About Us
The University of Hawai`i at Manoa’s Music Department of the College of Arts and Humanities welcomes your interest in our degree programs. This website has been prepared to provide guidance and answer questions you may have. Located in Honolulu and within Manoa Valley, the Music Department is the only fully accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) in the state of Hawai`i. All degree programs are highly influenced by this agency’s standards and recommendations.
The Mae Zenke Orvis Auditorium is the Music Department’s recital hall with seating capacity of 400 and excellent acoustics. Ideal for solo recitals and chamber music, it features two Steinway concert grand pianos and a pipe organ. The Music Department features 51 pianos and 23 practice rooms divided between the Dorothy Kahananui Wing and the Round Practice Facility. The Choral Room seats 110 and is used for more intimate concerts and recitals and larger classes. We also have an Orchestra/Band Rehearsal Room, Computer Lab and Electronic Keyboard Lab.
Gregg M. Sinclair Library houses the CLIC Lab (computers and software) and the music collection of about 18,000 monographs, 21,500 scores, and 100 serials, including a substantial collection of online journals and reference materials available 24/7. Sinclair Library also houses the Harry C. and Neechang Wong Audiovisual Center, which has in its collection about 20,000 discs, CDs, tapes, and other audio and visual equipment and materials related to music. The Center is well equipped with a variety of sound and video reproduction equipment. Two Yamaha electronic pianos allow students to practice on scores housed in the music score collection adjacent to the Center, and computers are available for computer-assisted instruction.
The Music Department features an outstanding faculty consisting of acclaimed performers, respected and noted composers, scholarly historians, and innovative music educators all dedicated to providing an education experience in the arts that is well rounded in tradition while embracing the uniqueness of Hawai’i.
The Music Department is unique blend of solid western music tradition with the mix of Pacific region influence and world music heritage. The department houses the Barbara B. Smith Ethnomusicology Wing and Ampitheatre with a World Music Instrument Collection and archives. Ensembles such as gamelan, koto, gagaku, Tahitian, hula and chant, Hawaiian chorus, Chinese, Korean, and Okinawan, to name a few, are regularly offered.
Traditional Western music ensembles of the Music Department have maintained a high level of excellence in their performances of traditional and new literature. The department’s award winning bands, orchestra, jazz ensemble, and choirs perform an array of music that is representative of styles throughout history and from cultures of the world.
The Music Department is also noteworthy for its local ties to professional and highly visible performance groups: the Honolulu Symphony, Hawai`I Opera Theatre, and Diamond Head Theatre. Many of the department’s instrumental teachers are respected members of the Honolulu Symphony, and the orchestra generously offers an annual reading of new works written by the department’s composition students. The Hawai`I Opera Theatre and Diamond Head Theatre both contribute many performance opportunities to our students through productions, master classes, guest teachers, and senior projects.
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Objectives
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa’s Music Department has long implemented a set of objectives:
- to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and co-curricular events which are components within a broad liberal background (B.A.);
- a preparation for teaching music in elementary and secondary schools (B.Ed., M.A., in music education);
- a preparation for professional performing, composing, private teaching, or teaching music at the college level (B.M., M.A., M.M., PhD in music);
- to provide opportunities for research and service which are consistent with the instructional program.
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Mission
The Music Department and the College of Arts and Humanities play a role in implementing and enhancing state and university plans, and help faculty, staff, and students reach their goals. Their mission is:
- To prepare students for meaningful economic positions locally, nationally or internationally
- To assert the value of personal involvement in and responsibility to society
- To reaffirm the centrality of the arts and humanities in higher education
- To help students adapt to rapid cultural and technological change
- To support the University’s special interest in Asia and the Pacific