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A two-year program designed to train and improve your songwriting abilities. The program culminates with you recording your own songs in a professional studio. Our music courses round out your experience as you take lessons, learn basic and advanced music theory, and perform in various ensembles. All your musical training is taken alongside life-transforming Bible courses that will strengthen your spiritual journey and influence your music.
In the final semester of your program you will professionally record some of the songs that you have written throughout the program. You will present them in our EP showcase at the end of the year.
The instructors that are guiding you through your journey at Prairie are award-winning professionals and excellent at their field of expertise.
During your program you will be supported by your peers. You will not be competing with other musicians, rather you will be pushing one another to grow through co-writing and constructive critiques.
Box 4000
Three Hills, AB T0M 2N0
Canada
Phone: 403.443.5511
TollFree: 1.800.661.2425
admissions@prairie.edu
info@prairie.edu
2024 © Prairie College
All rights reserved
All courses are three credits unless shown otherwise.
In this course, students are introduced to the story of Jesus Christ and his earliest disciples as told by the four Gospels and the book of Acts. Students will grow in their understanding of who Jesus is as well as in their ability to interpret the bible by attending to its literary, historical, and theological character.
This course is an introduction to the life and letters of the apostle Paul. Students will gain a basic understanding of the historical, literary, and theological characteristics of each of Paul’s letters, and in the process will further develop their skills in attentive and critical bible reading.
A study of the first five books of the Bible, focusing on the historical, literary and theological features of these books as well as establishing a strong grounding in Torah principles as preparation for interpreting the rest of Scripture.
A study of the books of Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings and Ezra-Nehemiah in their cultural, historical, and literary setting. Brief interaction with Ruth, Esther, and 1-2 Chronicles as they relate to the books associated with them. Focuses on interpretive and contextual issues, historical setting, cultural concerns, and their relevance in developing a strong biblical theology in today’s world.
The Christian life is the experience of God drawing us into a relationship that is nothing less than the believer’s participation in the life of God through union with Christ. This is the Good News (i.e. Gospel) that takes root through sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone). The transformative participation in Christ and His purposes gives this present life value, direction and hope. The believer is called to the quest of faithful discipleship in this participation and engagement with Christ.
The course is an exploration of and involvement in that quest. You will be challenged toward intentional participation in the life of God through your faithful discipleship response to His person and work. The content will explore a Christian spiritual theology and practice of participation with Christ. The theological approach to this participation is as a transformational relationship with the triune God in which you have both responsibilities and privileges. The course is designed to stretch beyond a cognitive/intellectual exercise and therefore you will be encouraged to actively engage in whole-hearted participation with God, both inside and outside of the classroom. The desired result is that you will know God more deeply, relate to Him as one intimately known by Him, and desire to make Him known to others.
This course introduces students to the biblical, doctrinal, philosophical and historical “big picture” outlines of the Christian faith. The course aims to equip students with the skills to develop a Christian mind by assisting them in constructing a theological foundation for thinking and dealing with life’s most important issues. This course will also enable students to begin to think theologically and to construct a Christian worldview for the edification of the community of faith and to the glory of the almighty God whom we serve.
This course focuses on a variety of aspects of academic research. The student will critically assess a variety of sources that mostly pertain to the task of apologetics. The primary focus of this course is research and writing, and the secondary focus is apologetics. This means that the student will assess, analyze, summarize, and review source documents that pertain to apologetics. The student will learn how to write academically and how to properly paraphrase source documents in order to enhance their critical thinking skills. Additionally, the student will be familiarized with the library and information literacy. In sum, this course is designed to introduce the student to the task of sound research and proper academic writing.
The music that we write and love today comes from somewhere. It’s like a branch connected to the trunk and ultimately the roots of the tree. Our enjoyment of the current branch of music will grow as we are able to survey and take in the beauty of the full tree. This class will be an overview of the essence and history of music. Together we will explore why music moves us emotionally and what the connection is between music and spirituality.
This course describes and analyzes the range and nature of Christian expression around the world. This will be done in three ways: 1) by briefly describing the four main streams of Christianity evident today; 2) by examining the variety of expressions of indigenous Christianity in the various geographical regions of the globe, and major challenges Christians face in each region; and 3) by getting a brief introduction of how Christianity spread from its Hebrew roots in Palestine to becoming a global faith which is known today as World Christianity (Christianity whose agenda is no longer determined by churches in the nations of the West). The underlying question for Christians living in the West is, ‘What is our place and role in this recently altered global landscape of Christianity?’ This course will offer some possible answers to that question.
