Overview
Earning your music degree at Sheridan College offers you Wyoming’s strongest synergy between teaching, mentoring, world-class facilities, campus life, and affordability. You will learn and practice in one of the nation’s premier music education centers, the Whitney Center for the Arts. This $20 million facility includes recital and performance spaces, a music technology lab, and a recording studio. At the center of our state-of-the-art complex is a 422-seat concert hall. With a variety of ensembles, music students enjoy many performance opportunities, often alongside seasoned professionals and mentors. Earning a music degree from Sheridan College will allow you to transfer into bachelor’s degree programs nationwide or begin your career as a musician.
Why Sheridan College?
- Learn in a university-type setting with one-on-one personalized attention
- Tailor your associate degree to emphasize General Music or Music Technology
- Gain real-world experience performing on-stage in our beautiful Kinnison Hall
- Benefit from strong community and professional connections and opportunities integrated into your studies.
- 24-hour keycard access to student spaces to work on projects at your own pace.
Scholarship Auditions
Remote and in-person auditions are available.
Contact Dr. Eric Richards, erichards@sheridan.edu, with any questions or to schedule.
Browse Our Music Offerings
Directed by Dr. Eric Richards, the Bands and Jazz Studies Program at Sheridan College is a vibrant musical community comprised of SC music majors, SC majors in other academic studies, local high school students and community musicians. The collaboration of students and adult musicians of all ages, a number of whom are music educators and professional musicians, creates an exciting music-making atmosphere.
Directed by Dr. Robert Psurny, Sheridan College Choirs and Vocal Studies provides students with the opportunities to sing a wide variety of choral music. From the Collegiate Chorale, which is a community-based ensemble open to all singers, to the Chamber Choir, which is mostly comprised of Music Majors and other full-time students.
Students have the opportunity to take applied private voice lessons, and with instructor approval, present solo vocal works in concerts of choral and vocal music.
Students can choose to pursue a Music AFA with a focus in Music Technology or pursue our Music Technology Certificate on its own separately. Our program features a professional recording studio, Mac lab with MIDI interfaces, expert faculty, and a hands-on curriculum that prepares you to launch your music career or helps you transfer to advanced music programs nationwide.
Strings students can perform major repertoire with the Sheridan College Symphony Orchestra and enjoy small-ensemble chamber music opportunities with classes and ensembles specializing in early music and historically informed performance practice.
World-Class Facilities
As a music student, you will learn in one of the leading performing arts facilities in the region, the Whitney Center for the Arts at Sheridan College.
This multi-million dollar facility includes cutting-edge studios for performing, recording, sculpture, ceramics, painting, and drawing. Additionally, the performance hall and galleries serve up a variety of professional concerts and art exhibitions for students and the community of Sheridan.
The Whitney Center for the Arts features a 422-seat concert hall with variable acoustic banners to adjust the sounds reflection and highlight performances in the hall. The changeable proscenium stage has a motorized fly system and an orchestra pit. All college music performances are live streamed to the music YouTube channel with multiple cameras, and multi-channel live recording capability.
Equipped with a new Mac Studio running ProTools and Logic Pro, music students have access to the campus recording studio for projects and in-class learning. The studio is connected to the concert hall (along with visual capabilities) and surrounding recording spaces, with a professional monitoring system. Outboard pro-level preamps and processors, and a Focusrite RedNet Dante system as well as high-end microphones.
The music technology lab is fully equipped with 15 production stations including Silicon iMac computers, Focusrite audio interfaces, Nektar MIDI controllers, carious music production and notation software applications and 24-hour keycard access for enrolled students.
Music Performance Ensembles
Chamber Choir
The Chamber Choir at Sheridan College includes singers who meet regularly to rehearse work of sufficient difficulty to challenge vocal music students. A variety of forms are included in the repertoire, from madrigals to modern jazz. Students must audition for this group.
Concert Brass Ensemble
The Sheridan College Concert Brass Ensemble is a select group comprised of principal brass and percussion players in the Symphony Band. We perform classic and contemporary repertoire for brass and percussion.
Collegiate Chorale
Sheridan College’s Collegiate Chorale is a large chorus that performs a variety of choral music. The Collegiate Chorale typically performances once each semester.
Early Music Ensemble
This group provides opportunities for the student to study and perform music predating the common practice era in a small-group ensemble. Period instruments, performance practice, and repertoire are explored.
