The University Band is comprised of outstanding student musicians from all schools and departments within the university. Featuring works from all genres of the wind band repertoire, this ensemble performs regularly throughout the academic year. Performances are often shared with the Symphonic Band and area public school bands.Participation in the University Band offers MU students an ideal opportunity to remain involved in music performance throughout their college career, despite their busy academic schedules. The University Band is conducted by Dr. Christian M. Noon ( Symphonic Band is one of the highest quality performing organizations on campus. It is comprised of accomplished wind and percussion players and performs a traditional repertoire of wind band literature. The Symphonic Band has represented MU with performances at state, regional and national professional music conferences and conventions. The Symphonic Band gives two performances each semester, and is conducted by Dr. Amy M. Knopps (

The University of Missouri Percussion Studio houses several award-winning ensembles. The University Percussion Ensemble is a versatile ensemble that performs both contemporary and historical percussion works in large and small settings. The ensemble regularly commissions new music and performs works by Mizzou student/faculty composers and guest composers through the Mizzou New Music Initiative. The World Percussion Ensemble studies and performs music from Zimbabwe, Ghana, Guinea, Latin America, and the Caribbean region. They have recently studied with master musicians such asMusekiwaChingodza, PatienceMunjeri,SenyDaffe, and Tom Miller at home in Columbia, and theAgbeliandWomafamilies abroad in Ghana.Both ensembles consist of undergraduate and graduate percussion majors at the University of Missouri – Columbia. In recent years, the ensemble has been a featured ensemble at the 2018 Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), the 2018 Mid-Missouri Percussive Arts Trophy (MMPAT), the 2018 Missouri Music Educators' Association Conference (MMEA), and the 2014 Midwest Clinic in Chicago.

MU Student Composer World Premieres Dominick DeStefano Mon Ieong Cheok Kai Aiden SpavalePERFORMERTAK Ensemble ( is a world-renowned new music ensemble, delivering energetic performances "that combine crystalline clarity with the disorienting turbulence of a sonic vortex" (The WIRE), and that "impresses with the organicity of their sound, their dynamism and virtuosity" (New Sounds, WQXR).  TAK is a mixed-quintet comprised of flute, clarinet, violin, percussion, and voice, committed to musical exploration and experimentation, and dedicated to commissioning new works and direct collaboration with composers and other artists. They have premiered hundreds of works to date since the ensemble's founding in 2013.

Dr. Megan Murph is the Director of the Budds Center for American Music Studies and a musicologist at the University of Missouri. Her research explores the life and career of experimental percussionist and sound artist Max Neuhaus, as well as broader questions about how sound and environment are experienced through American music and sound art. As the Director of the Budds Center, Murph organizes programs focused on American and Missouri music, oversees publications and recording projects, maintains the Center's collections and archives, and manages the endowment and grant application process. Her teaching areas include Music of the United States, Missouri Music, Approaches to Ecomusicology, Women in Music, Global Popular Music Traditions, African American Music, Graduate Research Methods in Music, and Mindfulness for Musicians. Murph is a faculty member of the "Hearing Place" faculty research group (2025-2027) via the Center for Humanities at the University of Missouri, where she also co-facilitates the "Mindfulness in Teaching" Community of Practice at the university's Teaching for Learning Center. She has presented research at national and international conferences, including the American Musicological Society (AMS), the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), the Society for American Music (SAM), and the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM). She currently serves as Associate Conference Manager for the Society for American Music and has held numerous leadership roles, including co-chair of the AMS Ecomusicology Study Group (2020–2022), co-chair of the SAM Experimental Music Interest Group (2017–2019), and virtual conference manager for AMS–Midwest (2022, 2024). Murph earned her Ph.D. in Musicology and Ethnomusicology from the University of Kentucky, her M.M. from Louisiana State University, and her B.A. from Brevard College.