Private lessons are taught weekly on a one-to-one basis. Subject material is chosen by the instructor from a range of styles and genres to meet the needs of each student while fulfilling the guidelines set out by each respective area. Students are expected to participate regularly in performance classes. End-of-semester adjudications and/or recitals serve as final exams.
Private lessons are taught weekly on a one-to-one basis. Subject material is chosen by the instructor from a range of styles and genres to meet the needs of each student while fulfilling the guidelines set out by each respective area. Students are expected to participate regularly in performance classes. End-of-semester adjudications and/or recitals serve as final exams.
The Performance Ensemble class is designed to give Music and Worship Arts students practical experiences in singing and in playing their instrument as part of a larger music ensemble. Students will be members of the Community Choir, which has a weekly rehearsal and an end-of-semester concert, to aid in the practice and training of the voice through singing. In addition, students will be placed into groups and through a given assignment will practice the art and craft of creating and playing music together.
The Performance Ensemble class is designed to give Music and Worship Arts students practical experiences in singing and in playing their instrument as part of a larger music ensemble. Students will be members of the Community Choir, which has a weekly rehearsal and an end-of-semester concert, to aid in the practice and training of the voice through singing. In addition, students will be placed into groups and through a given assignment will practice the art and craft of creating and playing music together.
Introduction to the foundations of the language of music based on five aspects: Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, Dynamics, and Articulation. This is an overview of the basis of reading and writing music, setting a foundation for writing songs, for arranging music, for reading and transcribing music, for making music charts and for self-publishing music via computer software.
This course will be a continuation of the study of the foundations of the language of music based on the three aspects: Melody, Harmony and Rhythm. This study will build on the basics of reading and writing music setting a foundation for writing songs and music charts.
This course focuses on applying the foundations of melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, and articulation in creating melody and accompaniment, and short songs. Application to the writing of music in various structures and forms is emphasized.
An introduction of Digital Media for all the students enrolled in the Music & Worship Arts Program, this course will give students an overview of digital photography, social media design, video production, and filmmaking. Anyone who aspires to be a recording artist or worship pastor at a modern church will need to know the basics of how digital media works and how to work with visual artists. This course will help prepare recording artists, songwriters, musicians and worship leaders to co-work and complete projects and live events with visual artists.
Worship has been described as a multifaceted jewel. No matter what side from which the jewel is viewed, there is always something new to see, a new depth to experience. Individuals seeking to lead congregational worship have undertaken a fascinating and lifelong journey. What view does the worship leader have of the worship of the triune God? What part of worship is most familiar? What part is most challenging? This course seeks to introduce the student to the breadth and depth of topics that encompass worship leading and ministry.
In this course you will sharpen your lyric, harmony and melody writing skills. You will learn tools and strategies to generate better ideas, develop them, and work with structure and form in order to build them into great songs. This course also explores questions such as: Where does inspiration come from and how we encourage creativity? What are the distinctions between writing for a church service and a community audience? How can we influence culture through songwriting? Students will have the experience of writing songs individually as well as co-writing.
This course is a continuation of Songwriting 1, building on a foundation of fundamentals for all aspects of songwriting. We will dig deeper into the art & skill of writing lyrics, melody and harmony. Students will have the experience of writing songs individually as well as co-writing.
This course is a continuation of Songwriting 2, building on a foundation of fundamentals for all aspects of songwriting. You will learn advanced tools and strategies to generate better ideas, develop them, and work with structure and form in order to build them into great songs. In this course we will particularly dig deeper into the art & skill of writing melodies and harmony exploring advanced techniques in both worlds as well as studying a unified theory of harmony and melody writing. In Songwriting 3 students will be working on writing and rewriting songs for their EP project applying the techniques learned in all three songwriting courses.
This course will cover basic concepts and techniques of arranging songs. Practically, students will apply these concepts and techniques to writing music charts for rhythm section, vocals, strings, woodwinds and horns. Students will be using music software (Sibelius, Finale or Musescore) to create arrangements for song assignments as well as their own songs.
This course introduces students to basic audio recording: including digital recording, tracking & editing. There is an emphasis on critical listening and analysis, as well as discussion of music and musical form. We will also explore how to think critically about music from an artistic view as well as a Christian viewpoint.
This course focuses on applying the foundations of melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, and articulation in creating melody and accompaniment, and short songs. Application to the writing of music in various structures and forms is emphasized.
