The U of A is home to the only Master of Music degree in Black sacred music in the United States, and the first program of its kind in the world. Created in 2023 along with the Arkansas Center for Black Music, the program and center are led by Grammy Award-winning educator Jeffrey Allen Murdock, who also serves as the U of A’s director of choral activities, a professor of music and conductor of the university’s renowned Inspirational Chorale.

“For us to have a true representation of what music is in America, it’s important to study Black sacred music,” says Reginald James, a 2025 degree candidate for the program.

In the newest Short Takes episode, “The Heart & Soul of Music,” Murdock and James, along with program director Jake Hertzog and fellow student Cynthia Haley, explain what makes the degree unique and how it’s enhancing the work of the next generation of educators, artists and practitioners.

“If you are a minister of music in the church or a musician in the church, this now adds a layer of authority to what you’re doing and creates space for upward mobility,” Murdock says. “It also opens doors for positions in larger churches, larger music ministries – opportunities to do this at a professional level.”

The Master of Music in Black sacred music is a three-year, summers-only program housed within the Department of Music. Program participants receive interdisciplinary training and significant internship opportunities consistent with the work experiences associated with Black sacred music spaces and related industries. The program prepares students for top careers in Black sacred music and for music study at the doctoral level.

The Arkansas Center for Black Music and the M.M. in Black sacred music were created with a gift from the Alice L. Walton Foundation to provide start-up costs for the center and degree, including recruiting and retaining top teaching talent and prospective students. The first cohort of students will graduate from the program in December 2025.

Watch “The Heart & Soul of Music” to be inspired by this music and learn more about the degree. For additional Short Takes videos, visit shorttakes.uark.edu.

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About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.