Chair: Lindsay Guarino, M.F.A.

Coordinator of Music Education/Director of Applied Music: Peter Davis, M. Mus.
Coordinator of Music: Peter Davis, M. Mus.
Coordinator of Theatre: Tara Brooke Watkins, PhD
Coordinator of Dance: Lindsay Guarino, M.F.A.

The Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at Salve Regina provides students with individualized attention and a wide range of training and performance experiences in the creative disciplines of music, theatre and dance.

A liberal arts education, in combination with a curriculum based in the performing arts, helps students realize their artistic potential, while acquiring skills that lead to lifelong learning. Through the discipline of performance, students explore concepts like teamwork, problem solving, community participation, active listening and the synergy that comes from working together to create a single end product. This process leads to improvement of self-image, presentation and development of human potential.

Whether they pursue their interests professionally or as an aesthetic outlet, our graduates possess the creative, collaborative and analytical skills necessary for success in whatever careers they choose. Our multi-dimensional programming prepares students for careers in performance and teaching, and serves as appropriate preparation for professional training programs or graduate studies in a variety of fields.

In alignment with the mission of Salve Regina University, the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance is committed to cultivating graduates with enduring values that enhance their ability to think critically, respond creatively, and to exercise sound judgment and responsible stewardship in the world.

Music

The Music program at Salve Regina University contributes to the general mission of the University by bringing students into contact with the rich heritage of musical arts. All courses in the music curriculum have an important goal: the awakening of the student's understanding and enjoyment of music. Each course strives toward sharpening the student's critical sense, thus enabling him/her to become a more discerning listener and accomplished performer. This is achieved by investigating that special quality found in art music and by performing such music in solo and ensemble settings. The program offers a range of private instruction in voice and instruments as well as a wide variety of performance opportunities.

The Salve Regina mission states the University "prepares men and women by imparting and expanding knowledge, developing skills and cultivating enduring values." The study of music at Salve Regina is beneficial for its many outcomes, which include the development of social behaviors such as cooperation, responsibility and multi-cultural sensitivity; personal behaviors such as integrated and "whole brain" learning and creativity, as well as the use of the appropriate technologies. Through the study of music education, students develop the skills and knowledge that enable them to contribute to the world through the vocation of teaching.

The program goals/objectives are as follows:

1. To provide a high quality, diverse education in music that includes excellence in performance, historical perspective and knowledge of the art form.
2. To offer a sufficient number of performance and learning opportunities for students to develop their craft.
3. To provide a learning environment that will assist Music Education students in meeting Rhode Island PK-12 certification criteria.
4. To provide foundational support and training that will enable Music Education students to contribute positively to the world through the vocation of teaching.
5. To provide a comprehensive learning environment that assists students in developing knowledge and skills that exceed the Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards and standards set by the National Association of Schools of Music.
6. To develop knowledge and facility in the use of the current technology in music.

Theatre

Students earning a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts at Salve Regina University will receive a unique opportunity to gain both high-quality production and skill-based performance training as well as learn how theatre and performance can make an impact on the lives of those around them. Students take a core curriculum which offers foundational learning in on- and off-stage production techniques, theory and dramatic studies of key cultures in the development of performance styles, and hands-on praxis opportunities to apply skills directly within communities. With this degree, students graduate ready for a variety of career paths from traditional theatre and performance fields to political science and communications to advocacy and education, all while learning the power of the arts in society. 

The program goals/objectives are as follows:

1. To actively apply the Salve Regina mission of mercy through theatre and performance as a mode not only of creating productions but of using theatre to develop empathy and engage community. 
2. To offer courses that align with Salve's new core curriculum through a celebration and study of diverse cultural practices which have contributed to the art and style of theatre. 
3. To bring students into a 21^st-century style of learning theatre that incorporates gender and racial equity as both a subject and a lens. 
4. To teach foundational techniques in the studio for students' performance and technical interests. 
5. To provide students interested in specific performance styles the opportunity to study those more deeply through three areas of concentrations. 
6. To foster an awareness and appreciation of self and others through body and voice training, dramatic interpretation and analysis, and community engagement projects. 

Dance

Salve Dance provides students with a transformative education through the study of dance in a liberal arts environment.  Community is at the heart of our dance program, with an environment that encourages and supports individuality, personal creativity, dynamic exchanges of energy, risk-taking and resilience.

