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About the Department

The Department of Music at The College of New Jersey offers the Bachelor of Music in Performance, the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education, and the Bachelor of Arts in Music degree. The music faculty is comprised of noted scholars and artist teachers who have distinguished themselves as active members of the American Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Harrisburg Symphony, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York City Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Philadelphia Orchestra, among others.

Rigorous Music Study

Grow as a musician under the close mentorship of a faculty of distinguished artist-teachers and scholars. Small classes are taught at the highest academic standards, while ensemble and private lessons ensure personal attention from musicians who perform regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Outside Opportunity

Connect beyond campus, through immersive experiences that support your musical goals. Our students perform at major venue such as Lincoln Center, the Kimmel Center, and Great Music at St. Bart’s and participate in prestigious music festivals and summer programs across the tristate region and as far away as Italy and the Czech Republic. Students conducting scholarly research present their work at conferences and workshops, while those studying music education enjoy extensive student-teaching opportunities, locally and globally. We also encourage students to pursue their musical passions—and refine their professional goals—through internships, study abroad, and independent study.

Future Success

Our graduates are performers, teachers, and scholars. Others are conductors, composers, recording engineers, stage managers, music therapists, and arts administrators. Some succeed in law and business. Our graduates also pursue advanced degrees in such fields as musicology, composition, and performance, attending Tufts University, the Peabody Institute, Manhattan School of Music, and other prestigious institutions. Strong faculty-student connections continue past graduation, creating networks to draw on for career opportunities. Our alumni pursue many paths, but they all graduate with a foundation for lifelong engagement with music, in schools, universities, concert halls, and community settings.

Program Goals

The Music Department inspires students to be creative and skillful musician educators and performers. Guided by the philosophy that performing, creating, teaching and thinking about music are inseparable. Our undergraduate programs are designed with the goal of preparing students to be well-rounded musicians.

To this aim, we offer:

  • The skills and knowledge required for effective music teaching and their practical application in a variety of educational settings.
  • Individualized mentorship by a faculty of outstanding performing artists and scholars.
  • Challenging opportunities in large ensembles, chamber ensembles and theatrical performances.
  • Specialized instruction in preparation for solo performances on a primary instrument or voice.
  • A rigorous curriculum in theoretical, historical and cultural studies, including western and non-western, art, folk and popular traditions.
  • Open access to and coursework in music technology, composition and audio production tools.
  • Interdisciplinary experiences across the arts and sciences.

For those students majoring in other areas, the Department, through active, committed involvement to the College’s college core program, increases awareness of music’s impact on society, past and present. It provides unparalleled opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the community to be active participants in the making and/or attendance of musical performances of all types.

Our Music Department is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and its programs are approved by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.