This winter the School of Music’s accreditation was renewed by the National Association of Schools of Music, which highlighted a number of the school’s strengths:

• A legacy of commitment to music, musicians, and the education of superb music educators 

• An administration committed to the School of Music as one of Ithaca College’s defining strengths 

• A rigorous commitment to classical musicianship skills, as evidenced by an uncommonly large number of excellent full-time music theory and aural skills faculty 

• A robust range of partnerships in communities at the local, regional, and national levels 

According to Karl Paulnack, dean of the School of Music, more than 90 percent of schools applying for reaccreditation are deferred for a year or more while they address questions raised during the process. The IC School of Music’s accreditation was renewed for 10 years without deferral. 

“Very few schools are reaccredited for 10 years on their first pass through the Commission on Accreditation, and we’re very proud that the Ithaca College School of Music was one of those exceptional institutions,” said Paulnack. 

As part of the reaccreditation process, the School of Music was required to hold an hour-long concert demonstrating the range of student performance abilities across all classes and all majors. While most schools seeking accreditation tightly control preparations of such concerts, handpicking the best students to perform, the IC School of Music trusted students to organize the event themselves. 

“I knew I could entrust our students with this kind of project and that if I did, the result would be more creative and satisfying than anything we could arrange,” said Paulnack. 

The National Association of Schools of Music said that IC’s concert “demonstrated an institutional commitment to student leadership and risk-taking, and was filled with spirited performances.”