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 

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. 

Matthew Westgate, UMass Amherst Department of Music and Dance

From The Chair

Our amazing students, faculty, and staff continue to connect people through traditional concerts and performances, books, and articles, but we are also expanding our reach, relevance, and influence through new partnerships, innovative collaborations, and technological experiments. It’s an exciting time for our department!

—Matthew Westgate

Music Educations workshop

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. 


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.