About
Our School

Welcome to The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. We are the only school of music in the University of California system. This distinction enables us to provide the highest caliber of music instruction in the context of a great research university. It allows students to take advantage of the resources and experiences offered by a university setting, while receiving world-class musical training and working along-side leading scholars who are fostering transformative critical thinking about music and musical practices. It drives our mission to educate undergraduate and graduate students by nurturing collaborations between performance and scholarly work, embracing the art of all musics throughout the world.

I encourage you to explore our innovative and highly ranked programs in composition, conducting, ethnomusicology, global jazz studies, music education, music industry, musicology, and performance. Our faculty center curricula on what students need to succeed in music and in life and by making connections to the musical life of Los Angeles and beyond.

No matter what area of music study interests you the most, you will find a place here at UCLA where intellectual passions come to life and ideas flow back and forth across disciplines. Our faculty members are among the top in their fields, and our students are passionate and committed to scholarship and performance.

– Judith Smith