The School of Music, organized within the College of Fine Arts, plays an important role in the academic life of the University and the community. The School has 40 full-time and 4 adjunct faculty, serving some 75 graduate and 200 undergraduate music majors. Degree programs include B.A., B.M., M.M., and the Ph.D. (music and music education). The Ph.D. in Music includes emphases in composition, music history and literature, and ethnomusicology. All degree programs are accredited by NASM, NCATE, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Undergraduate Curricula
Bachelor of Music
Programs of study are available in performance (keyboard [piano, organ, harpsichord], voice, wind, percussion and strings), composition, history and literature, and music in combination with an outside field. The curriculum is intended for students who plan to enter professional careers, graduate study, private studio teaching or college/university-level teaching.
Bachelor of Music Education
The School of Music prepares music education students to become accomplished music teachers. The music education faculty is nationally and internationally recognized as leaders and teachers. This curriculum fulfills the education requirements for Florida teaching certification requirements and is approved by the Florida Department of Education, National Association of Schools of Music, and the National Council for Teacher Education.
Bachelor of Arts
The B.A. curriculum is designed for students who desire a liberal arts education with an emphasis in music. Programs are available in music performance, music history or music theory. Students may minor in other subject areas, such as English, psychology or history.
Graduate Curricula
The Master of Music requires a minimum of 32 hours beyond the baccalaureate, and offers specializations in the following areas: performance, composition, music education, conducting (choral or instrumental), ethnomusicology, music history and literature.
The School of Music also offers the Ph.D. in Music (with specializations in Composition, Ethnomusicology, or History and Literature) and the Ph.D. in Music Education.
The Master of Music in Music Education program is also offered online. For more information, click here.
History and Highlights
In 2010, the College of Fine Arts will celebrate its 35th anniversary. Many programs, however, have flourished since the University’s earliest days. The Gator Band got its start in 1914, and the Men’s Glee Club was founded in 1907.
1924 University Auditorium opened.
1925 Andrew Anderson Memorial Pipe Organ dedicated.
1927 Music program organized.
1948 Division of Music organized.
1956 College of Architecture and Fine Arts created with a Division of Fine Arts (Departments of Art and Music) and a Division of Architecture and Allied Arts (Departments of Architecture, Building Construction and Community Planning).
1971 Music Building dedicated with a festival featuring American composer, Aaron Copland.
1974 Friends of Music organized.
1975 College of Architecture and Fine Arts divided into two colleges.
1977 University Auditorium renovated with new lobby and Friends of Music Room.
1979 Century Tower Carillon dedicated.
1993 Renovated Andrew Anderson Memorial Pipe Organ dedicated in gala music festival.
1998 Academic units renamed: School of Art and Art History, School of Music, Department of Theatre and Dance.
2007 University Auditorium renovated.
2008 Steinbrenner Band Hall dedicated.
Facilities
The School of Music programs are housed in a three-story building, dedicated by legendary composer Aaron Copland and first occupied in March of 1971. This building contains practice rooms, faculty teaching studios, classrooms, rehearsal rooms for large ensembles, the electronic music laboratory and the Music Library.
The Music Library houses the university's major collection of monographs, scores, periodicals, sound recordings and videos dealing with music, amounting to more than 35,000 cataloged titles. In addition, there are collected works, dissertations and theses, and periodicals on microfilm and microfiche. The primary purpose of the Music Library is to support the academic and research needs of the School of Music, as well as those of the general student body and faculty. The Music Library is part of the University of Florida Library System, the second largest institutional library in the Southeast. The library system holds over 2,500,000 cataloged volumes, more than 2,300,000 units of microform, and maintains more than 29,000 current serials and roughly 20,000 machine-readable database files.
The Florida Electroacoustic Music Program at the University of Florida, headed by Dr. James Paul Sain is designed to support both composition and research. The primary focus of the facility is in the furtherance of contemporary art music. Courses are offered at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in topics such as the history and literature of electroacoustic music as well as the composition of electroacoustic music using MIDI, hard disk recording and editing, direct-digital software synthesis systems, and realtime interactive applications.
Housed in Century Tower, a distinctive landmark of the University of Florida, is a world-class 61-bell carillon. This university treasure, which is heard daily in mini-performances, is also used for recitals by guest artists and for academic and artistic functions in the adjacent University Auditorium. In addition, the carillon is used for instruction of students in carillon performance.
University Auditorium
Adjacent to the Music Building, the University Auditorium houses additional faculty offices and serves as a concert hall for the School of Music. The beautiful 900-seat auditorium, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, houses the Anderson Memorial Organ (70 stops, 99 ranks, 5356 pipes). This instrument is one of the largest and most sophisticated of its kind in the Southeast, and a unique resource for performance and instruction.
University of Florida Performing Arts showcases world-class and up-and-coming artists from around the globe, commissions new works, and supports residencies for performing artists. Exceptional performers, concerts and plays, including many of Broadway’s most notable musicals, are frequently enjoyed by areas residents at one of UFPA’s three venues in Gainesville: The Phillips Center for the Performing Arts located at 315 Hull Road, one block east of SW 34th Street; the Baughman Center located at the intersection of Radio and Museum Roads on the University of Florida campus; and the University Auditorium located at the corner of Union and Newell Drives next to Century Tower on the University of Florida campus.
Friends of Music Room
The Friends of Music is a community-based organization that supports the programs of the department in numerous ways, including raising funds for music scholarships. The volunteer efforts of this organization reinforce the vital link between the music department and the community. The Friends of Music Room, located in the University Auditorium, is used for receptions following performances and other special university events.
