About Music

The Music Program at UMass Amherst is one of the largest in New England, providing more than 250 performance and concert opportunities each year across 17 instrumental ensembles, six vocal groups, and numerous solo and ensemble recital series. UMass music faculty members are noted leaders in the fields of performance, pedagogy, and scholarship; they create a community at UMass that promotes individual growth through artistic collaboration and intellectual discovery.

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Trumpet Ensemble - Fanfare

We offer:

  • Intensive and supportive conservatory-quality instruction within a diverse public university
  • Over 30 choral, jazz, orchestral, wind, and chamber ensembles open to all UMass and Five College students, including the Minuteman Marching Band
  • Opportunity to major in music, minor in music, or double-major with music
  • Over 40 full-time music faculty in residence (one of the largest in the region), dedicated to student success in lessons, rehearsals, the classroom, the concert hall, and beyond 
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Degrees offered:

 

the UMass Jazz ensemble musicians perform on stage with their instruments

Courses can be taken at no extra cost at Mount Holyoke, Smith, Hampshire, and Amherst Colleges through the Five College Consortium, all linked by a free bus system. Music students may participate in special performances such as the Five College Choral and Jazz Festivals.

We also host free workshops, master classes, and lectures by nationally and internationally renowned solo performers, ensembles, and teachers in all disciplines.

In addition to our many ensembles, students may also join the Minuteman Marching Band, which has long been a source of great pride for the University of Massachusetts and the surrounding region. 

Music Educations workshop

Music Admissions

Acceptance into the Music and Dance Department requires both academic acceptance by the university and by the department during the semester before intended enrollment.

All undergraduate and graduate applications to music or dance require an audition or submission of supplemental material. 

Admissions Apply to the Music Major or Minor

Accreditation

Our Music Program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and is also accredited by the New England Association of Universities and Colleges.