The University of Southern Mississippi School of Music has a longstanding international reputation for musical excellence. The school is recognized for its eminence in musical artistry, education and community service. Serving more than 475 majors from the United States and 15 countries, the school maintains a strongly diverse student population. In fact, we have granted a higher percentage of music doctorates to African-American students than any other institution of higher learning in the country. We are the only doctoral degree-granting School of Music in Mississippi and one of only 28 comprehensive doctoral-degree-granting Schools of Music in the 500-plus NASM accredited music schools.
We have a strong record of placement for our graduates into competitive jobs and graduate programs. We have trained many of this region’s finest educators, and our alumni have found professional performing work in a variety of places from the Rascher Saxophone Quartet to the English National Opera. Also, many of our alumni hold positions as ensemble directors and studio teachers at major universities across the country and overseas.
The School of Music provides a wealth of valuable opportunities for the professional and artistic growth of our students. Our faculty members perform at major venues around the world and teach at international festivals and conferences every year. Our ensembles host important guest artists from Manuel Barrueco to Plácido Domingo, Yo-Yo Ma, John Browning, Jean Pierre Rampal, Denyce Graves, Christopher Parkening, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Doc Severinsen, Sir James Galway, Joshua Bell, and Ray Charles.
And, our student ensembles have been featured performers at national conventions of the ACDA, CBDNA, American Bandmasters’ Association, MTNA, MENC, World Saxophone Congress, International Tuba-Euphonium Conference, the UNT Jazz Festival and the European Handbell Festival.
