Dr. Peter Folliard called the move “a long time coming.”
T
he former dean of the School of Music (SoM), who has since fully transitioned to the role of vice president for innovation at Augustana, said offering a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) has been part of the conversation at the university since 2020. In 2023, the SoM worked on “honing the vision” for the degree and got the go-ahead from Augustana’s Undergraduate Curriculum Council in Academic Year 2024-25. The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) approved the plan in November 2025 — the final step needed to begin full implementation of the degree with a concentration in (instrumental or vocal) performance in Fall 2026.
“Every major school of music has a B.M. degree in performance,” explained Folliard, who joined Augustana in 2017 and became the inaugural dean of the SoM in 2020. “That’s attractive to a student who wants to be a professional performer.”
While the university has offered a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in music and music education for a long time — accredited by NASM since 1972 — Augustana has never taken music to this level.
“It’s sort of like (a student) saying, ‘I want to be a professional athlete. Are you going to make sure that I have the structure to do that?’” said Folliard of the “major milestone.”
Now there’s a degree that does.
The B.M. in performance at Augustana will require 20 more credit hours than the SoM’s current major offering — 65% being performance-based or rather, in the studio taking individual lessons. The degree would also require students to go through an audition process their sophomore year, just to ensure they’re on the right track.
“The B.M. protects the students’ time in order to specialize — that’s really the biggest piece. It means more (emphasis on) performance. It means more blocks of time so they can prepare for an elevated performance opportunity,” Folliard said.
Right now, music majors at AU are required to practice or attend lessons one hour per week, but in reality, Folliard said it typically takes two hours to maintain your skill and three or more to see progress. In the past, SoM graduates have seen great success in their careers, but they’ve “killed themselves” to be able to do it — practicing beyond what’s required for a B.A. degree — oftentimes, creating burnout.
“It’s like saying we want to have a football team that can win a national championship, but we’re building a training schedule that’s more like that of a middle or high school football team,” said Folliard, referring back to the sports reference. “We have all these ideas about teaching all these genres, but students don’t have time to hone their craft.”
As someone who doesn’t want to lead a life without music, Alexis Lawrence ‘29 is exactly who the SoM envisioned when crafting the degree.
“While the B.A. in music offers a broad, flexible education, it may not be the best fit for musicians who hope to master their instrument and eventually perform,” said Lawrence, who attended Washington High School in Sioux Falls before coming to AU. “That’s why having a degree specific to performance is so important. It opens up practice, lesson and performance time, and allows musicians to focus solely on what they are most passionate about.”
Growing up, music was a big part of Lawrence’s life — her siblings played instruments and had an unofficial garage band, which she “thought was the coolest thing ever.” Lawrence said her brothers and sister, along with the endless support of her trombone teachers and parents, “made music so much fun.”
“By the time I reached fifth grade, my brother had graduated and his trombone was just lying in the closet, waiting for me,” said Lawrence. “I played both the cello and trombone for several years, and at first, I was significantly more passionate about orchestra. It wasn’t until my seventh-grade year, when I received a new trombone, started lessons and made All-State Band, that I really started to fall in love with the trombone. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know.”
Lawrence said she’ll never forget her first experience in a symphony-setting during her freshman year of high school. She was so full of joy that “she knew.”
“... this is where my heart will always be. And, I’ve been pursuing music ever since,” explained Lawrence.
Along with “prayer and patience,” it’s also what led Lawrence to Augustana. Many of the ensembles she participated in took place at AU, which allowed her to become familiar with its campus. During her junior year of high school, she joined the university’s trombone choir and “fell in love with it.”
“I started taking lessons with Matthew Erickson (now interim dean of the SoM),” said Lawrence. “I was scared taking lessons with a college-level professor at first, but after that first lesson, I felt strangely empowered. I used to think that making mistakes meant failure, but he helped me see mistakes as chances to learn. For him to help me improve my trombone technique is one thing, but the fact that he has changed my whole mindset is truly incredible. He is also a phenomenal trombonist. His sounds and technique have been so inspiring to me.”
So much so that Lawrence is part of a countless number of ensembles, including the Augustana Band, Trombone Choir, Brass Choir, Brass Quintet, Valhalla Brass and Viking Marching Bands, as well as a member of the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME).
“I’ve decided I want to pursue this degree in addition to majoring in music education,” said Lawrence, who wants to someday direct a high-level band or play professionally in a symphony or orchestra pit. “Since arriving at Augustana, I have found that some of the coolest moments have happened on stage with a trombone in my hand. There is something so magical about playing music for audiences and to have that as a profession would be such a dream come true. I believe that this degree is a good starting point, and it successfully sets me up to be able to achieve that dream.”
While the B.M. will allow Lawrence to explore her dreams in performance, the SoM said this opens up avenues for other concentrations in the future as well.
For more information about the Augustana B.M. in performance, visit augie.edu/music.