University of North Texas College of Music
Encyclopedia
The University of North Texas
College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school with the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music
, and the oldest (and first) in the world offering a degree in jazz studies. It is one of thirteen colleges and schools at the University of North Texas
and has been among the largest music institutions of higher learning in North America since the 1940s. North Texas has been a member of the National Association of Schools of Music
for years. Since the 1970s, approximately one-third of all North Texas music students have been enrolled at the graduate level.
As of the fall of 2009, the University of North Texas had a certified enrollment of 36,890. The enrollment data does not include the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth
; but does include the UNT Dallas campus
.
Science & engineering research
Over the last three decades, the University has expanded its research in science and engineering. In 2006, the National Science Foundation
ranked UNT Denton campus 122nd among 417 academic institutions for number of science and engineering doctorates awarded.
Research in the social sciences, humanities, professional fields, and other disciplines
Based on the number of non-science and engineering PhDs awarded at 2,722 national institutions of higher learning in the country, North Texas was ranked:
Of the 37 post-baccalaureate institutions in Texas surveyed by the National Science Foundation
, UNT ranked third in 2006, behind The University of Texas at Austin
and Texas A&M University
, for non science and engineering doctorates awarded.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies the University of North Texas as a "Research University" with "high research activity."
Visual Arts & Design
UNT's College of Visual Arts and Design — one of the eleven colleges and schools on the Denton campus — has the 10th largest enrollment of any art and design school accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design
, and has the second largest of any that awards doctorates.
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school with the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music
National Association of Schools of Music
The National Association of Schools of Music is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music...
, and the oldest (and first) in the world offering a degree in jazz studies. It is one of thirteen colleges and schools at the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
and has been among the largest music institutions of higher learning in North America since the 1940s. North Texas has been a member of the National Association of Schools of Music
National Association of Schools of Music
The National Association of Schools of Music is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music...
for years. Since the 1970s, approximately one-third of all North Texas music students have been enrolled at the graduate level.
The University
University enrollmentAs of the fall of 2009, the University of North Texas had a certified enrollment of 36,890. The enrollment data does not include the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth
University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, commonly known as the UNT Health Science Center and abbreviated UNTHSC, is a graduate-level institution of the University of North Texas System...
; but does include the UNT Dallas campus
University of North Texas at Dallas
The University of North Texas at Dallas began in 2000 as a Dallas extension of the University of North Texas, offering upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in fields such as education, business, criminal justice, applied arts and sciences, computer science, information technology and...
.
Science & engineering research
Over the last three decades, the University has expanded its research in science and engineering. In 2006, the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
ranked UNT Denton campus 122nd among 417 academic institutions for number of science and engineering doctorates awarded.
Research in the social sciences, humanities, professional fields, and other disciplines
Based on the number of non-science and engineering PhDs awarded at 2,722 national institutions of higher learning in the country, North Texas was ranked:
- Top 50 for awarding 3,382 non-science and engineering PhDs from 1920 to 1999
- Top 50 for awarding 551 non-science and engineering PhDs from 1995 to 1999
- Top 50 for awarding 1,695 non-science and engineering PhDs to people who also earned their baccalaureate from the same Institution.
Of the 37 post-baccalaureate institutions in Texas surveyed by the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, UNT ranked third in 2006, behind The University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, for non science and engineering doctorates awarded.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies the University of North Texas as a "Research University" with "high research activity."
Visual Arts & Design
UNT's College of Visual Arts and Design — one of the eleven colleges and schools on the Denton campus — has the 10th largest enrollment of any art and design school accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design , founded in 1944, is an accrediting organization of colleges, schools and universities in the United States. The organization establishes standards for graduate and undergraduate degrees. Member institutions complete periodic peer review...
, and has the second largest of any that awards doctorates.
