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William Paterson University is accredited by National Association of Schools of Music
Our outstanding Department of Music prepares you for careers in classical performance, jazz performance and composition, sound engineering arts, music education, music and entertainment industries, and popular music. Our music students work directly with world-renowned faculty who are also in-demand performers. They benefit from exceptional student performance opportunities with ensembles, both on campus and throughout the New York metropolitan area. They also gain hands-on experience in our state-of-the-art music production and recording studios.
WP Music welcomes students who may have suffered from recent collegiate program closures and we are committed to helping them finish their degrees in music. We are one of the most stylistically diverse programs in the nation, with many options for aspiring performers, composers, educators, sound engineers, and music businesspersons. We are happy to facilitate transferring to WP. Please click Apply/Audition and reach out to our Chairperson Dr. Payton MacDonald and Director of Music Admissions Skyler Hagner.
Alumni in arts, humanities, and social sciences are employed or in graduate school within 6 months after graduation
Average starting salaries in Music (NACE)
Noteworthy Music Jobs and Mid-Career Salaries with 8+ Years of Experience (PayScale)
Billboard Magazine, the top trade magazine for the music industry, has listed William Paterson University in New Jersey as having one of the top music business programs in the country.
View academic program requirements and course descriptions in the University Course Catalog:
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The music education program is designed to provide future music educators with a solid basis for professional success as a teacher through courses in performance, theory, music history, music education, education, and liberal studies.
This program, for students who possess both exceptional performance abilities and aspirations, demands an intense commitment to both music practice and academics.
The jazz studies program is unique among college programs, offering an emphasis on small-group playing and a genuine commitment to the jazz tradition. One of the nation's five longest-running jazz degree programs, its faculty are all top New York professionals. Students currently come to the jazz program from 23 US states and six foreign countries.
The music major at William Paterson University offers a platform for surveying the professional musical landscape. Students learn about all areas of the music world: performance, business, education and technology while interacting with students and professionals in those respective areas.
This program is for students whose primary instrument is the laptop or computer or other digital and electronic machines. The BA DMC is centered around creativity and composition within the realm of digital music, including EDM, Hip-Hop, and other genres where beats and digital music are the focus. Students will also explore elements of audio production. A minor in music business is an option for students who want more business knowledge and career opportunities.
The bachelor of arts with popular music emphasis examines contemporary popular music from a global perspective and through the study of social media and songwriting.
The William Paterson University Sound Engineering Arts program offers students the essential combination of the technical, theoretical, practical and musical areas of the audio arts. More Info »
This minor is for students interested in recording, producing, arranging, mixing and mastering music; using the laptop as a complete production tool. The two main courses - Digital Music Creation I and II - will step the student through the process of creating a complete and compelling musical production beginning with the very basics of digital audio workstations and ending with a completed album in collaboration with other musical creators.
Led by an experienced faculty, the minor in Music & Entertainment Industries program is structured to provide the background you need to secure a career in the music and entertainment business.
The musical studies minor at William Paterson University offers a platform for surveying the professional musical landscape including performance, business, education and technology.
The jazz studies concentration offers a comprehensive experience in enhanced small jazz ensemble, solo performance, and arranging/composition and the potential for high-level, primary source research and writing only available in the New York area. More Info »
The music education concentration allows students to enhance teaching skills, bring performance skills to a higher level, and gain greater personal insight into the field of music education. More Info »
This 12-credit certificate program for practicing music educators whose specialty is not jazz consists of 3 courses and a semester of applied lessons. It can be completed in one year and can be stacked with other courses to complete a Master of Music. More Info »
This 16-credit certificate program for classical musicians who have completed college and wish to hone their performance skills consists of 2 semesters of applied lessons, ensembles, and electives, and culminates in a certificate recital. It can be completed in one year and can be stacked with other courses to complete a Master of Music. More Info »
This 16-credit certificate program for jazz musicians who have completed college and wish to hone their performance skills consists of 2 semesters of applied lessons, ensembles, and electives, and culminates in a certificate recital. It can be completed in one year and can be stacked with other courses to complete a Master of Music. More Info »
In our music programs, students learn in-demand skills that employers have identified as critical for job candidates, including:
Graduates with the BM degree pursue careers as classical performers and composers; jazz performers, composers, and arrangers; singer/songwriters, sound engineers, music teachers, and music licensing and music marketing professionals, among others. Opportunities for those with the BA in music studies include performer, producer, music booking agent, music editor, music critic, and other positions in the legal areas of the music and entertainment industry. The BA with a popular music emphasis can lead to a career as a professional performer, singer/songwriter, music producer, promotions director, or music composer for social media or video games.
And we're ready to help you grow. At William Paterson, we provide students with the skills, knowledge, and experience they need to forge forward as a powerhouse—both in the classroom and in their careers. Apply today to discover your potential.
Bill Charlap, internationally acclaimed pianist and director of William Paterson University’s Jazz Studies program, has been nominated for a 2026 Grammy Award for his 2025 album with vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater. The album, Elemental, is up for the Grammy in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category.
This marks Charlap’s fifth Grammy nomination. He won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for his collaboration with the late Tony Bennett, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. He was previously nominated for his recordings with the Bill Charlap Trio: Uptown, Downtown, Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein, and The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard.
“Playing and recording with the great Dee Dee Bridgewater is a joy and a blessing. It is gratifying to be recognized by your peers and by the industry, but even more important to me is how this nomination brings attention to our community, students, professors and administration at William Paterson,” says Charlap. “I’m deeply proud to be a part of the historic and internationally renowned Jazz Studies Program at William Paterson University.”
“We are so proud of Bill Charlap and thrilled to see his artistry recognized once again,” says Wartyna Davis, dean of the University’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “Bill’s musicianship is an inspiration and a wonderful reminder of the world-class talent that shapes and enriches our Jazz Studies Program. We are so blessed to have this incredible musician as a part of our University community.”
Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Wynton Marsalis, Gerry Mulligan, Ron Carter, Freddy Cole, and Houston Person. For the past 30 years, the Bill Charlap Trio has been recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz.
He joined William Paterson University in 2015 as director of its internationally known Jazz Studies Program, now in its 52nd year. As director, he directs several of the program’s 24 small jazz groups, hosts the program’s dialogue days that feature peer and faculty critiques of student performances, and presents numerous concerts, including a recent performance with the WP Jazz Orchestra at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Charlap tours all over the world, and his annual New York engagements include appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Village Vanguard. From 2004 through 2023, he was artistic director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival at 92NY. He has produced concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Chicago Symphony Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. Among the honorees at 92NY’s 2025 gala, he received Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2024 Award for Artistic Excellence.
