Messages From the Director
Corey McKern, interim director of the Dr. Grier Williams School of Music, offers messages on behalf of the Dr. Grier Williams School of Music.
Welcome! Thank you for your interest in the Dr. Grier Williams School of Music at the University of West Florida. The Williams School was established in 2020 after receiving the largest cash gift in the history of the University of West Florida. Students in the school of music and members of the Argo Athletic Band now benefit from an endowed scholarship fund in excess of $7 million. This transformative gift has created a new landscape of opportunity for our school, leading to unprecedented growth and innovation across our music curriculum. At UWF, you will have the opportunity to work with outstanding and internationally recognized performers, composers, scholars, and researchers, who are dedicated to helping our students achieve success in their chosen fields of general music, music performance and music education.
As an undergraduate-only program, we are able to ensure that our music students receive an individualized, engaging quality education. We are committed to providing each student with a variety of vibrant performing opportunities whether in the solo recital setting, large or small ensemble settings, or in the classroom. We benefit from dynamic partnerships with all of the exceptional arts organizations in our historic Pensacola community which include our symphony, opera company, art museum, children’s chorus, ballet company and community theater. Our department offers students an array of experiential and high impact practice opportunities which include international travel and research as part of the Irish Experience Study Abroad Program. Through these dynamic relationships and opportunities, the Williams School develops well-rounded graduates who are creative, critical thinkers. Our graduates demonstrate the 21st Century skills necessary to succeed in today’s workplace.
If you haven’t done so already, please contact us and schedule an audition. We are eager to meet you and to hear you perform. At UWF, the Williams School is an innovative, diverse place to study music and to grow. Come be a part of the excitement!