Divisions
| Academic and Performance Divisions | |||||||
| Composition Studies | Conducting & Ensembles | Instrumental Studies | Jazz Studies | Keyboard Studies | Music Education | Music History, Theory and Ethnomusicology |
Vocal Studies |
| Departments | |||||||
| Choral Conducting |
Brass | Ethnomusicology | Opera Studies |
||||
| Early Music |
Percussion | Music History |
Vocal Studies |
||||
| Orchestral Conducting |
Strings | Music Theory |
|||||
| Wind Conducting |
Woodwinds | ||||||
Centers
Ensemble areas & prime groups
| Ensemble Areas | |||||
| Orchestral | Choral | Wind | Composition Studies |
Collegium Musicum |
Jazz |
| Major Groups (of over 50 Ensembles) | |||||
| A Cappella Choir |
Brass Band |
NOVA (new music) |
Baroque Orchestra |
Contemporary Repertory Ensemble |
|
| Concert Orchestra |
Chamber Choir |
Concert Band |
Collegium Singers |
Jazz Guitar Labs |
|
| Symphony Orchestra | Collegium Singers |
Green Brigade Marching Band |
Baroque Ensemble | Jazz Repertory Ensemble |
|
| Concert Choir |
Wind Symphony | Jazz Singers I & II |
|||
| Grand Chorus | Symphonic Band |
Jazz Strings |
|||
| Men's Chorus |
Symphonic Band |
Jazz Trombone Ensemble "The U-Tubes" |
|||
| Recital Choir |
Lab Bands (9) |
||||
Former deans & current dean
| 1890–1891 | Eliza Jane McKissack Eliza Jane McKissack Eliza Jane McKissack was a music teacher who, in 1890, became the founding head of music at the University of North Texas College of Music, then called Normal Conservatory of Music, part of Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute, which was... ( Aykroyd) (aka Mrs. Alexander Cogle McKissack) (1828–1900) served as Director of what then was called Conservatory of Music, part of what then was the Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute, which was established as a private institution in 1890. Classes were first held Tuesday, September 16, 1890. |
| 1891-1892 | Miss Mary Francis Long, from Geneva, Illinois Geneva, Illinois Geneva is the county seat of Kane County, Illinois. It is located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 26,652. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia... , was a 1891 graduate of Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt UniversityIt was founded in 1867, less than four decades after the city of Chicago was incorporated... where, during her senior year, she won the William M. Hoyt Prize (the Diamond Medal for the best student in harmony in the graduating class) |
| 1894–? | Sarah ("Sallie") Frances Thornley ( Cummings) (b. 1854 Mason County, Kentucky Mason County, Kentucky Mason County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 16,800. Its county seat is Maysville. The county is named for George Mason, a Virginia delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention, known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights"... ; d. 11 July 1921 Dallas, Texas Dallas, Texas Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States... ; buried at the I.O.O.F. Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows , also known as the Three Link Fraternity, is an altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization derived from the similar British Oddfellows service organizations which came into being during the 18th century, at a time when altruistic and charitable acts were... Cemetery, Denton, Texas Denton, Texas The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex... ) – was originally from Maysville, Kentucky Maysville, Kentucky Maysville is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,993 at the 2000 census, making it the fiftieth largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, northeast of Lexington. It is the principal city of the Maysville... . Around 1883 (ending January 1884), Thornley had been a music teacher at Georgetown Female Seminary in Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,098 at the 2010 census. The original settlement of Lebanon, founded by Rev. Elijah Craig, was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts... . In January 1884, Thornley enrolled at the College of Music of Cincinnati. In Maysville, Thornley taught music and was the organist at M. E. Church, South Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference... . In the spring of 1885, Thornley had served as head of music at a college in Sherman, Texas Sherman, Texas Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... . Around 1887, Thornley had been a music teacher at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,098 at the 2010 census. The original settlement of Lebanon, founded by Rev. Elijah Craig, was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts... . |
| 1894–? | Miss Edith Miller |
| 1896–1897 | Miss Celia Goldsmith |
| 1902–1912 | Margaret Manora Boylan (b. 1867, Hubbard, Iowa Hubbard, Iowa Hubbard is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 885.-Geography:Hubbard is located at .... ; d 1963, Carthage, Missouri Carthage, Missouri Carthage is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 14,378 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jasper County and is nicknamed "America's Maple Leaf City."... ) served as Director of Music and Reading. Before beginning a career of teaching on the faculties of several colleges throughout the country, she had attended summer school at Ginn summer school in Chicago, New England Conservatory ("NEC"), and Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York... . And, she was a published composer.
