The Conservatory of Annie Moses·The Associates Degree in Music
College Program
Fluency in the language of music. The College Program forms students in a holistic approach to the performing arts, guided by the conviction that art is a spiritual discipline. Over two years, each student is equipped to write, arrange, notate, record, perform, and carry his or her own work into the world with excellence and authenticity.
The Program
A working degree in music.
The goal of the Associates Degree in Music is to graduate fully equipped to engage any musical task. Whether it is arranging for a string quartet, editing a vocal in the recording studio, notating a rhythm chart, or collaborating with other musicians, graduates of the College Program are fluent in the language of music. The approach is deliberately career-focused — practical skills, professional habits, and a body of finished work to show for it.
The two years
Foundational skills, then a portfolio.
Year One establishes the foundational skills that professional life requires. Students work shoulder to shoulder with faculty through private lessons across instruments, live performance coaching, creative-writing workshops, and seminars in genre analysis, theology, and aesthetics.
Year Two culminates in a capstone project — the student’s portfolio for professional life. Developed in conjunction with faculty, it reflects the full range of fluency the student has built. Past capstones have taken the form of an EP with music videos, recordings of original classical compositions, or a filmed production of an original theatrical work. With dedication, each student leaves able to engage the world of music in many capacities — with the portfolio to prove it.
Why the program exists
A higher call than self-promotion.
The performing arts are a powerful force in the modern world, and the platforms that carry them have never been more numerous. Yet artists find it harder than ever to make their presence felt, and music education too often sits in a no-man’s-land of high tuition and thin results. More than anything, the arts today lack a call higher than self-promotion.
The College Program answers a different question — not how to be noticed, but why we create at all. The artist best equipped to answer it is one of wide skill: who not only performs but writes, who is not bound to a single genre, who can notate and educate, produce and record, and root the work in a deep spiritual tradition.
We reclaim a darkening world through beauty — by unleashing the truth with excellence.
Tuition
A cost-effective path.
The Associates Degree is a cost-effective way to gain high-quality, career-focused instruction. Tuition is $12,000 per year with a $250 registration fee; books run roughly $300, and room and board are at the student’s discretion. Capstone costs vary with the project. Payment in full or a six-payment plan is available.
Entering
How students enter the College Program.
Admission is by audition and conversation. The audition includes a prepared solo, a sight-reading assessment, and a brief theory interview. Outside applicants are welcome.
Transfer of credit
A note on transferability.
As required by the State of Tennessee: Credits earned at the Conservatory of Annie Moses College Program may not transfer to another educational institution, and credits earned elsewhere may not be accepted by the College Program. Obtain confirmation that the College Program will accept any credits you have earned before executing an enrollment agreement, and contact any institution to which you may wish to transfer to determine whether it will accept credits earned here. The ability to transfer credits may be very limited; you may have to repeat courses if you enroll elsewhere. Never assume that credits will transfer to or from any institution. You are advised to confirm the transfer-of-credit policy of the College Program and of any other institution before executing an enrollment agreement.