The Performance BM is a degree program in Biola's Conservatory of Music. The Bachelor of Music degree came into being around 1954 and "Performance" majors were under the emphasis "Applied Music" until the program expanded a few years after Biola became a university, using the emphasis "Performance" around 1984.
It is intended that this degree be pursued by students who wish to 1) pursue a career as a professional performer; or 2) teach privately or on the college/university level; or 3) concentrate on developing their performance skill to the highest level possible within the context of a four-year bachelors degree program.
The primary objective of this program is that of preparing students for graduate study in performance, which is considered a foundational standard in pursuing a performing career or a career as a teacher, whether privately or on the college-university level. This degree program adheres to the standard as it is articulated by the major schools of music in the U.S., although it is recognized that not all students completing the BM Performance degree will actually choose to enroll in a graduate program in performance. Performance area options available to Biola music majors include: voice, wind instruments, percussion, stringed instruments (including harp and guitar), piano, and organ.
See Biola University Conservatory of Music, Music Training at Biola, Timeline of the Music Department.