UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music - The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Explore our programs

WELCOME BACK TO THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC

WELCOME BACK TO THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC

The School of Music is excited to welcome new and returning students back to campus. This page includes COVID-19 policies specific to the School of Music, links to campus resources for learning, teaching and safeguarding our musical community this fall.

Please check back here regularly. We will update this page as new information becomes available.

Welcome Back to the School of Music

The allure of a Stradivarius is not hard to ...

146 4

The allure of a Stradivarius is not hard to document. They are powerful, sonorous, and rare. There are fewer than two-hundred and fifty known Stradivarius violins remaining in existence, and each one has a name. To own a Stradivarius is a big deal. Pictured is School of Music alumnus Elvin Hsieh (@elvinhsieh32) playing UCLA's “Duke of Alcantara” Stradivarius violin, which returned to UCLA after what @LATimes describes as a “true crime” story. Thanks to a recent and generous gift from the Twiford Foundation, UCLA now owns two and the second Stradivarius violin will soon be available to UCLA students. In addition to UCLA’s second Stradivarius, the recent Twiford gift also includes a Sanctus Seraphin violin and a collection of high-quality violin bows to add to UCLA’s collection. We are grateful for this generous gift and the world of opportunities. For UCLA students, the opportunity to play a Stradivarius is only the beginning. To read the full story and learn more, click the link in our bio ⬆️ #ThisIsUCLAMusic #Music #ViolinPerformance #Stradivarius

We shine brighter together. 🐻✨🐻 There’s ...

162 2

We shine brighter together. 🐻✨🐻 There’s nothing more joyful to us than the sound of Bruins connecting with one another. Wherever you are this holiday season, you are also with us, your Bruin family. This year’s holiday video greeting from Chancellor Gene D. Block and Mrs. Carol Block features members of the UCLA Wind Ensemble, joined by friends from the violin and cello studios. The musical composition selected for this year's holiday video was arranged for the school of music instrumentation by Robby Good ’22, performed by UCLA Department of Music students and recorded in Schoenberg Hall by School of Music production staff, with additional layering by Christian Gonzales ‘22, and engineered by Stuart Schenk in the Recording Studio in the Evelyn & Mo Ostin Music Center. A huge thanks to all the students, TAs, faculty and staff who came together to help spread some joy this holiday season.

The @uclaband has just announced that they will be...

101 3

The @uclaband has just announced that they will be performing their @bts.bighitofficial halftime show at the @rams game this Sunday! The UCLA Bruin Marching Band will be the first college marching band to perform in @sofistadium
The band will be joined by the @koreosucla and the @uclaspiritsquad 💙💛💜
#Repost @uclaband

The deadline for completing UC admissions ...

50 1

The deadline for completing UC admissions applications has been extended to Dec. 1, 11:59pm PST. However, you MUST start your application by today (Nov. 30). Applications started on Dec. 1 will not be accepted.⠀
⠀
The School of Music supplemental application deadline is unchanged and is due December 6 at 11:59pm PST.⠀
⠀
The UCLA Application for Graduate Admission is unchanged and is due by 11:59pm PST tomorrow, December 1.

Make a difference by Supporting a UCLA Transfer ...

52 0

Make a difference by Supporting a UCLA Transfer Student Today! ⠀
⠀
“Being the Transfer Student Representative and helping fellow transfer students access the university across and beyond campus has been the cornerstone of my college experience at UCLA." – Herman Luis Chavez, UCLA Ethnomusicology Student, National Transfer Students Ambassador ⠀
⠀
Change a Life. Give Today: Link in Bio ⬆️

This #GivingTuesday, you can change lives by ...

34 0

This #GivingTuesday, you can change lives by supporting transfer students at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Give Now! Link in Bio ⬆️

Join us this Wednesday, November 17 at 8 PM in ...

