About the School of Music

This is an exciting time to join us in the School of Music.

The vision of the School of Music is to create a world class collaborative program for a
community of highly innovative and adaptive musicians. This program will be musically diverse, equipping young artists with a broad range of contemporary skills, enabling them to build a sustainable career while serving and loving the world with their gifts.

The School of Music shares Lipscomb University’s commitment to a Christian liberal arts
education and functions as an integral part of that commitment. Our mission is to lead students to an appreciation and comprehension of the creative spirit across time and culture, within the
context of the Christian faith.

Recognizing that music is an integral part of a liberal arts education, the School of Music seeks
to provide:

Innovative instruction for students pursuing careers in traditional and non-traditional music fields,
Engaging opportunities for each university student to participate in rich and varied musical experiences,
Enriching events for the university and larger community to experience music through concerts and collaborative workshops, and
Valuable resources for church music ministries.

Distinctives of the School of Music

The Lipscomb University School of Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

The School of Music collaborates with the College of Bible and Ministry to offer an interdisciplinary major in worship ministry to provide students with the knowledge and skills to assist congregations in meaningful, purposeful times of worship.

The school's applied music classes and private lessons are taught by full-time faculty, adjuncts or private instructors selected from the wealth of talent available in Nashville, including members of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and leading studio musicians.

Private lessons and ensembles are open to all university students. Performance opportunities include: University Chorale, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, String Ensemble and various chamber groups. Internships in music-related fields are available.

Meet Our Director

Jenny Snodgrass
Director, School of Music

Jennifer Sterling Snodgrass is professor of music theory and Director in the School of Music where she teaches courses in music theory and aural skills. Before joining the Lipscomb University faculty in 2022, she was professor of music theory and director of graduate studies at Appalachian State University from 2005-2022.

Dr. Snodgrass has received numerous grants and awards in relation to technology and music instruction including grants from the Microsoft Corporation, Textbook and Academic Authors Association, Sigma Alpha Iota, and the Appalachian State University Research Council. Studies involving both pedagogical and theoretical research have been published in numerous journals including Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy Online, Sacred Music, The TI:MEs, Music Theory Online, College Music Symposium, and the Music Educators Journal. Snodgrass maintains an active presentation schedule, most recently presenting research at the national meetings of the Society for Music Theory, College Music Society, and the National Association of Schools of Music.

Snodgrass has received numerous awards in relation to excellence in undergraduate education, including the UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award, the Plemmons Leadership Medallion, the Outstanding Professor Award from the Appalachian Student Government Association, the Hayes School of Music Outstanding Teaching Award, and the College Music Society Innovations in Technology and Teaching Award. In 2016, Snodgrass was named Faculty of Distinction at Appalachian State and in 2017 was named an official quarter finalist for the Grammy Foundation Music Educator Award. In 2024, she was awarded the Bledsoe Faculty Excellence Award in Humanities in the Arts from Lipscomb University.

Along with Dr. Susan Piagentini, Snodgrass serves as the co-author of Fundamentals of Music Theory (Pearson, 2012, 2019) and the sole author of Contemporary Musicianship: Analysis and the Artist (Oxford University Press, 2015, 2020). Her latest research endeavor focuses on a field study of pedagogical approaches in music theory and aural skills. The result of this research is the culmination of the text, Teaching Music Theory: New Voices and Approaches. (Oxford University Press, 2021). The ongoing blog associated with the text can be found at https://bridgingthemusictheorygap.wordpress.com/.

Snodgrass continues to be active in service, currently serving as a NASM evaluator and the executive editor of the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy. Snodgrass also serves as the Co-Director of the Gail Boyd de Stwolinski Center for Music Theory Pedagogy.

Based on her expertise in technology and education, Snodgrass leads workshops on both the K-12 and university level and acts as a consultant for college and university music divisions. She lives in Nashville, TN with her husband Greg and daughter Katie. Outside of music she loves to ride her bike, read books, spend time with family, and travel to the Gulf of Mexico.

All-Steinway School

In April 2015, Lipscomb University achieved the internationally respected “All-Steinway” status and now provides its students with all Steinway pianos for lessons, practicing and performing, accelerating the students to a higher level of musicianship that these superb instruments provide and demand.

The All-Steinway School designation is awarded by Steinway & Sons to universities, conservatories and other schools of distinction. Lipscomb University joined more than 170 institutions around the world who have earned this designation as of 2015. The school worked for eight years, phasing out non-Steinway pianos and raising funds, to achieve the designation.

A 2013 Steinway & Sons study showed that music educators believe that an All-Steinway designation reflects a higher degree of quality in music education at the partnering institutions.

Nashville Piano Achievement Competition

The 2023 Nashville Piano Achievement Competition will be held on March 4th, 2023. Details for this event will be updated on this page.

The Nashville Piano Achievement Competition was founded by a group of Nashville piano teachers seeking to provide an opportunity for students to perform standard repertory, chosen by level, and to be rewarded for excellence in preparation and performance. After many years of successful leadership by a board of these teachers, the Competition has been hosted by Lipscomb University's School of Music since 2011.