Jazz & African-American Music Studies

The Department of Music and Dance provides a comprehensive education for students from the Commonwealth and beyond through a combination of established and innovative pedagogical approaches. The faculty works cooperatively, focusing on students and inspiring them to realize their full artistic potential while equipping them with skills to succeed in today's world.

The Department is also committed to distinguishing itself regionally, nationally, and internationally through the creative activity and scholarship of its faculty. Presentations, publications, recordings, and performances constitute a significant presence in the fields of music and dance, enhancing the reputation of the Department, the College, and the University, while contributing to dynamic collaborations both on and off campus.

Serving as a cultural ambassador for music and dance, the Department maintains visibility through broad course offerings, public appearances, and outreach activities within the University and the community at large.

In the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Humanities and Fine Arts, we celebrate the powers of ideas. Not only do we study the ideas of great thinkers, writers, and artists, but we equip our students with the abilities to form new ones in order to ignite progress.

With the lowest student to teacher ratio on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, a diverse selection of courses, and a dedicated staff of academic and career advisors, Humanities and Fine Arts offers students the rigor and individual attention of a liberal arts college within the vibrant curricular range of a major research university.

Today’s graduates are innovative, dynamic problem-solvers prepared to be citizens in a rapidly evolving global environment.