With the fall semester picking up speed, Covenant’s campus is overflowing with music. However, as more people gain an interest in music, the lack of space is quickly becoming an issue. Covenant College’s music department is struggling to find a solution to the ever-increasing number of musically-inclined students.
While students are excited about this growth, they struggle to handle the limited performance and practice rooms available. Emmaline Mountan ’26 says, “I can’t even hear myself because [I’m] on stage literally inches away from naturally abrasive and loud instruments … It can be mildly frustrating, but it’s also good because we all enjoy it and have fun doing it.”
The music department continues to grow with each passing year, sparking conversations of department and performance space adjustments. Michael Cooke ’26 says, “The truth is, if everyone practiced the required amount of hours, there wouldn’t be enough [practice space].”
Even though the music department continues to grow, the limited practice, performance and classroom space remains the same. The department struggled to fit every performer on stage for this year’s homecoming concert, the Singing of the Saints. While Scott Finch ’97, professor of music, notes that “it’s a neat event because it crosses generational boundaries,” he recognizes that “we’re going to have to figure out a few things before Christmas because we just can’t do the same thing.”
The solution to the growing department is not an easy one. Even though, according to Brandon Kreuze, professor of music and department chair, “everyone knows there are problems,” he doesn’t “know what the solution is … [the department has] been talking about this for over a year.”
While the expansion of the department is a challenge, the growth is also encouraging to both students and staff. Compared to other colleges, the size of Covenant’s music program is unusual. Finch says this increase is “not the overall trend in the United States right now, especially in Christian schools … It’s really good to do things you love with people you love, which is not true of a lot of other schools.”
With the growing department comes many exciting performances. The Christmas Concert will be held this winter on December 11 and 12, and the department will be performing the entirety of Mozart’s Requiem in April 2026—the largest work Covenant’s combined ensembles have tackled in the college’s history.
With approximately 160 students in the combined ensembles and orchestra, roughly 16% of the entire student body is involved in the music department. While this growth comes with some issues, it is important to recognize God’s hand in it and give Him due praise.