Visual & Performing Arts

Program Description

University of Miami

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Each year, students from across the United States and approximately forty countries pursue undergraduate and graduate study at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. The Frost School enjoys a reputation as a comprehensive and innovative music school, with more than three dozen degree, certificate, diploma, and international exchange program options available.

Since its founding in 1926 and accreditation in 1939 by the National Association of Schools of Music, the Frost School of Music has become one of the largest schools of its kind in a private institution of higher learning in the United States. The Frost School pioneered innovative programs in music business and entertainment industries, music engineering, and studio music and jazz. Since its inception, strong programs in composition/theory, performance, and music education have been a part of the curriculum. Flexible, well-rounded music instruction, designed to give graduates a professional edge, remains a hallmark of the Frost School.

More than 58 full-time faculty members and 56 adjunct faculty members are active in the classroom and as dedicated music professionals. The diverse nature of the programs in the Frost School of Music has attracted a faculty with a broad outlook in its approach to music education, and its members impart and encourage diversity in the music classroom.

Students choosing the Frost School of Music are focused and serious about their studies and are eager for the academic and performance opportunities available to them at the University of Miami. The low ratio of students to faculty members fosters close academic bonding. Every music student enjoys one-on-one studio instruction.

Many of the more than 4,500 students who have graduated from the Frost School of Music have distinguished themselves professionally. Alumni provide a veritable “Who’s Who” of both performance and related musical careers. Frost School of Music graduates perform with major orchestras, operas, and jazz ensembles. Their compositions range from orchestral and operatic music to film and video scores. Some graduates are among the top solo performing artists in the country; others excel as arrangers, recording engineers, editors, therapists, teachers, publishers, distributors, and retailers.

The Frost School of Music is situated on the University’s Coral Gables campus, minutes from the city of Miami, where students enjoy a delightful climate that lends itself to a wide range of activities. All the cultural advantages of a metropolitan center are available to Frost School of Music students. In addition to being the home of the New World Symphony and the Florida Grand Opera, the Miami area is regularly included in concert tours of major symphonies, concert artists, jazz performers, and opera companies. Music students are able to participate in master classes given frequently by visiting artists performing in the greater Miami area.

Facilities

 The music complex includes a 600-seat concert hall and 150-seat recital hall, five newly renovated rehearsal halls, two state-of-the-art recording studios, two computer/MIDI keyboard labs, two multimedia classrooms, instructional studios, practice rooms, and classrooms.

The Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center, the newest and largest branch of the University of Miami Libraries, showcases a wide range of resources. Among the nationally known collections housed in the 22,500-square-foot facility are sound recordings, musical theater archives, musical scores, musical manuscripts, research collections, and a wealth of e-resources. This state-of-the-art research facility was built at a cost of $9.9 million.

The 5,200-square-foot Music Technology Center houses a Music Engineering Lab, two Keyboard/Computer Labs, a Multimedia Instruction and Learning Lab (MILL), an Electronic Music Lab, and a Media-Writing and Production Lab. All of the labs contain computers with flat-panel displays, sophisticated software packages for program-specific work, 5.1 Surround Sound™ monitoring, audio/video playback systems, and video projection capabilities.

Faculty and Alumni

 There are more than 114 faculty members. Faculty members perform with the Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet Orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic, and various jazz ensembles. Academic faculty members are widely published and recognized in their various fields. Alumni include Grammy winners Bruce Hornsby and Jon Secada; opera stars Marvis Martin and Sandra Lopez; television star Dawnn Lewis; Keith Buterbaugh, Raoul in Phantom of the Opera; Gary Fry, arranger and producer of more than 1,800 commercials; Sam Pilafian, founder of the Empire Brass Quintet and Travelin' Light; and Matt Pierson, Senior Vice President/General Manager Jazz for Warner Brothers Records.

Performance

 The Frost School of Music serves as a major cultural resource for the Greater Miami area, presenting more than 300 musical events annually. Complementing on-campus recitals and concerts by students and faculty members are programs by guest artists, composers, conductors, and lecturers from virtually every corner of the world. Festival Miami, a monthlong international music festival held each fall, typically features performances by an array of faculty and guest artists, student ensembles, composers, and conductors, including many premiere performances of new compositions. Several of the Frost School’s more than fifty ensembles have performed in tours around the United States and the world.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen and transfers: January 15. Notification date--freshmen and transfers: April 1. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, 3 letters of recommendation, audition, SAT I or ACT test scores, portfolio for music theory/composition. Recommended: minimum 3.0 high school GPA. Auditions held 4 times on campus and off campus in Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Los Angeles, CA; Washington, DC; recorded music is permissible as a substitute for live auditions when distance is prohibitive and videotaped performances are permissible as a substitute for live auditions when distance is prohibitive.

Undergraduate Contact

Ms. Karen Kerr, Director of Admission and Recruitment, Frost School of Music, University of Miami, PO Box 248165, Coral Gables, Florida 33124; 305-284-2241, fax: 305-284-6475.

Graduate Contact

Dr. Edward P. Asmus, Associate Dean, Frost School of Music, University of Miami, PO Box 248165, Coral Gables, Florida 33124; 305-284-2241, fax: 305-284-6475.