Special Programs
World Music Center
Recently, the College of Creative Arts established a center for the learning of various musical styles from around the world. The philosophy behind the World Music Center is to help students gain a better understanding of people and traditions that are different from our own Western culture.
The Center seeks to provide a home for the study of music from the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia, as well as thevarious Hispanic traditions present in Latin America. Bringing in experts from around the world to work with WVU students is also a vital part of the World Music experience.
Asian Ensembles
Three years ago, the university obtained two large gamelans from Indonesia, one from Java and one from Bali. These instruments were specifically made for West Virginia University. The Division of Music also has several other instruments from China and Japan. In 1995, the World Music Center premiered the WVU Taiko Ensemble featuring Japanese folk drumming.
African Ensembles
WVU houses the nation's largest collection of African musical instruments. Many of these instruments were collected for WVU by Philip Faini on his first trip to Africa in 1968. Today, students can experience a collection of authentic instruments that come from both East and West Africa. The ensembles perform a range of African traditional, westernized, and popular music.
Community Music Program
The WVU Community Music Program offers music classes, lessons, and ensembles for ages 3 to adult. With more than 500 students, this program provides a variety of teaching opportunities to more than 80 teachers, made up of music faculty, music students, and community members.
More info about the Community Music Program
