Music and American Higher Education

The American cultural landscape is complex. This complexity is reflected on the campuses of colleges, conservatories, and universities through their curricula, faculty, libraries, performances, research, and teaching practices. The articles below, originally published by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and The College Music Society (CMS), analyze from both the faculty and institutional perspectives the conditions within music in higher education, how these conditions came to be, and what the future might hold.

We hope the ideas presented will serve as springboards for thought and activity on campuses and throughout the music field. We invite you to ponder with us the multiple roles of music in American life and how the higher education community can most effectively serve the musical development of our country in the years ahead.