Michael Beckerman Named Dean of UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music
Michael Beckerman, a renowned musicologist widely recognized for his seminal scholarship on Czech and Eastern European music, has been appointed the new dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of
OUR MISSION

Esteeming all musical traditions as vital cultural expressions of our evolving global society, The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music cultivates models for musical studies that integrate exemplary scholarship and practices, and engage through music with diverse communities on campus, throughout Los Angeles, and beyond.

OUR VISION

We envision a school of music that welcomes students from all backgrounds, and provides individual mentorship to ensure their well-being and prepare them to flourish in an evolving musical landscape. We strive to fulfill the promise of our position at the nexus of practice and scholarship by engaging diverse musical traditions within a city of exceptional cultural vibrancy.

OUR VALUES

Voice
Through our voices we express our thoughts, passions, and stories in the most immediate way. Voice has come to represent that expressive capacity more generally; we voice our selves through musical performance, composition, scholarship, and teaching, and strive in our teaching to cultivate the individual voice of each student.

Counterpoint
Individual voices have the greatest impact when they engage others in dialogue, discussion, and debate—in a word, counterpoint—whereby they establish the basis for musical and intellectual communities capable of activating the generative power of diversity.

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Resonance
Resonance provides the space for harmony and rhythm to magnify the impact of the individual. Resonance starts with people listening to each other as the first step toward community, which enables them to engage the world beyond more powerfully.

Virtuosity
By cultivating voice, counterpoint, and resonance, we allow virtuosity—in its dual sense of virtue and skill—to flourish, with each performer, composer, scholar, and educator striving for the highest level of ethical excellence, responsible stewardship, and commitment.

Our Strategic Plan

 

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s Strategic Plan will guide our school’s evolution and growth in the years ahead. This blueprint of our shared future closely examines our curricula, student support infrastructure, instructional facilities and our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, among other important goals. In developing this important analysis, we have identified opportunities for rapid innovation that provide hope, fostering a brighter future where music re-claims its integral and essential place.

Click the image to the right to view the 2021 Strategic Plan.

Progress Report

 

Our students, faculty and staff worked in 2024 to report our progress on the strategic plan and provide updates where necessary.

Click the report title to the left to read the progress report.

The School of Music by the Numbers

Faculty
Members
156
Total Students
(516 undergrad, 155 grad)
671
Student/Faculty
Ratio
4:1
Degree
Programs
18
Performances
per Year
350+
Performance
Ensembles
50+
Instruments in the World
Musical Instrument Collection
1,200+
Recordings in the
Ethnomusicology Archive
175k+
Value of
Endowments
$111 Million

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Music Partnership Program Connects Students with the Community
Founded in 1994, the Music Partnership Program has brought music lessons to young students in the Los Angeles area. Working with partner sites, students in The UCLA Herb Alpert School
Ethnomusicology Professors and Graduate Students at Eighth Annual Lisbon Conference
Launched in 2016, the Lisbon Conference explores the diverse musical traditions of Asia. The eighth annual conference “Chinese Music and Musical Instruments: Embracing the Wide Variety of Asian Music and
UCLA Professor Composes for the Community
Munir Beken, professor of ethnomusicology, composed an original piece for the Santa Monica Schools. "Dandelions" was performed for the McKinley Elementary's Culmination event, featuring the school's choral students and members of Lincoln Middle School's Level 4 Orchestra.

Explore Our Degrees

Conducting
Graduate study and training in choral, orchestral, or wind conducting
Ethnomusicology
The study of global musical traditions through performance training, research, and field work
Global Jazz Studies
Jazz performance and musicianship courses are paired with African American Studies
Music Composition
Mentorship in the creation and realization of music for concerts, opera, and visual media
Music Education
Preparation for music educators leading to a BA and teaching credential in just four years
Music Industry
A leadership-focused professional degree which prepares students to transform the creative, entrepreneurial, and executive structures of the music industry
Musicology
The scholarly study of the histories, cultures, and critical interpretations of music and music-making
Music Performance
Study and training towards professional performance careers in Western classical music