98 0

Join us this Wednesday, November 17 at 8 PM in Schoenberg Hall for an all star performance featuring the West Coast premiere of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with Big Band along with the music of Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Tommy Dorsey and Dizzy Gillespie.⠀
⠀
Hosted by Acclaimed Trumpet Soloist Jens Lindemann (@trumpetjens), ‘Rhapsody and the Blues’ features groundbreaking Professor of Piano performance Inna Faliks (@innafalikspiano) in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, masterfully arranged and conducted by Award-winning conductor Matt Catingub(@mattcatingub).⠀
The evening also includes a performance by legendary jazz singer Barbara Morrison along with 14-time “Trombonist of the Year” Wycliffe Gordon (@wycliffegordonofficial).⠀
⠀
To learn more and RSVP, click the link in our bio ⬆️.

Join our community of musicians and music ...

83 2

Join our community of musicians and music scholars. Apply today! Link in bio ⬆️⠀
⠀
Undergraduate students: the UC Application is due Tuesday, 11/30 and the Supplemental Application is due Monday, 12/6. ⠀
⠀
Graduate students: the application is due Wednesday, 12/1. ⠀
⠀
For questions, contact admissions@schoolofmusic.ucla.edu ⠀
#ThisIsUCLAMusic #GoBruins #UCLA

It’s getting spooky 👻 this fall as Opera UCLA...

32 0

It’s getting spooky 👻 this fall as Opera UCLA presents the WORLD PREMIERE of horror opera "Cesare, Child of Night" from Composer and Film/TV Orchestrator Jonathan Beard (Respect, King Richard, Zack Snyder's Justice League, and The Mandalorian), and directed by Emmy-nominated director and editor Stewart Schill (American Crime Story). Inspired by the silent horror film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," it's scored for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, flutes, percussion, keys, string quartet and boutique electronics. 🎭⠀
⠀
Join us on Halloween 🎃 night, Oct 31 at 8 PM PT for the virtual premiere with performances by several @UCLAalpert professors, including Michael Dean (Professor, Voice Performance), Antonio Lysy (Area Head, Strings), Movses Pogossian (Professor of Violin), and Mike Shapiro (Lecturer, Music Industry).⠀
⠀
To learn more, click the link in our bio ⬆️ . ⠀
#ThisisUCLAMusic #Opera #UCLA #Music

UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music Distinguished...

101 0

UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music Distinguished Professor Terence Blanchard recently became the first Black composer to debut an opera at the Metropolitan Opera in their 138-year history.

To celebrate this historic opera, The Herb Alpert School of Music has collaborated with the General Manager Peter Gelb and The Metropolitan Opera team to bring a special simulcast of Fire Shut Up in My Bones to the Bruin community. This showing will be held in Lani Hall at 9:45 am, on Saturday, October 23 and will be preceded by an opening message from Distinguished Professor Blanchard. Members of the Bruin community are invited to join The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as we share in the success of one of our own in this historic moment in opera history. RSVP: Link in Bio ⬆️

UCLA’s own soprano alumna, Angel Blue (M.A. 2008) stars as Destiny/Loneliness/Greta. Blue has become an international opera sensation since earning her master’s degree in music performance in 2008, with a career spanning over 30 countries.

Students of the GRAMMY-winning, world-renowned jazz trumpeter and educator were invited to a special Los Angeles screening of the opera, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, in advance of Saturday’s planned simulcast in Lani Hall. READ MORE: Link in Bio ⬆️ @terence_blanchard @angeljoyblue @metopera @fathomevents @ucla

It’s the #blueandgoldchallenge! The School of ...

151 2

It’s the #blueandgoldchallenge! The School of Music asks for your help to support incredibly students like Kobe with a gift of any amount to the Equity, Diversity, Access & Inclusion Scholarship:⠀
⠀
"Financial assistance for BIPOC and underrepresented students creates a necessary sense of safety, security, and encouragement to students who are historically disadvantaged in the realm of academia."⠀
-Kobe, First-Year Music Education student⠀
⠀
Those who give $10 or more during the #uclablueandgold challenge will be mailed a special Bruin gaiter.💙💛 ⠀
⠀
Link in bio ⬆️

The Undergraduate Student Advisory Board and ...

180 5

The Undergraduate Student Advisory Board and Graduate Student Council are proud to present the first-ever “Back to School Night” School of Music Showcase. Come see the first live student concert since March 2020, featuring 35+ performances from 70+ students from every department the School of Music has to offer, including a number of student-organized ensembles, several original songs and compositions, and some live premieres! There will be over three and a half hours of music packed into two days - showcasing the talent, creativity, and dedication of students of the School of Music. ⠀
Schoenberg Hall Auditorium⠀
Oct. 15 @ 7PM - 9:30PM⠀
Oct. 16 @ 4PM - 6:30PM

As the School of Music’s associate dean for ...

