Music Performers Certificate

Unlock your potential as a performer with our graduate-level music performance certificate. Tailored to your passion and designed for post-baccalaureate or MM degree holders, our program offers diverse study options and guidance from esteemed faculty.

Our music performance certificate program is the perfect fit for passionate musicians like you seeking advanced study opportunities. With the flexibility to focus on any area of performance, you’ll receive personalized guidance from our studio faculty who are passionate about performance. Whether you want to refine your chamber music skills, prepare for auditions or pursue graduate-level study, our program empowers you to excel. Join our vibrant musical community and unleash your artistic potential.

Program Type

Graduate Certificate

Program Format

On Campus

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What it’s like to be a student at Peck School of the Arts

When you study music at the UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts, you’ll join a supportive and collaborative community of artists. You’ll have access to state-of-the-art facilities, including performance venues, practice rooms and recording studios. In addition to performing as soloists and in ensembles, students are provided with many opportunities to attend concerts, master classes and workshop. Through our strong partnerships with performance organizations in Milwaukee and the surrounding region, you’ll expand your horizons and your professional network along the way. 

But don’t take our word for it. See for yourself what it is like to be a student here by scheduling a personalized tour with one of our graduate program coordinators.

Music-Performers-Certificate-SLIDER

Program Details

Our curriculum for the music performance certificate is designed to provide a comprehensive and tailored musical education. With a focus on advanced performance study, you’ll take part in studio lessons, large ensemble participation and specialized coursework. Explore various performance areas, receive mentorship from accomplished faculty and expand your repertoire.

Whether you’re pursuing the certificate as a post-baccalaureate or after completing the MM degree, our curriculum will elevate your musical skills and open doors to new opportunities.

View the Music Performance, Graduate Certificate requirements.

Entrance Auditions/Interviews & Admission

Peck School of the Arts undergraduate and graduate programs may require additional steps to enter. For most dance, music and theatre programs, applicants must first be accepted to UWM, apply to Peck School of the Arts and complete entrance requirements such as an audition and/or interview.

Studios & Ensembles

Our studios and ensembles are led by our renowned artist faculty who have active professional careers. Studios and ensembles are structured to offer a wide variety of training and performance opportunities for musicians of various abilities. Whatever your level of skill and interest, you’ll benefit from our studios and ensembles.

Music Performances

With a season packed with music concerts, you’ll have many opportunities to put your hard work on display for live audiences in our performance venues. You can also support your fellow musicians by attending their performances and broaden your musical horizons through limited engagements from visiting artists and touring acts. Learn more about venues and performing arts events.

Student Recitals

Peck School of the Arts music students take the stage in solo and group student recitals throughout the school year. Students showcase musical technique and skill, while audience members enjoy exceptional performances by Milwaukee’s emerging musicians.

Internships & Opportunities

Located within the cultural capital of Wisconsin, students regularly perform professionally both as soloists and chamber musicians in the greater Milwaukee community while earning their degree. See where your education can take you. Learn more about internships and opportunities.

Student Organizations & Clubs

Meet like-minded people in a wide variety of student organizations and clubs who inspire creativity and will support your aspirations. Collaborate and create, network with professional artists, and deepen your connection with faculty, mentors and fellow students outside of the classroom.

Study Abroad

We believe that a complete education in the arts should take you beyond the classroom and the local community. By studying abroad, you’ll gain more than a change of scenery. You’ll embark on a transformative educational experience and bring a global perspective to your field of study. Explore upcoming trips offered in partnership with the Center for International Education.

Alumni Stories in Music

  • Chamber music festival in France featured four PSOA alumni who are also siblings 

    A harmonious blend of culture, heritage, and music painted the Loire Valley during the second annual Musiques et Vignes en Confluence, a chamber music festival in central France. Bernard Zinck (Associate Professor of Violin and Area Head of Strings and String Pedagogy) created the Musiques et Vignes en Confluence in …
  • UWM Student Kathryn Henry Singing In Met Opera Audition Finals

    Kathryn Henry confessed she felt "so many butterflies" when she walked on the Metropolitan Opera stage Sunday morning in New York. But that was just a quick look-see for Henry and other semifinalists in the national Met Auditions competition. When she returned later that day to sing, the University of …

Careers in Music

  • Accompanist 
  • Acoustic Engineer 
  • Arranger
  • Artist Management 
  • Arts Administrator
  • Audio Software Designer & Programmer
  • Audio/Visual Technician 
  • Broadcast Engineer 
  • Chamber Musician 
  • Clinician
  • Consultant 
  • Collaborative Pianist
  • Community Arts Organizer 
  • Composer
  • Concert Production/Promotion 
  • Conductor (Band, Choral, Orchestral) 
  • Curator
  • Diction Coach
  • Early Music Performer 
  • Editor
  • Educator/Education Director 
  • Ensemble Administration 
  • Entertainer 
  • Ethnomusicologist
  • Event Manager
  • Film/Television/Theatre/Gaming Composer
  • Foley Artist
  • Folk Music Performer 
  • Instrumental Performer
  • Instrument Building/Repairing/Restoration
  • Jazz Performer 
  • Licensing Administrator 
  • Luthier
  • Managing Director 
  • Mastering Engineer 
  • Media Developer
  • Military Bands/Orchestras
  • Music Cognition (Science & Medicine)
  • Music Critic/Journalist/Blogger
  • Music Historian
  • Music Librarian
  • Music Publicist
  • Music Store Owner 
  • Music Supervisor 
  • Music Therapist 
  • Music Theorist 
  • Musical Theatre Artist 
  • Musicologist 
  • Multimedia Artist 
  • Opera Performer
  • Opera Dramaturg
  • Opera Management 
  • Opera Prompter 
  • Orchestral Musician
  • Outreach & Educational Programming 
  • Peace Corps (Teaching Music Abroad) 
  • Piano Tuner/Technician
  • Pit Musician
  • Private Studio Teacher 
  • Producer
  • Publisher
  • Radio Manager/Broadcasting 
  • Recitalist
  • Recording Artist
  • Record Label Executive 
  • Singer/Vocalist 
  • Songwriter/Lyricist
  • Sound Designer/Engineer 
  • Sound Technician
  • Stage Manager 
  • Suzuki Instructor 
  • Studio Musician 
  • Talent Agent/Director
  • Vocal Coach 
  • Voice Therapist

Program Faculty

Which faculty you have within this program is dependent upon your chosen courses or interests. For a list of all Music faculty and staff please follow the link below.


