School ofMusic
Forge Your Future
Balance serious music study with enriching student experiences that prepare you for a career. At Penn State, you will find the ideal match between the wealth of opportunities found in a B1G university and the individualized attention provided in the intimate environment of our School of Music.
Students choose from a wide range of areas of study and benefit from individualized instruction by dedicated faculty whose teaching and performance experience spans the world. Both majors and non-majors have the opportunity to participate in numerous ensembles, ranging from small chamber groups to the marching Blue Band.
The Penn State School of Music – pursue your passion, nurture your talent, and prepare to take on the world.
Apply Today!
Contact + Connect
- Audition for a Music Ensemble
- Continue your study in music
- Concert and Livestream Schedule
- Signup for our Weekly E-News
- Purchase concert tickets: Arts Ticket Center
- Parking Information: Penn State Parking
Address:
Administrative Inquiries:
- Undergraduate Recruitment: Ashley Shank
- Audition Scheduling: Music Recruiting
- Assoc. Director Undergraduate Studies: Eric McKee
- Graduate Admissions: Lacy Miller
- Assoc. Director Graduate Studies: Rachel Copeland
- Assoc. Director Faculty Development and Research/Creative Activity: Marica Tacconi
- Assoc. Director Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Velvet Brown
- Asst. Director Facilities/Engagement/Outreach: Russell Bloom
- Recital Hall Manager: Chris Wahlmark
Undergraduate
Degrees + Minors
Bachelor of Music
The Bachelor of Music prepares students for a professional career as a performer or composer by offering specialized training designed to develop musicianship and celebrate creativity.
Bachelor of Music Education
The Bachelor of Music Education equips students with the tools to become music educators that profoundly impact the lives of elementary and secondary school children.
Bachelor of Musical Arts
The Bachelor of Musical Arts explores each student’s passion for music while offering endless cross-disciplinary opportunities to create a unique degree that prepares graduates for a professional career.
Bachelor of Arts in Music
The Bachelor of Arts in Music fosters musical creativity and skill while immersing students in a diverse educational experience that informs artistic growth and explores the profound importance of music.
Music Performance Minor
A minor in Music Performance lays the foundation for you to integrate your love and knowledge of music into any career path.
Music Studies Minor
Blend music theory, composition, or performance studies with your major. The Music Studies minor can refine and balance coursework and studies across varied majors.
Music Technology Minor
The Music Tech minor opens the study of musical acoustics, digital audio, sound design, and audio recording. You will apply domains of knowledge from your majors to the fields of audio production and digital technology.
Jazz Performance Minor
Courses include playing in large or small-group combos, instrumental or vocal jazz performance, and jazz arranging or pedagogy.
Graduate
Degrees + Professional Certificates
Master of Arts in Music (+Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate Option)
The Master of Arts in Music offers three curricular tracks – Musicology, Music Theory, or Music Theory and History – as well as integrated undergrad/grad options.
Master of Music
Program Application Deadline Applications received and completed, including auditions and interviews, by February 15 will be given priority consideration for admission and graduate assistantship funding. To be assured full consideration,...
Master of Music Education
Program Application Deadline Applications received and completed by December 1 will be fully considered for admission and funding. Applications including auditions and interviews, by February 15 will be given consideration...
Doctor of Musical Arts
Program Application Deadline Applications received and completed, including auditions and interviews, by February 15 will be given priority consideration for admission and graduate assistantship funding. To be assured full consideration,...
Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education
The Music Ed Ph.D. program, which offers advanced study of teaching and learning music from a research-based perspective, is aimed at individuals careers in higher ed and music administration.
Professional Performance Certificate in Music
Offering excellent performing musicians in their early career stages the opportunity for private study with master teachers, including participation in the outstanding ensembles of Penn State's School of Music.
Instructional I Certification in Music Education
This program is designed for students holding a baccalaureate degree in some field of music other than music education but who desire to qualify for the PA Instructional I Certification in Music program.
Enriching the experience!
Research
The School of Music scholarly community seeks to foster an environment of passionate curiosity informed by scholarly rigor. While our research areas are quite diverse, the primary themes tend toward musical expression and development, processes of music learning and teaching, deeper understanding of past musical practices, and global perspectives.
The Penn State School of Music has a tradition of research excellence across a wide range of disciplines including music theory, musicology, music education, composition/technology, and performance. Our faculty are highly regarded scholars and performers who share their research and creative expertise in professional journals, conferences, and performance venues throughout the world. The School of Music provides many opportunities for students to collaborate with the faculty as well as to receive guidance for independent research.
Beyond preparing students to develop and thrive as performers, teachers, and scholars, the School of Music offers more than 400 public events each year, and we also hear wonderful performances presented by the Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, Penn State ensemble students regularly perform in the greatest concert venues on the east coast with our annual President’s Concert series. Expansive performance, research, and outreach opportunities are integral to the School of Music, and enrich the student experience.
