A community dedicated to changing lives through music by cultivating creativity, artistry, and curiosity
The JMU School of Music is a highly engaged and active program with more than 380 undergraduate majors and 70 graduate students. The School of Music offers the following degrees and concentrations: Doctor of Musical Arts (conducting and performance), Master of Music (composition, conducting, music education, and performance), Bachelor of Music (composition, jazz studies, music education, music industry, music theatre, and performance), and Bachelor of Arts in Music (music industry and music studies). The school has 45 full-time faculty, 25 part-time faculty, 10 professional staff and supportive positions, and produces more than 300 performances and presentations annually. Additionally, the School of Music offers the students the benefits of an all-Steinway school and outstanding concert halls in the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts. The JMU School of Music is part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
With multiple degree programs and concentrations, the JMU School of Music offers a wealth of musical resources:
- Two undergraduate degree options
- An internationally-recognized faculty of scholars, composers, performers, conductors, and educators committed to teaching both undergraduate and graduate students
- Support funds for an ambitious and intellectually-curious student body
- An in-house music library with access to an abundance of music journals, performance recordings, and more
- World-class performance facilities and recognition as an All-Steinway School
- A thriving arts living-learning community available to first-year students
James Madison University College of Visual and Performing Arts
With over 100 full-time faculty and 1,200 full-time majors, the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) brings together the Schools of Art, Design, and Art History (SADAH); Music (SOM); and Theatre and Dance (STAD). CVPA also houses the Office of Creative Propulsion, which supports students and faculty in ideating, launching, and refining arts-based efforts that reimagine and disrupt traditional practices, stretch and break artistic boundaries, and promote more equitable and inclusive opportunities for meaningful arts/design engagement. The JMU CVPA believes that equity, access, and inclusion are moral imperatives and artistic obligations. Diversity—in the stories we represent, students we serve, and audience we engage—is vital for the health and relevance of contemporary arts and design practice. The JMU CVPA, therefore, welcomes diversity of perspective, ethnicity, race, religion, socio-economic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ability. Across its units, the CVPA is committed to empowering students to act boldly, justly, and inclusively to create their own unique path.
James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Located in the heart of Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. With a population of just over 53,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with more than 50 first languages spoken in its public schools. James Madison University (JMU) is a selective public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty. JMU offers thriving programs in liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels. The university is committed to expanding diversity, fostering equity and inclusion, and supporting superlative teaching and scholarship. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.
