UA School of Music Receives Reaccreditation

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The School of Music at The University of Alabama has received reaccreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music.

According to their Action Report, the National Association of Schools of Music’s Commission on Accreditation recently voted to continue the UA music degree and program listings in good standing through the 2012-2013 academic year.

“UA has one of the finest music schools in the Southeast and has a long and strong reputation,” said Dr. Robert F. Olin, dean of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences. “I am delighted that the accrediting commission recognizes that quality.”

“A ten year reaccreditation demonstrates that UA has an excellent School of Music,” said Dr. Charles G. Snead, director of the School of Music. “We offer programs that have been carefully evaluated and are in-line with national standards.

“Accreditation is important when it comes to meeting the University’s goal of growing student enrollment. Undergraduate and graduate students are interested in a fully accredited comprehensive school in line with other National Association of Schools of Music approved programs. This provides them the assurance that they are receiving a strong and competitive education. It is also an important aspect of attracting and maintaining a quality faculty,” said Snead.

The School of Music has been accredited since 1945, and Snead has been with the University for 17 years, yet reaccreditation was the first major task he took on after being named director of the School of Music in April 2004.

“A detailed reaccreditation response was in answer to a very expansive on-site study that allowed us to analyze what we were doing well and where we could become better,” said Snead. “The study proved to be a valuable tool that we will use to give us vision for the future.”

As a member of the National Association of Schools of Music, the University is responsible for participating in all revisions and additions to the standards as well as keeping its curricular programs in music current with the association’s developing standards.

The School of Music serves 300 students who are majoring in music and has 35 full-time faculty members. Graduate and undergraduate programs are offered in performance, education, composition, theory, history, therapy and jazz studies.

The School of Music occupies the Frank Moody Music Building, which opened in 1987 and provides a spacious and beautiful environment in which to study and perform. The centerpiece of the building is the 1,000-seat Concert Hall with its Holtkamp organ, standing three stories high with four manuals, 65 stops, and more than 5,000 pipes. The Moody Music Building is recognized as one of the state’s most important cultural facilities.

The College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state with 6,600 students and 360 faculty. Students from the college have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships, and memberships on the “USA Today” Academic All American Team.