|
| 1914–1915 | Harry Milton Snow (b. 19 Sept 1879, Big Lake, Minnesota Big Lake, Minnesota As of the census of 2000, there were 6,063 people, 2,117 households, and 1,570 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,688.4 people per square mile . There were 2,206 housing units at an average density of 614.3 per square mile... ; d. 23 Apr. 1954, Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... ) studied music at the New England Conservatory from the first semester of 1905 (Fall 1904) through the second semester of 1909 and then for two more semesters in 1912 (when he studied only cello with Virginia Stickney; later known as Mrs. Frances Williams Snow; 1886–1972). Harry Snow graduated June 22, 1909, with a diploma in voice as a teacher. His voice teachers were Arthur Dwight Babcock (1875–1970) and Charles Adams White (1856–1928). He also studied piano for seven semesters with Alfred Pietro Angelo Devoto (born 1875). In addition he studied solfège Solfege In music, solfège is a pedagogical solmization technique for the teaching of sight-singing in which each note of the score is sung to a special syllable, called a solfège syllable... , Italian, drama, music history Music history Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time... , music theory Music theory Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods... , analysis, English, harmony, French, German, school music, and vocal teaching (called Normal Department). |
| 1917–1938 | Lillian M. Parrill (1881–1973) served as Director of what then was a Music Department. North Texas announced her appointment as a new faculty member July 15, 1915. In addition to heading the department, she conducted the chorus, which, in 1929, had 103 members. The next year, 1930, under her direction, the chorus expanded to 150. Initially from Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census... , Parrill had studied voice with Oscar Saenger (1868–1929) of New York City New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... and Charles Washburn at Ward–Belmont College, in Nashville. She was a graduate of the American Institute of Normal Methods (Northwestern University Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees.... ), Evanston, Illinois Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan... , and had served as supervisor of music in Elwood, Indiana Elwood, Indiana - Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 9,737 people, 3,845 households, and 2,660 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,743.1 people per square mile . There were 4,179 housing units at an average density of 1,177.3 per square mile... . In July 1941, in Denton, she married Fred O. Grissom (1876–1978). She resigned as Associate Professor in September 1941 and henceforth lived in Kinmundy, Illinois Kinmundy, Illinois Kinmundy is a city in Marion County, Illinois, United States. The population was 892 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kinmundy is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.... , with her husband. She died June 10, 1973, in Kinmundy, Illinois Kinmundy, Illinois Kinmundy is a city in Marion County, Illinois, United States. The population was 892 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kinmundy is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.... . The 1917 Yucca (student yearbook) lists Mary Anderson as being on the music faculty with Parrill. |
| 1938–1947 | Wilfred Conwell Bain Wilfred Conwell Bain Wilfred Conwell Bain was an American music educator, a university level music school administrator , and an opera theater director at the collegiate level... , EdD (1908–1997) built the School of Music into one of the largest in the country. By 1940, North Texas was the largest state supported teachers college in the world. Bain was appointed in 1938 as head of what then was a "deanless" school of music. In 1945, when what then was North Texas State Teachers College became North Texas State College — a name change that reflected broader offerings — an administrative reorganization gave the School of Music its own dean, which was filled by Bain. He founded and directed the School's A Cappella Choir and the Opera Workshop. The A Capella Choir, one of dozens of the School's performing groups, performed over 500 concerts in five states between 1940 and 1945. In 1945, the choir performed several tours for civilian and Army groups in Texas in camps to promote bond War bond War bonds are debt securities issued by a government for the purpose of financing military operations during times of war. War bonds generate capital for the government and make civilians feel involved in their national militaries... sales and entertain sick and wounded service personnel. |
| 1947–1958 | Walter Hutchinson Hodgson, PhD (1904–1988), conductor of the school's Symphony Orchestra and founding conductor of the Madrigal Singers, and a sacred music scholar, approved (as acting Dean) in 1947 Gene Hall Gene Hall Morris Eugene Hall was a music educator, saxophonist, and arranger, most known for creating and presiding over the first academic curriculum leading to a bachelors degree in jazz at an institution of higher learning, being at the University of North Texas College of Music Morris Eugene Hall (aka... 's proposal for a bachelors degree in "Dance Band," the first jazz studies degree offered in the world. In 1958, Dr. Hodgson accepted an offer to become Dean of the Michigan State University School of Music. |
| 1958–1974 | Kenneth Neil Cuthbert, EdD (1917–1984), who, in addition to serving as dean, was a choral and instrumental conductor. Cuthbert earned a Bachelor of Music in 1940 and a Master of Music in 1942 from the University of Wisconsin. He also earned a Master of Arts in 1946 and a Doctor of Education in 1947 from Teachers College, Columbia University Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... . From 1951 to 1958, Cuthbert had served on the faculty at East Carolina University East Carolina University East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in... and from 1948 to 1951 he had served as Dean of the School of Music at Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University is an independent undergraduate university located in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1850, the central portion of the present campus was acquired in 1854 with the first building erected in 1856... . Also prior to his North Texas tenure, he had served as Vice President of the National Association of Schools of Music National Association of Schools of Music The National Association of Schools of Music is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music... for three years. |
