Welcome to the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, School of Music. This is the leading institution of its kind in the English speaking Caribbean, and our programmes of study offer a variety of majors in both performance and music education. The faculty consists of highly qualified lecturers, who are well known professionals in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. We are dedicated to the development of our students as professionals in the areas of performance, teaching, composition and research. A fresh combination of Jazz, Jamaican authentic genres and a variety of international popular styles makes our Jazz and Popular Music programme an area of study that is in high demand. Folk music research is also an important part of our curriculum. We house two important archives of Jamaican Folk Music, which include the collections of Jamaica’s foremost ethnomusicologist, Dr. Olive Lewin and outstanding Jamaican musician Marjorie Whylie. I hope you will join us in the near future.
The School of Music was established by the Government in 1961, with a mandate of offering professional training in the performance and teaching of music, and to preserve and disseminate Jamaican Folk Music. Under the direction of Victor Burges and Vera Moody, the foundation of its academic programme was laid with the offering of practical and theoretical courses, and the formation of a Junior Department in 1964. By 1995, the School had expanded its curriculum to include Degree, Diploma and Certificate programmes. Today, the college offers a diversified programme in Performance and Teaching, Popular Music Studies, Instrumental and Vocal Teaching, Music Technology and Music Education, as well as an In- Service Programme in School and Community Music.
Welcome to the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, School of Music. This is the leading institution of its kind in the English speaking Caribbean, and our programmes of study offer a variety of majors in both performance and music education. The faculty consists of highly qualified lecturers, who are well known professionals in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. We are dedicated to the development of our students as professionals in the areas of performance, teaching, composition and research. A fresh combination of Jazz, Jamaican authentic genres and a variety of international popular styles makes our Jazz and Popular Music programme an area of study that is in high demand. Folk music research is also an important part of our curriculum. We house two important archives of Jamaican Folk Music, which include the collections of Jamaica’s foremost ethnomusicologist, Dr. Olive Lewin and outstanding Jamaican musician Marjorie Whylie. I hope you will join us in the near future.
