Community and partners

Music programs and workshops for students

In addition to offering a strong academic program, our faculty is a leader in music education for all ages, whether for personal enjoyment or professional development.

A faculty of music student plays the piano.

Prep Studies - Community music lessons

We work to foster a love of music. The Prep Studies Division at the Desautels Faculty of Music offers private music lessons for all ages and instruments, group classes, early childhood music classes, theory instruction and an enrichment program for gifted young students. Discover a program that’s right for you.

Student musicians play clarinet in concert.

Upper Woodwind Day

This free, half-day workshop is designed for high school upper woodwind instrument musicians. Desautels Faculty of Music professors, instructors and esteemed special guests guide students through a day of workshops, masterclasses and small-group breakout sessions to help them improve their craft.

A composer's hands adjust sound level sliders on a soundboard.

Composition Workshop

Do you write music? Join the Desautels Faculty of Music's composition professors as they lead aspiring composers through a free, day-long workshop that introduces them to important concepts in music composition and shows them how to use the tools of the trade. Students will leave this workshop with a recorded piece for their portfolio!

A performance by the University of Manitoba Desautels Faculty of Music Jazz Orchestra.

The Youth Jazz Collective

The Youth Jazz Collective is a jazz band comprised of high school students from across Winnipeg, with a focus on introducing students to learning and playing jazz. Held in the Desautels Faculty of Music's Jazz Ensembles Room, it meets Saturdays from mid-January to April. All high school students interested in jazz are welcome! Please contact Jon Gordon and/or Jon Challoner if you are interested in joining the Youth Jazz Collective!

A young woman wearing a crown and carrying a watering can sings opera.

Opera school tour

Each year the University of Manitoba Opera Theatre welcomes elementary school students to the Desautels Faculty of Music to experience the wonder of opera.

Professional developmental programs for musicians and music educators

A student saxophonist performs at a jazz ensembles concert.

Canadian Jazz Summit

The Desautels Faculty of Music hosts the Canadian Jazz Summit, a series of workshops and concerts for jazz students and professionals.

The workshops explore elements of jazz history, composition, conducting, and performance, and are led by masters in the field. Following the workshops, the presenters and musicians perform a concert exploring their work for attendees.

Two early childhood educators shake tambourines with toddlers.

Kodaly teacher education

Kodály-inspired music education is well known globally for its systematic approach to musicianship, beginning with hands-on activities and children’s folk materials and progressing through to advanced harmonic and historical concepts and musicianship.

Participants may complete the course for certification with the Kodály Society of Canada and/or receive university credit.

People seated on the floor playing xylophones.

Orff teacher certification program

The Orff approach is a child-centered philosophy of teaching music to children through doing, playing, exploring, improvising and creating, and combines elements of speech, rhythm, movement, song and dance to teach musical elements and provide children with tools to improvise and create. Teaching with the Orff approach provides opportunities for differentiated instruction, joyful music-making and creating a place for every child to grow as a musician and a person.

A musician plays electric guitar in concert

Micro-Certificate in Songmaking

The one-year Micro-Certificate in Songmaking gives musicians of popular genres the essential skills they need to write, record, produce, and promote their music, all while being mentored by notable industry professionals.

A conductor raises a baton to conduct a wind band.

Wind Band Teaching Workshop

The Desautels Faculty of Music Wind Band Teaching Workshop is designed for band directors of all levels and offers a conducting participant stream and observer stream. Participants in both streams attend all plenary sessions, conducting sessions, and discussions.

Registration and schedule details are now available for the 2024 Wind Band Teaching Workshop, taking place January 26-27, 2024.

Collaborative pianist Laura Loewen plays piano while a vocalist sings in the foreground.

Dream Big - Music Out of Bounds: A conference celebrating collaborative piano

Dream Big - Music Out of Bounds is a conference celebrating the important contributions of collaborative pianists. The conferences features masterclasses, talks, a concert, a reception, and a tour of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The 2024 Dream Big - Music Out of Bounds conference will take place on February 22 & 24, 2024. Conference details and registration will be available soon!

University music program preparation

A student practices the violin in a practice room.