| 1974–1987 | Marceau Chevalier Myers, EdD (1929–1987), a scholar of American orchestral composers with a strong affinity for Charles Ives Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"... , oversaw a surge in enrollment that made the School the nation's second largest within a major university. Myers also spearheaded the planning and completion of the a new Music Complex that had been initiated under Dean Cuthbert. Under Myers' leadership, the school gained greater international acclaim from an expanded touring initiative by several music ensembles – tours that included Western Europe Western Europe Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the... , the Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... , South America South America South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east... , the and the Far East Far East The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,... . |
| 1987–1988 | Stephen Thomas Farish, Jr., DMA (1936–1995), (Interim Dean) was a singer (baritone) and professor of voice. He earned his DMA from the University of Illinois in 1962 and, that same year, joined the UNT faculty. |
| 1988–1991 | Robert Lewis Blocker, DMA (UNT MM 70 DMA 72) (born 1946) is the current Dean of the Yale School of Music Yale School of Music The Yale School of Music is one of the twelve professional schools at Yale University and one of the premier music conservatories in the world.... (a graduate school) |
| 1991–1992 | Stephen Thomas Farish, Jr., DMA (1936–1995) (Interim Dean) |
| 1992–1996 | David Lewis Shrader, DMA (born 1939), a percussionist and composer, served as Dean for 7 years. In 1996, the UNT Chancellor asked Shrader to serve as Interim Director of Development for the University. The former Director had died. Shrader obliged, serving for one year. Dr. Will May stepped-in as Interim Dean for one year. |
| 1996–1997 | William "Will" Vernon May, Jr., PhD (UNT MME 75) (Interim Dean) |
| 1997–1999 | David Lewis Shrader, DMA, oversaw the opening of the Murchison Performing Arts Center in February 1999 – a 40-year institutional objective. |
| 1999–2000 | William "Will" Vernon May, Jr., PhD (UNT MME '75) (Interim Dean) |
| 2000–2001 | Thomas Clark, DMA (born 1949), a composer and trombonist, and now UNT Professor Emeritus, served once as Interim Dean of the College of Music. |
| 2001–Present | James Copeland Scott, DMA (born 1943) is a flutist, pianist, and music theory scholar who has researched structural relationship between Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School... and Brahms. |
| Notes: | Frank Douglas Mainous (1918–2007), a composer, music theory Music theory Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods... scholar, and director of military band Military band A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music... s during World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... , served as interim dean at least twice. He was married to concert pianist and faculty member Jean Mainous, Harris. He earned a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester... in 1941. |
Related links
Selected history
- 1890 — when the University of North Texas was founded – music was a part of the curriculum. What then was a teachers college offered a "Conservatory Music Course" as part of the initial "Nine Full Courses." The complete course in music, lasting forty-four weeks, required private lessons that had to be paid for, in addition to regular school tuition. Tuition for these classes was $200 for the complete course, while regular tuition for a forty-week school year was only $48. The founding president, Joshua Crittenden Chilton (1853–1896), taught the first classes in the history of music and the theory of sound. John M. Moore, a Dallas Methodist bishop and teacher of mathematics and engineering courses, taught the classes in voice culture and harmony. Mrs. Eliza Jane McKissack was also a teacher of music and may have served as the director of the music conservatory.
- 1941 — The National Association of Schools of MusicNational Association of Schools of MusicThe National Association of Schools of Music is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music...
approved graduate studies in music at North Texas - 1950 — The School of Music began offering its first degrees leading to a Doctor of Philosophy in the areas of musicologyMusicologyMusicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
, composition, and theoryMusic theoryMusic theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
. - 1995 — The School of Music restructured itself as a "college of music," reflecting nearly 60 years of size and breadth of many disciplines in the music arts. The school leadership had long contemplated restructuring as a conservatory, but felt that a well-functioning college model, tailored specifically for North Texas, gave the entire university latitude to exploit the best of several models that included academic research, performance, composition, training music educators and music school administrators, and other areas – and it preserved a streamline of cross-discipline of all areas within the College of Music and within the University. The College of Music has enjoyed close collaboration with other Colleges within the University (e.g., English faculty and students collaborating with composers, physics faculty and students collaborating with several divisions in areas that included musical acoustics, electronic music). Despite the high caliber of student musicianship and seriousness of all the programs, the College of Music is accessible in many areas to non-music majors.