The Symphonic Band is one of the highest quality performing organizations on campus. It is comprised of accomplished wind and percussion players and performs a traditional repertoire of wind band literature. The Symphonic Band has represented MU with performances at state, regional and national professional music conferences and conventions. The Symphonic Band gives two performances each semester, and is conducted by Dr. Amy M. Knopps ( University Band is comprised of outstanding student musicians from all schools and departments within the university. Featuring works from all genres of the wind band repertoire, this ensemble performs regularly throughout the academic year. Performances are often shared with the Symphonic Band and area public school bands.Participation in the University Band offers MU students an ideal opportunity to remain involved in music performance throughout their college career, despite their busy academic schedules. The University Band is conducted by Dr. Christian M. Noon (

The Wind Ensemble incorporates the finest woodwind, brass and percussion performers on campus. This select ensemble offers one-per-part playing in a flexible setting and performs the highest quality wind band literature. High expectations for individual musicianship and advanced technical attainment make membership in the Wind Ensemble a challenging and rewarding experience. Membership is through competitive auditions held each semester. Recent guests of the Wind Ensemble have include renowned wind band composers John Mackey, Steve Bryant, David Maslanka, Michael Markowski, Ryan George, and Aaron Perrine. The Wind Ensemble has recently toured China, Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic, and has made several appearances at state, regional, and national music conferences. The Wind Ensemble gives two performances each semester and is conducted by Dr. Brian A. Silvey (

Details On All-Juniors Honor Band Happening February 14-15, 2027Nominations open in December. Each year, MU Bands hosts the All-Juniors Honor Band, an immersive on-campus experience for talented junior students from across the state of Missouri. For more information, visit music.missouri.edu/all-juniors-honor-band (  About the MU Wind Ensemble The Wind Ensemble incorporates the finest woodwind, brass and percussion performers on campus. This select ensemble offers one-per-part playing in a flexible setting and performs the highest quality wind band literature. High expectations for individual musicianship and advanced technical attainment make membership in the Wind Ensemble a challenging and rewarding experience. Membership is through competitive auditions held each semester. Recent guests of the Wind Ensemble have include renowned wind band composers John Mackey, Steve Bryant, David Maslanka, Michael Markowski, Ryan George, and Aaron Perrine. The Wind Ensemble has recently toured China, Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic, and has made several appearances at state, regional, and national music conferences. The Wind Ensemble gives two performances each semester and is conducted by Dr. Brian A. Silvey (

The University Band is comprised of outstanding student musicians from all schools and departments within the university. Featuring works from all genres of the wind band repertoire, this ensemble performs regularly throughout the academic year. Performances are often shared with the Symphonic Band and area public school bands.Participation in the University Band offers MU students an ideal opportunity to remain involved in music performance throughout their college career, despite their busy academic schedules. The University Band is conducted by Dr. Christian M. Noon ( Symphonic Band is one of the highest quality performing organizations on campus. It is comprised of accomplished wind and percussion players and performs a traditional repertoire of wind band literature. The Symphonic Band has represented MU with performances at state, regional and national professional music conferences and conventions. The Symphonic Band gives two performances each semester, and is conducted by Dr. Amy M. Knopps (

The PAS Percussion Ensemble Competition & Festival features guest adjudicators, clinics, performances by area high schools, and concludes with a special awards ceremony.*More details on PECAF 2027 coming soon

The World Percussion Ensemble (WPE) began in 1997 as the Latin Percussion Ensemble and expanded as the students' interests in different world music styles increased. It currently consists of Tiger Pans (Caribbean Steel Band), theChiyedzaMbira Ensemble (Zimbabwe), and the West African Ensemble (drumming, dancing, and singing from Ghana). WPE frequently collaborates with specialists in these areas with recent guests includingNaniAgbeli,MusekiwaChingodza,FradreckMujuru, and Tom Miller. The group performs two concerts per year on campus, in addition to a variety of performances in public schools and in the community. In 2018, theChiyedzaMbira Ensemble was selected through competitive application to perform a Showcase Concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis with special guestMusekiwaChingodza.  The WPE is directed by Dr. MeganArns.