Crosswalk: Program SLOs to 21st-Century Skills
Problem-Solving • Critical Thinking • Professionalism • Teamwork • Communication
1. Crosswalk Matrix
This matrix maps each of the program's 9 Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs / PLOs) against five 21st-century skills valued by employers and professional bodies across disciplines: Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, Professionalism, Teamwork, and Communication. Correlation strength is indicated as High (H), Medium (M), or Low (L); a blank cell indicates no direct correlation.
H = High Correlation M = Medium Correlation L = Low Correlation
2. Skill-by-Skill Detail
The following section describes how each 21st-century skill is embedded and developed across the curriculum, with representative courses and the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) most closely associated with it.
Problem-Solving
Definition: The ability to identify challenges and apply creative or analytical strategies to resolve them, whether technical, artistic, or logistical.
Problem-solving is developed most strongly through composition and orchestration coursework, where students must resolve structural, harmonic, and orchestrational challenges in original work, and through applied instrument study, where technical obstacles in repertoire must be diagnosed and overcome through practice strategy. Aural skills and theory coursework further build problem-solving through real-time error correction and analytical reasoning.
Related PLOs: PLO2, PLO3, PLO4, PLO5, PLO6, PLO9
Representative Courses: Fundamentals of Music Composition, Music Composition Advance, Orchestration, Main Instrument 1–8, Solfege and Dictate 1–4
Critical Thinking
Definition: The capacity to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information and musical material to form well-reasoned judgments.
Critical thinking is central to the program's theoretical and analytical coursework, where students apply harmonic, formal, and stylistic analysis to musical works, and to research coursework, where independent inquiry requires evaluating sources and constructing evidence-based arguments. Aural training and performance study also reinforce critical thinking through score interpretation and stylistic decision-making.
Related PLOs: PLO1, PLO3, PLO4, PLO5, PLO6, PLO8
Representative Courses: Harmony Science, Counterpoint, Music Forms 1–2, Music Analysis, Methodologies in Music Research, Academic Research
Professionalism
Definition: Conduct, discipline, and standards expected in professional and academic music settings, including reliability, ethical practice, and readiness for public performance.
Professionalism is cultivated through the cumulative discipline required for jury examinations and public recitals, through dedicated coursework in Career Development Skills, Entrepreneurship, and Professional Practices in Music, and through the ethical expectations embedded in research and composition work (proper attribution, originality, and academic integrity).
Related PLOs: PLO2, PLO7, PLO8, PLO9
Representative Courses: Career Development Skills, Entrepreneurship, Professional Practices in Music, Main Instrument 7–8 & Solo Playing
Teamwork
Definition: The ability to collaborate effectively with others toward a shared musical or professional goal, including listening, balance, and shared leadership.
Teamwork is developed primarily through the four-level ensemble sequence, in which students must balance individual performance with group cohesion, follow and share musical leadership, and rehearse collaboratively. Music Projects and Interactive Digital Music and Arts coursework further require collaborative planning and execution.
Related PLOs: PLO7, PLO8, PLO9
Representative Courses: Ensemble First Level – Fourth Level, Music Projects, Interactive Digital Music and Arts
Communication
Definition: The ability to convey ideas, research, and artistic intent clearly and persuasively, in written, oral, and musical/artistic form.
Communication skills are built through academic writing and oral presentation in research and debate coursework, through expressive musical communication in performance and composition, and through pedagogical coursework requiring students to convey musical concepts clearly to diverse learners. Ensemble participation also requires nonverbal musical communication and coordination.
Related PLOs: PLO2, PLO5, PLO6, PLO7, PLO8, PLO9
Representative Courses: Academic Debate, English Language I–II, Methodologies in Music Research, Academic Research, Music Pedagogy, Ensemble First Level – Fourth Level