Ensembles
School of Music ensembles, ranging from small chamber ensembles to large orchestras, bands, and choirs are open to all Penn State students, regardless of major. Participants receive one academic credit per semester. These credits fulfill General Arts credits in many colleges and majors. Graduate credit (500-level) may be granted in select ensembles at the discretion of the director/conductor.
The School of Music also includes a number of faculty ensembles that perform and record extensively, both in the United States and abroad. These ensembles are often invited to perform at professional association meetings and in educational settings.
Engagement
The School of Music’s engagement activities include ongoing concert series presented in the community and throughout the mid-Atlantic region, annual conferences and workshops designed for music professionals, and summer experiences designed for professional musicians as well as for developing performers.
Our concert series include the President’s Concert, an annual event showcasing our best performers in the mid-Atlantic region’s most esteemed concert halls. Beginning in 2007 with a concert hosted by the the University president at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, Penn State students have performed at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the Strathmore Centre in Bethesda, MD, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, and at Carnegie Hall in New York. Closer to home, student performers are welcomed at the Village at Penn State retirement community series and also perform on weekly “Bach’s Lunch” concerts held each Thursday in Eisenhower Chapel on campus.
Coordinated by the music education faculty, the Thompson Symposium provides a forum for masters-level music education students to share their completed and in-progress research with graduate students, faculty, and the general public. Voice faculty members present their hugely popular workshop “Bel Canto/Can Belto” typically in August, and our keyboard faculty coordinate the annual Marian Garcia Piano Teacher’s Workshop and Competition typically held in during the fall semester.
Convening each July, the Penn State Honors Music Institute is a one-week immersion in the art of music designed for highly qualified high school musicians. For professional musicians, the Penn’s Woods Music Festival is a two-week resident orchestra and chamber music festival that presents numerous concerts each June. In addition, School of Music students and faculty regularly perform and present their scholarly work throughout the country and the world.
Alumni Spotlight
Alumni Spotlight
Michael Schutz
Bachelor of Music 2002Michael Schutz, who combined a B.M in Music with a B.S. in Computer Science at Penn State, now is associate professor of music cognition/percussion at McMaster University, where he conducts the percussion ensemble and teaches courses on music perception and cognition. He was named a University Scholar in recognition of his innovative work bridging music performance and music perception.
Recital Hall
Hailed as an acoustically superb design, the new Recital Hall has quickly distinguished itself as one of the centerpieces for the arts at University Learn More
Esber Rehearsal Hall
Renovated for our large ensemble rehearsals, Esber Rehearsal Hall now holds classes like band and orchestra, in addition to courses such as music methods Learn More
Music Building I and II
Music Building I, constructed in 1963, houses classrooms and seminar rooms, Esber Rehearsal Hall, the choral rehearsal room, a graduate seminar room, the choral Learn More
Eisenhower Auditorium
Eisenhower Auditorium, with a seating capacity of 2,500, is Penn State’s primary theatrical performance space. Opened in 1974 and later named for former University Learn More
O. Richard Bundy Blue Band Building
Built in 2004, the O. Richard Bundy Blue Band Building consolidated the Penn State Athletic Bands into one facility. Before the building was constructed, Learn More
ROARS Recording Studios
The ROARS Recording Studios at Penn State were created for the teaching and research needs of faculty, staff, and students of the School of Learn More
Pitch Exploration Lab
The Pitch Exploration Lab engages undergraduate and graduate students from colleges across the University Park campus in research related to singing accuracy and arts Learn More
Faculty Spotlight
Naomi Seidman
Assistant Professor of Music
Assistant Professor Naomi Seidman joined the School of Music faculty in 2012. An accomplished solo performer, she has won the Mid-South Flute Competition and the Frank Bowen Young Artist Competition, and was first runner-up in the Myrna Brown Young Artist Competition. She was also a semi-finalist in the Beijing Nicolet International Flute Competition. She has performed as a soloist with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, Kingsville Symphony, and Ballet Austin. She has also been an invited performer, judge, and presenter at National Flute Association (NFA) conventions and is a member of the NFA Cultural Outreach Committee.
News from A&A
College of Arts and Architecture to honor Alumni Award winners on Oct. 5
The College of Arts and Architecture will honor its 2023 Alumni Award recipients on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. at the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center.
The College of Arts and Architecture will honor its 2023 Alumni Award recipients on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. at the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, 146 S. Allen
Rhapsody: A curated recital series presented by School of Music faculty
The School of Music is pleased to announce the "Rhapsody Series," a free series of faculty recitals in which each performance is based on a specific theme. Read More
Symphonic Wind Ensemble selected to perform at CBDNA regional conference
The Symphonic Wind Ensemble was invited to perform at the College Band Directors National Association Eastern Regional Conference in Ithaca, New York, in February 2024. Read More