Elena Abend Headshot
  • Teaching Professor, Piano
  • Area Head, Piano
  • Chamber Music Coach
Aaron Agulay HEADSHOT
  • Assistant Professor, Voice
  • Area Head, Voice & Opera
John Babbitt Headshot
  • Lecturer, Double Bass
David Bayles Headshot
  • Lecturer, Drum Set
  • Director, Jazz Combos & Ensembles, Afro-Caribbean Orchestra
  • Chamber Music Coach
Peter  Billmann
  • Lecturer, Jazz Guitar
Johanna Brahm Headshot
  • Lecturer, Piano
Colleen Brooks Headshot
  • Teaching Faculty II, Voice & Opera Theatre
Elina Chekan Headshot
  • Lecturer, Classical Guitar
  • Director, Suzuki Guitar
Jennifer Clippert Headshot
  • Associate Professor, Flute
  • Area Head, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion
  • Director, Flute Ensemble
  • Graduate Program Representative, Music
Zack Durlam Headshot
  • Associate Professor, Choral Conducting
  • Director, Choral Activities, Concert Chorale, Kameraden
Sheila J Feay-Shaw HEADSHOT
  • Professor, Music Education
  • Area Head, Music Education
Greg Flint Headshot
  • Associate Professor, Horn
  • Director, Horn Choir
  • Chamber Music Coach
Thomas Gamboa HEADSHOT
  • Assistant Professor, Instrumental Conducting
  • Director, Wind Ensemble, New Music Ensemble, University Community Band
Kevin Hartman Headshot
  • Interim Dean, College of the Arts & Architecture
  • Professor, Trumpet
Joe Hauer Headshot
  • Pianist, Voice & Opera
Mark Hoelscher Headshot
  • Adjunct Professor, Trombone & Euphonium
  • Chamber Music Coach
David Hoffman Headshot
  • Teaching Faculty II, Voice
  • Voice Liaison, Musical Theatre
Jennifer Hutton Headshot
  • Assistant Professor, Choral Music Education
  • Director, Bella Voce
Rene Izquierdo Headshot
  • Professor, Classical Guitar
  • Area Head, Guitar
  • Director, Guitar Ensemble
  • Chamber Music Coach
Stefan Kartman Headshot
  • Professor, Cello & String Pedagogy
  • Area Head, String Pedagogy
Jun Kim Headshot
  • Associate Professor, Instrumental Conducting
  • Director, Orchestral Activities, Symphony Orchestra, University Community Orchestra
Matthew Koester Headshot
  • Lecturer, Saxophone
Claudia Lasareff Mironoff Headshot
  • Adjunct Professor, Viola
Todd Levy Headshot
  • Adjunct Professor, Clarinet
Peggy Otwell Headshot
  • Teaching Faculty I, Piano, Piano Pedagogy
Shallece Peters HEADSHOT
  • Lecturer, Voice
Chris Riggs HEADSHOT
  • Adjunct Associate Professor, Percussion
Gillian Rodger HEADSHOT
  • Professor, Musicology & Ethnomusicology
  • Chair, Department of Music
Nicki Roman Headshot
  • Associate Professor, Saxophone
  • Director, Saxophone Ensemble
  • Chamber Music Coach
Wendy Rowe Headshot
  • Lecturer, Voice
  • Director, Popular Music Ensemble
Phillip Sink Headshot
  • Associate Professor, Composition & Technology
  • Area Head, Composition & Technology
Don Sipe Headshot
  • Adjunct Professor, Trumpet
Tim Sterner Miller Headshot
  • Teaching Professor, Musicology & Ethnomusicology
  • Area Head, Music History & Literature
  • Director, Early Music Ensemble
Katherine Turner Headshot
  • Lecturer, Piano
Catherine Van Handel Headshot
  • Adjunct Professor, Bassoon
Vanessa Weber HEADSHOT
  • Lecturer, Voice
Alex Wier Headshot
  • Assistant Professor, Percussion
  • Area Head, Percussion
  • Director, Percussion Ensemble, Steel PANthers Steel Band, Marimba Band
  • Co-Director, Community World Music Ensemble
Katherine Young Steele Headshot
  • Adjunct Professor, Oboe
Bernard Zinck HEADSHOT
  • Associate Professor, Violin
  • Area Head, Strings and String Pedagogy
  • Coordinator, Chamber Music
Accreditation
The Department of Music has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music since 1964.
Important Dates
Music

Undergraduate Entrance Auditions
Music BA/BFA enrollment for Spring & Fall 2025.

December 6, 2024
February 7, 2025
February 17, 2025
March 7, 2025
April 4, 2025

Graduate Applications
Fall: March 1 | Spring: December 1
Applications submitted after these dates will be reviewed on a rolling basis and may not be processed in time for the intended semester. 
Contact
Music
Undergraduate Programs
Kay Speidel, music-admission@uwm.edu

Graduate Programs
Tim Noonan, music-grad-admission@uwm.edu

General Info & Questions
Contact Form | 414-229-4763