"Embracing Artistry, Creating Opportunity"

Millersville Department of Music Mission The Department of Music seeks to be a vibrant, artistic community that fosters excellence in performance, education and entrepreneurship. Grounded in a strong liberal arts education, the Department of Music aims at developing the whole individual while preparing students to lead productive lives as professionals.  

The Millersville Department of Music faculty includes a select group of focused individuals that provide students with excellent performance and academic opportunities. Our goal as a department is to help our students continue to make a difference as music educators, performers, and entrepreneurs in the community.

Millersville offers a wide variety of music degrees, including a Bachelor of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Science in Music Educationand Bachelor of Arts in Music with a focus in Music Business and Technology. This variety allows our students to find their niche within the music program at Millersville.  Millersville University is the only school in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) that is able to offer music business, recording, and performance opportunities within one-degree program.  Additionally, the Millersville University Department of Music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM); the academic accrediting body of all leading music conservatories and universities throughout the United States. NASM, founded in 1924, is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities with approximately 641 accredited institutional members. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials. 

Why Millersville?
From the accreditations to our renowned faculty, to our state of the art Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center, and our downtown Lancaster facility the Ware Center – we know that Millersville is the best option for creative individuals. Nevertheless, we decided to let our alumni do the talking for us:

Meet Eric Troop, just one of our many successful graduates from the Department of Music at Millersville University. Eric was recently awarded the Mr. Holland’s Opus National Award for Excellence in Music Education. Wynton Marsalis, an internationally acclaimed musician, educator and artistic director of jazz, presented this prestigious award at Carnegie Music Hall in New York.

Kodaly Concept
The Kodaly Concept for music certification is a philosophy of education and a concept of teaching that all music teachers in Pennsylvania must learn. Two of our faculty at Millersville, Dr. Philip Tacka and Dr. Micheal Houlahan, are leading international Kodaly Experts. Students will experience this concept first hand, as well as learn how to teach using this approach. 

Faculty
Our faculty is what helps us to stand out.  Millersville Department of Music faculty have published books through Oxford University Press that are used by leading universities and music schools throughout the United States, Canada, England and Australia as textbooks. Specifically, schools in the United States include the Eastman School of Music, Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, New England Conservatory of Music, New York University, Georgetown University, Vassar College, and Yale. These textbooks are used to teach other students and train future music educators. Our faculty are also in demand as guest artists through the country. Working with nationally and internationally renowned faculty will give our students a competitive edge with their future careers in music. 

Click here to learn more about our outstanding faculty.