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Experience Guide

Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you. Volunteer work, campus clubs, leadership programs, studying abroad, work experience – there are so many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world.

Year-to-Year Experience Guides

The following is a year-to-year outline of the kinds of experiences that work well with your program.

Be Inspired: Maximize Your Academic Opportunities

First and Second Yearbrain

Third Year

Final Year

Be Involved: Explore Work, Volunteer and Leadership Experience

First and Second Yearspeech bubbles

Third Year

  • Look for performance opportunities within the Faculty of Music.
  • Connect with local organizations to learn about volunteer opportunities.
  • Volunteer to be an O-Week Icebreaker and welcome incoming first years.
  • Volunteer in local schools and attend the Ontario Music Educators’ Association conference, if interested in music education.
  • Learn to write articles, draw illustrations or take photographs with Laurier’s weekly newspaper, The Cord.
  • Participate in Sandbox workshops and attend the Entrepreneur Speaker Series.
  • Get involved as a DJ on Radio Laurier.

Final Year

  • Apply for an executive/coordinator position with a student club or committee.
  • Look into the StartUp Lab program for the opportunity to launch an innovative new venture.
  • Share your Laurier experience with prospective students at open house events.

Be Engaged: Broaden Your Perspective

First and Second Yearhead

Third Year

Final Year

Be Inspired: Maximize Your Academic Opportunities

First and Second Yearbrain

  • Complete your Common Year or Community Music curriculum. Ensure you complete the Introduction to Music Therapy and Psychology courses required to enter the Bachelor of Music Therapy (BMT) program.
  • Audition for ensembles including:
    • Laurier Symphony Orchestra
    • Laurier Wind Orchestra
    • Concert Choir
    • Maureen Forrester Singers
    • Laurier Singers
    • Improvisation Concerts Ensemble (ICE)
    • Jazz Ensemble
    • Community Music Ensemble
  • Complete the keyboard equivalency exam if you do not have Royal Conservatory Grade VI Piano (or equivalent).
  • Apply for and pass the interview-audition to enter the Bachelor of Music Therapy program at the end of your second year.
  • Earn the Writing Certificate.

Third Year

  • Complete required Music Therapy and Psychology courses and explore other interests
    through electives.
  • Consider graduate education possibilities and plan your courses accordingly.
  • Consider taking social entrepreneurship or entrepreneurship courses.
  • Investigate research opportunities with faculty members and seek out publication opportunities.

Final Year

Be Involved: Explore Work, Volunteer and Leadership Experience

First and Second Yearspeech bubbles

Third Year

Final Year

  • Apply for an executive/coordinator position with a student club or committee.
  • Look into the StartUp Lab program for the opportunity to launch an innovative new venture.
  • Share your Laurier experience with prospective students at open house events.

Be Engaged: Broaden Your Perspective

First and Second Yearhead

Third Year

Final Year

Be Inspired: Maximize Your Academic Opportunities

First Yearbrain

  • Take Community Music courses and explore other interests through electives. Psychology courses are required if you are interested in applying to the Bachelor of Music Therapy (BMT) program.
  • Participate in the Community Music Ensemble as part of your first-year course.
  • Audition for other ensembles including:
    • Laurier Symphony Orchestra
    • Laurier Wind Orchestra
    • Concert Choir
    • Maureen Forrester Singers
    • Laurier Singers
    • Improvisation Concerts Ensemble (ICE)
    • Jazz Ensemble
  • Live in the Singer and Songwriter Residence Learning Community to enhance your academic and social success.
  • Complete the keyboard equivalency exam if you do not have Royal Conservatory Grade VI Piano (or equivalent).
  • Earn the Writing Certificate.

Middle Years

Final Year

  • Complete final-year capstone project aligned with your strengths, interests and career
    goals under the guidance of your instructor.
  • Take on leadership roles in ensembles.
  • Create your own music ensemble for credit.
  • Thinking of pursuing graduate school?

Be Involved: Explore Work, Volunteer and Leadership Experience

First Yearspeech bubbles

Middle Years

  • Look for performance opportunities within the Faculty of Music.
  • Volunteer to be an O-Week Icebreaker and welcome incoming first years.
  • Volunteer in local schools and attend the Ontario Music Educators’ Association conference, if interested in music education.
  • Volunteer with the Community Music School of Waterloo Region to teach children and youth facing barriers to accessing music education.
  • Participate in community placements where you design and implement workshops in community settings as a part of your second- and third-year courses.
  • Volunteer at the Arts Express Camp with KW Accessibility during the spring term.
  • Participate in Sandbox workshops and attend the Entrepreneur Speaker Series.

Final Year

  • Create and implement your own music project in a community setting.
  • Apply for an executive/coordinator position with a student club or committee.
  • Attend the Career and Job Fairs to network with employers.
  • Look into the StartUp Lab program for the opportunity to launch an innovative new venture.
  • Share your Laurier experience with prospective students at open house events.

Be Engaged: Broaden Your Perspective

First Yearhead

Middle Years

Final Year

Your graduate degree at Laurier will take you in many different directions and prepare you to be a leader in both your field and community. Your Laurier experience includes many opportunities to engage both in and outside the classroom.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies provides academic leadership, administrative support and program advice to all graduate students. There are also scholarships and financial awards, fellowships and other teaching and research assistantship positions that you can access during your time at Laurier.

Graduate students gain knowledge about professional skill development through Laurier’s ASPIRE program. This program provides a framework for you to design an extracurricular learning plan for navigating your professional journey and entry to the workplace. There are also teaching certificates, career development workshops and other skill development opportunities.

The Graduate Students’ Association provides many services and supports with a focus on wellness. They provide various opportunities to be involved and contribute to the Laurier community.

The Laurier graduate school experience is more than research and scholarship – it’s about becoming an engaged citizen and applying your advanced knowledge to real-world problems.

Checklists

Completing the checklists below will also help ensure your academic, professional, and personal success during your time at Laurier – and beyond.

Academic Success Checklistpencil

Experience Checklistnotepad

Career Opportunitieshandshake

When you're ready to start thinking about your life after graduation, you should check out the career and postgraduate options for people with degrees in Music or Music Therapy.