93 0

As the School of Music’s associate dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and co-chair of @UCLAalpert’s Anti-Racism Action Committee (ARAC), Global jazz studies professor Arturo O’Farrill (@pianitis) works constantly to diversify music education and bring safe spaces to the music realm – both at UCLA and in the U.S.⠀
⠀
In a recent Daily Bruin (@dailybruin) article, O’Farrill was spotlighted for his work in creating an inclusive community at UCLA through music. For O’Farrill, one of his overarching motivations is to dismantle elitism within the music world. ⠀
⠀
“Art is service,” O’Farrill said. “Art … should be seen as part of life. … It should not be seen as a separate and elite structure.”⠀
⠀
To act on marginalization in music, O’Farrill has worked to build spaces like ARAC and his non profit organization, the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (@afrolatinjazz), where musicians can collaborate, learn, perform and practice – all to help musicians connect to their community. 🎹⠀
⠀
To learn more about O’Farrill and his work in community building, click the link in our bio ⬆️.⠀
#ThisisUCLAMusic #CreatingMusicalCommunity #Diversity #Music #GlobalJazz

We could not be more proud and thankful to have ...

133 5

We could not be more proud and thankful to have the UCLA Bruin Marching Band grace us with their talent, along with UCLA’s first K-Pop Dance team Koreos and the UCLA Spirit Squad. Watch the incredible performances above☝️and in the link in our bio⬆️ to witness the first live performance from BTS, featuring pop artist Sia, and none other than the UCLA Bruin Marching Band, with their song “ON.” #Repost @uclaband
・・・
Presenting the @bts.bighitofficial Show! Our show featured Dynamite, Butter, and On! Shoutout to @koreosucla and @uclaspiritsquad for joining us!
Click the link in our bio to watch the whole show on our new YouTube channel! #BTS #ARMY #UCLARMY

“Mariachi music is such a lively type of music. ...

167 4

“Mariachi music is such a lively type of music. When you play in person, you really feel the emotions. You really feel all the energy.” - Saveena Patel (@saveenapatel) Ethnomusicology 23’ and member of @UCLAAlpert’s Mariachi de Uclatlán ensemble. After months of online rehearsals, the student performers of the Mariachi de Uclatlán (@uclatlan) are excited to be returning to in-person learning. In an article by the Daily Bruin (@dailybruin), students described their experience learning in a remote setting and what they are looking forward to in-person. Members of the group are preparing to focus on smaller details of a performance in a physical space and are ready to take their performances to the next level. 🎺🎻 “A pandemic like COVID, it’s not going to stamp (mariachi) out,” Skye Hoffman, violinist in the ensemble and design media arts student said. “Because it’s folk music, it speaks to the soul. And as long as people have souls, there’s going to be mariachi.” We are thrilled to have the UCLA Mariachi de Uclatlán ensemble back on campus as part of our musical community! 🎵 To read the full article and learn more, click the link in our bio ⬆️. #ThisisUCLAMusic #Music #Mariachi #Ethnomusicology

Join us on Monday, October 4 at 6 p.m. PT in Lani ...

87 3

Join us on Monday, October 4 at 6 p.m. PT in Lani Hall or virtually as @UCLAAlpert welcomes rapper, artist and producer, Jason (IDK) Mills (@idk) to discuss the history, issues, and ongoing struggles faced by the music industry’s leading artists — often Black artists, female artists, and other artists of color — as compared to the industry’s executive and professional ranks. 🎵⠀
⠀
Moderating the discussion is Daniel Seeff, the Director of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA (@hancockinstitute) and the host of KJazz’s(@kjazz881) Thursday night show “Excursions” (@excursionsradio). ⠀
⠀
This event is part of the special edition of LA Sounds Now, which integrates with the Still Waiting speaker series that brings together two vital cross-school initiatives to offer a unique window into the current state of equity, diversity and inclusion in the music industry. ⠀
⠀
To learn more and to RSVP for the event, please click the link in our bio ⬆️.