Students will learn to create professional music charts using music manuscript and the Musescore music software. Basic foundations for writing arrangements of songs will also be introduced including the creation of different types of charts for a variety of styles and instrumentation. This course will be more project-based as students will work on charting their own songs as well as others that will be given for assignments giving them the opportunity to be self-publishers of their musical creations. Students will also practice transcribing melodies and chords as well as identifying intervals and cadences.
What is the mindset of a “working musician?” What are the essential marks of a musician who is in demand? How does a musician make a living and navigate the new music business realities? How does a musician, singer, artist and one who uses music in ministry best serve an audience? The beginning of a career can be very scary because we don’t always know where or how we should start, especially when it seems necessary to wear so many hats to get things going. This course intends to give students very practical directions and tools in order to start their musical careers with confidence.
In this course students will have a chance to learn from several highly qualified professionals in the music industry. Students will learn how to select and hire a winning team of advisors and structure their commissions and fees; navigate the ins and outs of record deals, songwriting, publishing, and copyrights; maximize concert, touring, and merchandising deals; understand the digital streaming services; and how to take a comprehensive look at the rapidly transforming landscape of the music business as a whole.
Recording an EP is where the student does what songwriters, recording artists and songwriting worship leaders do in the real world: they make a record of their creative work. This course is that – recording the EP under the guidance of producers and recording engineers. The course is also about pulling together all the elements of a finished recording: pre-production, recording the various tracks, mixing, mastering and working with a photographer and graphic designer for the packaging (even digital only audio releases are paired with some sort of packaging design and artwork).
Our graduates:
Academic Admissions Requirement:
For Homeschool students and applicants outside of Alberta please visit our Steps to Apply page.
Christian Life & Testimony:
Prairie College requires that students demonstrate a Christian life and testimony in order to effectively participate in our Christ-centered community. Applicants show evidence of meeting this requirement in the following application items:
English Language Proficiency
Applicants whose first language is not English must show proof of English Proficiency. See International Admissions Procedures for more information.
Songwriting Program Requirements
Students in the Songwriting and Recording program must have raw musical talent. In order to assess this, we ask applicants to submit two video demos: two original songs written within the last two years (with PDF chord chart). We don’t require a complex multi-camera edited film – a simple and clear video shot with a smartphone works well. Make sure your camera device is stable (preferably on a tripod or still surface) and close enough for good, non-distorted audio and clear video. The audition demos can be uploaded to YouTube, Dropbox, or e-mailed to Admissions.
For our Tuition & Fee rates as well as Room and Board please see Fees & Financial Aid
Program Specific Costs:
During the Songwriting & Recording program students record an EP Album. The cost of the EP is approximately $7755 (an EP Recording Fee of $6615, and an EP Service Fee of $1140) which is not included in the tuition and fees listed.
Winter 2025 (January start), Fall 2025 (September start) and Online Education (start anytime) applications are open.
Prairie welcomes applications from individuals all around the world! To begin the International Student Application please click the link below.
If you are applying for the Master of Christian Ministry Leadership or the Master of Global Christian Educational Leadership please click the link below.
Tell us a bit about yourself and an admissions representative will be in touch shortly!
We have launched our Campaign for Greater Impact to provide students with the very best learning opportunities and campus facilities for the decades ahead.
In Phase One of this Campaign, we plan to invest in much-needed campus renewal, including: upgraded Infrastructure, a new Student Residence, Cafeteria, Worship Auditorium, and expanded Aviation Training Centre. A modern campus requires an investment that is bold, and even expensive, but each Campaign Project is strategic, and designed to enhance Prairie’s campus and student life experience.
This expansion of PATC’s facility is a key project of Prairie’s Campaign for Greater Impact. It will increase the College’s capacity to train a new generation of Christian aviators to serve God in missions, and also address the growing need for trained pilots in the commercial aviation sector.
Invest in the next generation of missional professionals. Each year Prairie College distributes over $500,000 in scholarships and bursaries to students. We are grateful for each gift that reduces the burden of students’ tuition and allows students to fulfill their God-given professions.
Encourage inmates in five institutions across Alberta to discover or reconnect with Jesus Christ. This fund assists the students studying the Certificate in Bible program with scholarships, resources for classes, and instruction.
Prairie College is educating students to pursue a Biblical foundation for life and career. Your contribution to this fund assists in minimizing the College’s general operating expenses.
To allocate your gift, please select one of the donation buttons below.