Achieve Excellence Through Our Premier Music Education

In Webster University’s Department of Music, students collaborate in noteworthy performance ensembles, integrate the study of music theory, history and literature into practice and pursue excellence on a primary instrument in applied lessons, all under the direction of outstanding artists and teachers.

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), we have 16 undergraduate and graduate programs including Music Education, Instrumental and Vocal Performance, Composition, Songwriting and a first-in-the-country Bachelor of Music in Music Direction for Musical Theatre. Explore more about our curriculum, which promotes a collaborative environment while fostering a lifelong habit of excellence in performance, creativity, scholarship and teaching.

 

Why Study at Webster?

“The music department has a community-based attitude of support and pushing each other to be our best, while supported by faculty dedicated to services in and out of the classroom.”

Katy Boykin

BM in Music Composition with an Emphasis in Concert Music, ’26

Transcript

[Music]

Text on screen: Webster University

Text on screen: Department of Music, “Inspiring Faculty”

Text on screen: Sophie Shugart, ’19

[Shugart sits and talks in Loretto-Hilton Center.]

Sophie Shugart: The faculty are amazing. They're so attentive very funny everyone's very outgoing.

Text on screen: Danielle Feinstein, ’17

[Feinstein sits in the theater of Loretto-Hilton Center.]

Danielle Feinstein: Faculty do everything they can to help guide you and inspire you as a musician.

Aaron Brown: You can talk to a professor about anything.

[Photo of a professor sitting at a piano. Photo of a student sings looking at sheet music on a music stand.]

Text on screen: Aaron Brown, ’17

[Brown sitting and talking in an academic building along a corridor.]

Brown: They will take the time out of their day after the class to help you out, and that's coming, that's great.

[Shugart sits and talks in Loretto-Hilton Center.]

Shugart: If I ever get worried about something — I could go to my faculty or can go to fellow students who are already there or further along than me — that can definitely help.

[Photo of students sit at a round table with laptops, cell phones, homework, books, pens, papers and discuss assignments.]

[Photo of two students sit at a desk with Music Professor Jeffrey Carter.]

[Feinstein sits and talks in the theater of Loretto-Hilton Center.]

Feinstein: The most interesting thing I've learned is that it's okay to ask for help because at the end of the day — all of your professors, all of your friends want to help you succeed.

[Photo of orchestra pit with students playing music.]

[Photo of choral students sing while holding sheet music in front of them.]

[Feinstein sits and talks in the theater of Loretto-Hilton Center.]

Feinstein: So, if you can't do it by yourself that's okay. They are here for you and that is a really unique and important part of our community in the music department.

[Webster University logo]

Text on screen: webster.edu/music

[Instrumental music gets louder and then finishes.]

Meet Our Faculty

Accreditation

Webster Holds Longtime NASM Membership

Webster University is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). An important marker of standing among music programs in the U.S., NASM establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for music and music-related disciplines.

70+
Years as Member of NASM

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Pre-Collegiate Programs

The Community Music School offers outstanding music education and performance opportunities to students of all ages and abilities in the St. Louis region, including private applied instruction on the full range of band and orchestral instruments, plus piano and voice.

Webster’s Community Music School offers a program for high school jazz students during the school year.

Under the leadership of Webster’s Jazz Ensemble director Nick Savage, rising young jazz musicians will work on improving their improvisational skills, ensemble interaction and personal musicianship. All melodic instruments are welcome to participate and experience a variety of jazz styles from the 1930s to the present.

Webster University Vienna's campus building

Only at Webster: Study Music Abroad in Vienna

Webster University Vienna's campus building

Webster's international campus network creates unique study abroad opportunities including study abroad for music students in Vienna, Austria. In this beautiful city, music students join classmates from dozens of other countries for a truly global education. Our programs have been carefully designed to ensure music students in St. Louis can study for a term in Vienna, typically during spring of junior year.

News and Events

Department of Music News and Upcoming Events