beExpressive
Discover an abundance of opportunities to perform, conduct, travel, teach, create and collaborate. Enjoy unique experiences, tons of performance opportunities and personal attention from highly involved professors. Or get hands-on training for careers in management, marketing, production, or starting your own enterprise.
Come Join us at NMU!
There are a lot of great things happening in the NMU Department of Music! Maybe you've thought about majoring or minoring in music? Perhaps you simply want to play in an ensemble, sing in a choir, or take a class about the Beatles? Or maybe you just want to check out one of the many concerts we present on campus every semester... Whatever your interests may be, there's a place for you here!
Check out the NMU Department of Music Digital Viewbook!
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Degree programs
- Music Major
- Music with Elective Studies in an Outside Field Major
- Secondary Education Music
- Music Minor
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Virtual Performances
Whenever possible, Department of Music concerts are streamed live on the internet. Just visit our YouTube channel at concert time!
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The exciting sounds of ensembles
Students from any major can be a part of our group performance ensembles! There are also opportunities to perform with the community orchestra, band and choral society and at festivals and gigs around town.
- Arts Chorale
- Chamber Ensemble
- NMU Jazz Band
- Opera Theatre Workshop
- Pep Band
- Percussion Ensemble
- Symphonic Band
- University Choir
- University Orchestra
- Wildcat Marching Band
“I love teaching students about the universal language of the world: Music. My World Music course students explore rhythms of Africa, India, and Brazil on drums and percussion instruments. On keyboards they groove a 12 Bar Blues bass line and examine the interlocking melodies of Indonesian music. And in the Open Mind Chamber Ensemble, students explore improvisation, experimentation, graphic scores, creativity and music by chance.”
Instructor Carrie Biolo
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Special opportunities
- Collaborate, orchestrate or star in Forest Roberts Theatre mainstage performances
- Take private music lessons offered by the department
- Get early in-classroom student teaching experience
- Travel to conferences and competitions, tour and perform across the Midwest and Europe
- Learn from and play with legends at the yearly NMU Jazz Fest
- Experience the music Mecca that is Marquette—with an active local music scene, annual Hiawatha Music Fest and soulful Blues Fest.
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Recent visiting artists at NMU
- Viano String Quartet
- Dutch saxophonist Hans de Jong
- Latin band Orquesta Tradición
- Percussion group Cincinnati
- Native American singer-songwriter Annie Humphrey
- Hungarian folk music group Söndörgő
- Singer-songwriter Jesse McCartney
- Finnish folk quartet Kardemimmit
- Rapper Ghostface Killah
- Psychrockers Pond
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Fantastic faculty and fabulous facilities
Our professors love music, but they love working with students even more. Students get to share in Dr. Erin Colwitz's Beatles obsession, Dr. Strain's devotion to drums and Dr. Flaherty's addiction to all things jazz. Our department secretary Linda Popovic has a doctorate in music from Yale and gladly lends a well-qualified ear to all questions or concerns. Join in our close-knit music family to explore, acquire expertise and expand your musical horizons.