Welcome to The University of Texas at El Paso Department of Music!
UTEP Department of Music - Fall 2020 FAQs related to COVID-19
Please see our FAQ page regarding any concerns about Fall 2020 procedures and formats relating to COVID-19.
Welcome to the UTEP Department of Music
As you explore our website, you will find that the UTEP Department of Music has an outstanding faculty, an active student body and innovative programs designed to prepare students for careers in music in the 21st Century.
The department is particularly proud of our diverse ensemble offerings, our faculty’s high profile and eclectic creative activities, and the newly created Center for Arts Entrepreneurship, under the Artistic Direction of Grammy-winning artist, Zuill Bailey.
UTEP’s growing enrollment
The Department of Music has over 300 music majors with an overall university enrollment of more than 23,000 students—a record that surely validates UTEP’s success in offering affordable programs of excellence to residents of the Paso del Norte region. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education reported that UTEP’s net price (total cost of attendance minus financial aid and scholarships) of $2,543 per year was once again this year the lowest among all U.S. research universities.
At home on the border
Our geographic location, on the border of the United States and Mexico, makes UTEP distinctive. UTEP students live and study in the world’s largest bi-national metropolitan area, unlike any other university setting. In addition to its border setting and beautiful mountainous terrain, El Paso consistently ranks as one of the safest cities of its size in the U.S. The Department of Music is proud of its close ties to local arts organizations including the El Paso Symphony, El Paso Opera, and El Paso Pro Musica, as well as our growing relations with the El Paso Community College and the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez.
Statement on Racism
The UTEP Department of Music stands against racism and discrimination. We share in the efforts to protest against the anti-Black violence and police brutality that plagues our society. We mourn all those lives lost to violence motivated by discrimination of any type. Black lives matter.
Music, as a universal language, has been at the forefront of racial protest and reform in the past. As musicians, educators, and scholars, we are aware of the transformative power that music holds, and we will commit to creative activities and teaching that promote racial equality and create discourses of racial justice.
We pledge to use the tools of music and education to teach antiracism, to acknowledge the ways that racism has shaped our institutional practices, and to work to dismantle such racist structures. We stand with our campus and community as we work against anti-Blackness and for an environment that is truly more inclusive and equitable for all and that affirms the dignity of each individual.
Follow UTEP Music
For the most up-to-date information about our program, please visit our online calendar for Concert Information, visit our Facebook page to hear livestreams of many of our events, or visit the department’s YouTube channel for concert archives and other music-related content.
Go Miners!
UPCOMING EVENTS
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Oscar Macchioni performs at the 43rd European Piano Teachers Association International Conference in Madrid, Spain!
Dr. Oscar Macchioni, Keyboard Area Coordinator, performed a lecture-recital at the 43rd European Piano Teachers Association International Conference in Madrid, Spain. The pre-recorded program “Mostly Tangos: Piano Music from the Americas” included works by Copland, Villa-Lobos, Ponce, Castro, and Piazzolla. The conference took place at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, in Manuel de Falla Hall. Click here to the see program.
UTEP Student Abeni Merriweather becomes the youngest composer for Carl Fischer music company!
Click here to read her interview with Jewél Jackson on ElPasoMatters.org
Bonnie Brooks Excellence Endowment in Piano Pedagogy
The Department of Music received a generous $250,000 Excellence Endowment in Piano Pedagogy in the name of Dr. Bonnie Brooks, a long-time supporter of the Piano Program at UTEP, from her husband Mr. Lewis Peeples. See this link for more info
Professors Cherry Duke and Brian Downen will perform at the Artist Series for the 2020 Texoma Regional NATS Conference this November 2-7.
Professor Duke's performance includes fellow faculty members Cara Luffey (bassoon) and Nayeli Dousa (piano). For more information, check out this link!
Professor Downen's performance includes a cycle of songs he comissioned from composer Jorge Martín called En Paz .
Dr. Steve Wilson’s latest album with the Big Bands Bones makes the Most Added list on the Jazz Week charts
Check out the album review on JazzWeekly here!
Check out the full chart here!
Scholarships Available!
A limited number of merit-based scholarships are available to current full-time music majors! Learn more and apply now at https://forms.gle/KdBy6TGL3XdN2PAS7
CURRENT INFORMATION
New Music Students
For information on becoming a music major at UTEP click here and to schedule your audition click here.
New and Current Music Students
All new music majors need to take the Music Theory Placement Exam, or enroll in Music Fundamentals 1.
Degree Plans
Familiarize yourself with your degree plan: up-to-date degree plans are available at degreeplans.utep.edu . Select a catalog year (usually your first year at UTEP), then "College of Liberal Arts," "Undergraduate" or "Graduate," and scroll through degree plans to "Bach of Music..." or "Master of Music..." Next, click "Get My Degree Plan!"
Important Links
Music Theory Placement Exam
Ensemble Auditions
Service Awards & Scholarships
Graduate Teaching Assistantships