Flute Choir
The Sheridan College Flute Choir is an ensemble directed by Kristy Dooley, featuring college students, high school musicians, and community members of diverse experience levels. The ensemble offers free public performances—from seasonal hymns to contemporary selections—as part of the college’s Arts outreach and also serves as a credit-bearing ensemble course.
Jazz Combo
This group is a performing ensemble that provides opportunities for students to study jazz combo music in an organized group setting. Techniques for improvisation are explored.
Jazz Ensemble
The Jazz Ensemble at Sheridan College is an ensemble usually numbering from 14 to 18 members and performs an array of jazz genres. The group typically performs two concerts each semester and may perform at other functions, such as dances and events.
Music Ensemble Audio Technology (M.E.A.T)
The Music Ensemble of Audio Technology creates, rehearses, and performs music using handheld electronic devices, laptop computers, synthesizers, and other instruments. Emphasis is placed on group composition and improvisation in a variety of musical styles and genres.
Symphony Band
The Sheridan College Symphony Band, directed by Dr. Eric Richards, is comprised of 50-65 musicians drawn from both the SC student body, as well as experienced local community musicians. This ensemble performs classic and contemporary wind band literature. The interaction of students and adult musicians of all ages, many of whom are music educators and professional musicians, creates a vibrant and exciting music-making atmosphere in the SC Symphony Band.
Symphony Orchestra
Directed by Ryan Walker, this group provides opportunities for students to study and perform symphonic literature from a wide variety of historical periods in an ensemble setting.
Trombone Choir
The Trombone Choir is comprised of 5-10 trombonists and tubists and performs Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and contemporary repertoire.
Professional Ensembles-In-Residence:
Skyline Singlers
Skyline Singers is the professional choir-in-residence at the Whitney Center for the Arts at Sheridan College, directed by Dr. Robert Psurny. Our specialty is a cappella music, ranging from plainsong to part-songs, madrigals to motets, and from vocal jazz to contemporary pop.
Bighorn Jazz Orchestra
The Bighorn Jazz Orchestra is the professional big band-in-residence at the Whitney Center for the Arts at Sheridan College, directed by Dr. Eric Richards.
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Spring ’25 POPS Concert -
Spring ’25 Choirs Concert -
PRISM ’25 featuring M.E.A.T. -
Sheridan College Symphony Orchestra
Curriculum
Associate of Fine Arts Degree
Classes vary depending on a music or music technology focus.
Careers & Industry Outlook
Musicians find employment in a variety of music-related fields. Earning an associate degree in music from Sheridan College will allow you to transfer to colleges, universities and music schools nationwide to receive advanced training and degrees as well as pursue jobs in the workforce.
Industry Projections
- Many students transfer into bachelor’s degree programs to earn advanced degrees in Music Education, Music Performance, Composition/Arranging, and other related fields. Some music graduates take their enhanced musical skills to work as musicians, performing across the nation.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts job growth in the job fields of musicians and singers, as well as music directors and composers.
Job Types
| Musician |
| Music teacher |
| Composer |
| Choral director |
| Entrepreneur |
| Music historian |
| Songwriter |
| Music school administrator |
| Performer |
| Vocalist |
| Music technician |
| Music agent |
| Music critic |
| Vocal coach |
| Recording engineer |
Scholarships
Up to $10,000 scholarships are available for music students.
Remote and in-person auditions are available. Contact Dr. Eric Richards, erichards@sheridan.edu, with questions or to schedule.
Financial Aid
Let us help you explore the variety of financial aid opportunities available.
Faculty
Events
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Oct 03A Tribute to Yazoo, by SC Music Tech & Dance
- 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Kinnison Hall @ the Whitney Center for the Arts
- Tickets are free.
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Oct 04
A Tribute to Yazoo, by SC Music Tech & Dance
- 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Kinnison Hall @ the Whitney Center for the Arts
- Tickets are free.
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Oct 12Symphony Band and Brass Ensembles of Sheridan College
- 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
- Kinnison Hall @ the Whitney Center for the Arts
- Tickets are free.
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Oct 16Jazz @ SC
- 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Kinnison Hall @ the Whitney Center for the Arts
- Tickets are free.
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Oct 25Skyline Singers
- 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Kinnison Hall @ the Whitney Center for the Arts
- 10 – 25
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Nov 16Sheridan College Chamber Music Concert
- 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
- Kinnison Hall @ the Whitney Center for the Arts
- Tickets are free.
Related Programs
Looking to add some other skills to your toolbox, or considering a variety of options for your college career?