Audition prep day

This free, annual workshop provides prospective music students with tips and skills to successfully audition for the Desautels Faculty of Music, or any other university-level music program.

A table top with 6 music related books, one of the books is open to see a spread of pages.

Music Theory Entrance Exam Preparation (TEEP)

The Desautels Faculty of Music's Preparatory Studies Department offers theory classes, which are an important part of musical development. These classes prepare all students for their practical exams and help prospective university-level music students with their written theory entrance exams.

Desautels Faculty of Music Recording Studio

Desautels recording studio

We invite outside groups and individuals to explore the recording production options we offer in the Desautels Faculty of Music's recording studio. The studio is a Pro Tools-based studio featuring the highest-quality equipment to accommodate even the most complex and creative recording demands.

Join us at our open house

Two students from the Desautels Faculty of Music perform together on stage, both are washed in a purple spotlight.

Desautels Faculty of Music Open House

Every fall we host an open house for Grade 11 and 12 students interested in post-secondary studies in music.

Students spend the day attending classes, rehearsals, and performances with our Desautels Faculty of Music students. They also have a chance to talk with our professors and students and play in an ensemble.

Learn more about this fun and informative day!

Performances and lectures

In a normal year, the Desautels Faculty of Music presents more than 200 performances that are open to the public. Whether you are interested in jazz, opera, classical, musical theatre, choral or new music, you will find our students and faculty performing a wide range of repertoire.

Find events

Alumni

Inspired and inspiring, our graduates are blazing new trails to excellence. Desautels alumni have achieved global recognition in every field of music. You will find them performing at the National Arts Centre, La Scala, Jazz at Lincoln Centre, Carnegie Hall, the Ravinia Festival, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) and the Banff Centre for Fine Arts. Their accomplishments inspire the hundreds of music students who attend our university every year.

Get in touch!
We love to hear from our past students

News and stories

Inspiring new spaces: The Taché Arts Project

Thanks to the support of our generous donors through the Taché Arts Project, music students at the University of Manitoba have access to a modern arts complex, filled with inspiring spaces where students can learn, create and collaborate.

The centrepiece of the project is Taché Hall, the university’s most iconic and historic building. This former student residence has been transformed into the hub and gathering space for studies in music, theatre and visual arts.

The century-old character of Taché Hall now intersects with the contemporary architecture of ARTlab and the sleek, light-filled atrium of the Taché Arts Complex. Music students now learn in some of the most modern and technologically advanced facilities at any university in Canada. This melding of historic and modern reflects the artistic traditions of the past and the pathway to innovations of the future.

The Taché Arts Project is truly the centre of culture on campus and a valuable asset for the community. Public funders and donors are helping to make these improvements possible.

The Desautels Concert Hall

The next phase of the Taché Arts Project is construction of the new Desautels Concert Hall, supported by a generous $2.5 million gift from Dr. Michael Nesbitt. This venue will be custom-designed for acoustic excellence and fully equipped to provide the best possible experience for both performers and audiences. The performance facility will be connected to the new music rehearsal and recording centre, as well as to the main campus residence.

Features will include professional-grade sound recording equipment, control booth, orchestra pit, and orchestra/choir staging area, box office, dressing rooms and green room. The concert hall will be equipped to mount a variety of live performing arts productions, both from within the university and from the broader Winnipeg arts community.

The Desautels Concert Hall is slated to open in the fall of 2024.

Learn more about our facilities

architectural rendering of the Desautels Concert Hall, a modern silver building with many windows

Giving to the Desautels Faculty of Music

We are grateful for the support of our many donors, who have made the Taché Arts Project possible and have provided financial support to 60 per cent of our students. If you are interested in joining our community of donors, your gift can be directed to the Taché Arts Project or a bursary or scholarship of your choice.

To learn more about the Taché Arts Project, scholarships and bursaries, and other opportunities to provide support, please contact:

Heather Laser
Director, Major Gifts
Heather.laser@umanitoba.ca

Contact us

Desautels Faculty of Music
Room 319, Taché Hall
150 Dafoe Road
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2 Canada

music@umanitoba.ca

204-474-9310

204-474-7546

Desautels Faculty of Music

University of Manitoba