The Department of Music in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences recruits some of the brightest and most talented musicians throughout Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

Each year, students come to Fayetteville for auditions, which grant accepted students into the music program at the University of Arkansas. This year, a handful of faculty members will travel to southern and eastern Arkansas to recruit and audition students in their own neck of the woods.

The tour will visit El Dorado, Stuttgart, and West Memphis — music students from all surrounding areas are welcome to attend.

"Coming to Fayetteville can be time and cost prohibitive for students and their families," said Ronda Mains, chair of the Department of Music. "For some students, this tour will give them the chance to audition with our faculty regardless of ability to travel to Northwest Arkansas."

The tour will visit three cities for informational sessions, faculty performances, and auditions for prospective music majors.

Any student interested in learning about the music program or ensembles at the University of Arkansas is welcome to attend. High school seniors who want to audition as music majors should fill out an application at Fulbright.uark.edu/musicapp.

Music Bus Tour informational sites:

• Thursday, Jan. 9, El Dorado — El Dorado High School starting at 1 p.m.
• Friday, Jan. 10, Stuttgart — Grand Prairie Center (PCCUA campus) starting at 9 a.m.
• Saturday, Jan. 11, West Memphis — West Memphis High School starting at 9 a.m.

Faculty will also give performances in Star City at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, at the High School Auditorium and at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, in Cherry Valley at Cross County High School.

With these five stops, the Department of Music will also complete four more county visits in its Music75 initiative to visit all 75 Arkansas counties by the end of 2020.

The music tour, based on Chancellor Joe Steinmetz' faculty bus tour, was coordinated by Jeffrey Murdock, assistant professor of music dducation and director of the Inspirational Chorale.

Of the music tour, Murdock said, "Fulfilling the university's mission as a land-grant institution, this tour seeks out the best of Arkansas. The state is filled with amazing musicians and the faculty hope to show that the University of Arkansas is the right fit for them to find their college home."

Anyone interested in more information about the tour or the Department of Music may contact director of admissions Justin R. Hunter at jrhunte@uark.edu.