All are respected in their discipline on campus and in other professional settings. The faculty of the Music Department are talented musicians and excellent instructors. John Packard, Professor of Music and Department Chair
Many are employed as music educators, worship leaders, professors, choir directors, sound engineers, and more! Our graduates can be found in places such as Kenya, Hawaii, Indonesia, London and Australia.
The Harry C and Nee-Chang Wong Audiovisual Center of the University library houses collections of Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific music, a large collection of phonodiscs, CDs, tapes and other audio and visual equipment and materials, as well as extensive collections of ethnic instruments from around the world. Wind Band and Choral tracks are available and run concurrently. The music program includes a University of Hawaii Conductor’s Workshop - a biennial, 5-day workshop for conductors to train with live ensembles and master teachers. The ethnomusicology program has a particular emphasis in Asian, Pacific and American musics. Additionally the department houses the Barbara B Smith Ethnomusicology Wing that is noted for its teaching and performance in multi-ethnic musical traditions, with ensembles such as gamelan, koto, gagaku, Tahitian, hula and chant, slack key guitar, Hawaiian music, Hawaiian chorus and Samoan. There are strong ties to the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, the Hawai’i Opera Theatre and the Diamond Head Theatre. The music department is a unique blend of solid Western music tradition with the mix of Pacific region influence and world music heritage. There are ten campuses spread across six of the Hawaiian islands. It is the flagship campus of the University of Hawai'i system. A state-supported university founded in 1907 and gainedd its current name and status in 1972.