#ucla10Questions is back! Catch all the vibrant ...

24 0

#ucla10Questions is back! Catch all the vibrant conversations, including the school of music's Diane White-Clayton, Lecturer in Ethnomusicology on Oct. 25 and Arturo O'Farrill, Associate Dean of EDI & Professor of Global Jazz Studies on Nov. 22. - RSVP → Link in Bio ⬆️ @dianewhiteclayton @pianitis

Interested in the graduate programs 🎓 at ...

48 0

Interested in the graduate programs 🎓 at @UCLAAlpert? Applications are open through Wednesday, December 1, 2021 🗓. To learn more about the graduate application process, please visit the link in our bio ⬆️. ⠀
⠀
#ThisisUCLAMusic #GraduateSchool

Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard discusses...

118 0

Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard discusses his latest album and the upcoming opera "Fire Shut Up In My Bones" at The Metropolitan Opera. Link in Bio ⬆️ On Monday, 9/27 when the curtains rise, the professor of Global Jazz Studies at the School of Music will make history as the first Black director to create a mainstage Met production, performed at the prestigious and historic institution. Blanchard is also featured on the cover of BOTH the September issue of Opera News... ...AND the October issue of Jazz Times! Join us in congratulating Blanchard on this incredible achievement and celebrating this profound moment in history. @terence_blanchard @ucla @metopera @opera.news @jazztimesmag #ThisIsUCLAMusic

@ucla 📣 Let’s hear it for the #1 public ...

138 2

@ucla 📣 Let’s hear it for the #1 public university, 5 years in a row! 💙 🐻 💛 Visit the link in bio for full announcement + details. #1UCLA

@UCLAalpert on Instagram

The View from the Front Row - A Profile of Cheryl Keyes

Dr. Cheryl Keyes has authored a prize-winning book on the ethnography of hip hop and rap, produced two award-winning albums on her own record label, is a Professor of Ethnomusicology, Global Jazz Studies at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and is currently chairing UCLA’s Department of African American Studies. And earlier this past year, she made headlines as one of ten members of an executive committee that selected music for the Smithsonian Museum’s long-awaited Smithsonian Anthology of Hip Hop and Rap.

School of Music Student Wins Marshall Scholarship

The Marshall Scholarship is one of the most prestigious scholarships offered to American college students and covers all costs of pursuing a two-year degree at a British university.

The Allure of a Stradivarius

The allure of a Stradivarius—any Stradivarius—is not hard to document. They are powerful, sonorous, and rare. There are fewer than two-hundred and fifty known Stradivarius violins remaining in existence, and each one has a name. To own a Stradivarius is a big deal. UCLA has two. Thanks to a recent and generous gift from the

UCLA faculty member strikes emotional chord in Grammy-nominated tribute album

“It’s a journey,” Blanchard said. “You can’t listen to one track on the album and think you know the album. … We try to keep things interesting by having things evolve, flourish. We want it to be an experience where you can literally sit down and put it on and listen nonstop and really enjoy.”

Holiday Gift Guide 2021

Are you ready for the holiday season? Looking for something special for the loved ones in your life? Check out our curated list of gifts created by artists, scholars, makers, and entrepreneurs from across the arts community at UCLA.

2022 Grammy Nominees From The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of music is proud to celebrate our many colleagues and alumni who have been recognized by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with 2022 Grammy Award nominations, including among them Terence Blanchard, Arturo O'Farrill, Gretchen Parlato, Daniel Seeff, Jake Heggie and more.

Ethnomusicology

Ethnomusicology
The study of musical traditions from around the world through hands-on performance training and academic study.
Music

Music
The study of Western classical music with specializations in performance, composition, conducting, and music education.
Musicology

Musicology
The scholarly study of the histories, cultures, and critical interpretations of music and music-making.

Global Jazz Studies

Global Jazz Studies
A cross-disciplinary curriculum pairing music performance, studio instruction and musicianship courses with African American Studies.
Music Industry

Music Industry
A practical program helping students discover and prepare for music-related careers though coursework, events, and internship opportunities.

School of Music Newsletter Monthly Events Newsletter