Music

Music
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Explore the Department of MUSIC

The UNH Music Department invites you to join with us in pursuit of your musical passion, whether you choose to major in one of our seven undergraduate or four graduate degrees, minor in music, or participate as a non-music major in one of our ensembles.

Located on a picturesque college campus in New England, the UNH Music Department is a place where you’ll be free to explore and develop as a musician, prepare for multiple dimensions of your future profession amongst supportive peers and faculty, all within reach of the cultural resources of Boston and Portland. In our program, you will acquire skills of creative expression and innovation in courses taught by accomplished and engaged faculty members that lead to careers as teachers, performers, composers, and contributors to the music industry.

A Center For….

Innovation in Music Education: Music education is central to what we do. Approximately 80% of our majors are pursuing teaching degrees. Our graduates who seek employment as a teacher, or choose to continue study in graduate school, are successful in achieving their goals. Studying music education at UNH, you will be grounded in courses that explore inclusive and varied approaches to music education.

Excellence in Performance: Music becomes personally meaningful when outstanding performers bring it to life. At UNH, you will actively participate in private lessons as well as a variety of ensembles, from chamber groups to jazz ensembles, choirs, orchestras, and bands that inspire audiences from the stage to the football field. The music you explore will represent a wide range of styles and genres, ranging from repertory standards to new works by musicians from a multitude of cultural and historical backgrounds.

Life-Long Learning: Education is a never-ending process. Whether you teach, perform, compose, research, or serve as a music administrator, you will always be learning. How can you find the answers you need? At UNH, you’ll develop your curiosity and learn how to ask and answer questions that penetrate beneath the surface, leading you to new and exciting areas of study, growth, and development.

The UNH Department of Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

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Upcoming Events

Discover the UNH Department of Music

  • John Mehrmann
    Discovering the Diverse Skills of John Mehrmann: Composer, Performing Musician, and Educator
    John Mehrmann is a composer, pianist, organist, choir director, percussionist, and teacher who resides in Maine with his wife, Abigail, and two sons. His musical talents encompass many genres and styles, from directing the a cappella choral ensemble VoXX: Voice of…
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    Music Performance Major
    When Alyssa Ostrowski ’23 started at UNH she thought she wanted a career teaching music. But after her first semester, she realized that she wanted more time to focus on her instruments, drums and other percussion. She also added a minor in art. The music program is what drew Ostrowski to UNH. In high school, she became acquainted with the UNH 3 O’Clock Jazz Band when they performed…
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  • Frost
    UNH Music Alum to Capture Alaskan Wilderness in Music
    Trevor Frost, wind band conducting doctoral student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will spend a life-changing ten days this June exploring the wilderness of Alaska and writing original music about it. Now in its eleventh year, the unique Composing in the Wilderness program is led by adventurer-composer Stephen Lias and offered by the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival…
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  • Coffin
    2nd Place Winner in the Rachel Moore Choral Composition Contest
    Current Music Composition student Wes Coffin has won second place in the Rachel Moore Choral Composition Contest, a competition  open to high school students (grades 9-12) and undergraduate college students. His composition is entitled "In May", a piece he wrote during his sophomore year. The competition is designed to encourage the creation of original works for choir and to…
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  • Forte
    Paul Smith Hall of Fame Winner 2023
    Marie Forte '02 is Paul Smith Hall of Fame Winner 2023. The Massachusetts Instrumental Conductors Association's Paul Smith Hall of Fame Award is presented annually to a Massachusetts music conductor who is a musical and personal inspiration to students, the community and other professional conductors. Admission to the Hall of Fame is limited to two conductors per year. Marie Forte is…
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