Both the B.A. and the minor in dance require that students work closely with dance faculty to choose courses and design an educational experience relative to their own strengths and interests.  Across the curriculum, students engage in critical dialogue, physical practice and creative production as they study dance history, theory, technique, performance, composition, and pedagogy.  Courses highlight the intersectional nature of dance to inspire connections across disciplines, allowing each student to carve out an individualized pathway for future success.

Training across a range of dance styles allows our students to become versatile dancers, developing artistic voices informed by course work in contemporary, ballet, tap, hip hop, social dance, commercial dance and more.  With our unique focus on jazz studies, we acknowledge and honor jazz as a historically Black American art form that has influenced the continuum of American dance and culture today. Students embody jazz from a rooted perspective informed by history and Africanist aesthetics while working with jazz musicians in studio classes and performances.

In alignment with the mission of Salve Regina University, we strive to offer an education that is inclusive, culturally relevant and antiracist.  Our students develop into empathetic, self-aware artists empowered to impact their communities in ways that promote equity and justice. 

The program goals/objectives are as follows:

1. To offer courses that are current and varied, embracing the diverse styles and cultures that represent 21st century dance in America while providing a comprehensive study of the jazz continuum.
2. To contribute to the culture of Salve Regina and the Newport community, using dance to share perspectives, interrogate biases, and celebrate humanity.
3. To provide instruction in the dance studio that is technically sound, integrates history and theory, and aligns with professional standards.
4.  To give students opportunities in choreography, performance, and production where they develop artistry while gaining skills necessary for employment.  
5. To nurture students to be forward thinking, creative, and compassionate through processes that foster social consciousness, communication, and collaboration.

Music Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Foundational Knowledge and Skills
   1. Demonstrate the ability to analyze compositions in the relevant cultural traditions using relevant forms of music technology.
   2. Demonstrate skills in conducting and organization that will lead to effective rehearsal planning and execution.
   3. Demonstrate and apply the critical thinking skills necessary for musical and contextual understanding of musical elements and relevance.
2. Performance
   1. Demonstrate outreach through performances and other opportunities for community engagement.
   2. Exhibit team skills in both solo and ensemble performance, with understanding of the collaborative nature of music.
   3. Demonstrate stylistic knowledge in a variety of musical genres.
   4. Demonstrate proficiency in their applied performance area in a capstone project or solo recital during their senior year. 

Music Education Student Learning Outcomes

In addition to the Music Student Learning Outcomes listed above, students will be able to:

1. Develop and implement lesson plans and assessments which reflect an understanding of how their students learn.
2. Demonstrate readiness for licensure according to the requirements of RI Department of Education. 
3. Demonstrate proficiency in their applied performance area in a capstone project or solo recital during their senior year. 

Theatre Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Identify the important historic and ongoing performance and design contributions of the global majority to the field of theatre.
2. Demonstrate how to use theatre as a collaborative and mercy-based tool in the traditional mode of theatre production as well as in creative non-traditional theatre practices.
3. Advocate for needs of self and others through acts of listening, verbal communication, and writing after critical analysis of everyday performance in the world.
4. Discover individual means for self-confidence, appropriate risk-taking, empathy, resilience, and self-expression.
5. Create theatre productions and studies with a range of collaborative and inclusive valuations based in onstage, offstage, and community engagement.

Dance Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Utilize critical thought and analysis, both verbally and in writing, to communicate ideas about dance in their social, historical, and cultural contexts.
2. Demonstrate knowledge in the histories, theories, and practices that have shaped American dance with a specific focus on historically marginalized perspectives.
3. Develop proficiency in two or more dance styles and techniques, including but not limited to jazz, jazz-influenced, and rhythm-based contemporary styles. 
4. Show critical awareness of one’s own identity, through self-reflection and artistic expression, in relationship to the five critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy: Earth, Immigration, Nonviolence, Antiracism, Women. 
5. Communicates with a confident, clear artistic voice in and through performance and/or choreography.
6. Create and practice intentional community, through listening, leadership and collaboration, in classroom, rehearsal and performance spaces.

Bachelor's

Minors

Music

Theatre Arts

Dance