The VMC:
The Vernacular Music Center boasts four music ensembles which meet consistently throughout the year: Collegium Musicum, Celtic Ensemble, World Music Ensemble, and the Ragtime Ensemble. Participation in ensembles is through course registration. This year, the VMC also added a new student organization to its sponsorships: the TTU Set Dancers, which is open to all university students and teaches traditional Irish set dancing.
Offers graduate and undergraduate courses and ensembles, open to students in music, arts & humanities, social sciences, business, law, and international public policy. The VMC emphasizes teaching across the curriculum, drawing on the expertise of a faculty team from a range of disciplines;
Facilitates graduate degrees in Musicology and Ethnomusicology, and the Ph.D. in Fine Arts (Musicology/Ethnomusicology concentration);
Sponsors a calendar of annual arts & cultural events (most notably the TTU Caprock Celtic Christmas);
Administers the VMC Scholarship in Traditional Music, a competitive scholarship available to students in the School of Music with expertise in traditional music;
Provides opportunities for interaction with visiting scholars and guest teachers;
Serves as liaison and consultant for partners both within and beyond the State of Texas educational system, including learned societies, music archives, museums, public broadcasting, and private corporations;
Publishes a website, an electronic newsletter, monographs, and occasional recordings;
Serves as advocate for the study, appreciation, and support of vernacular musics in the academy and in the community at large.