MA / PhD - The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

The MA/PhD in Ethnomusicology investigates music in cultural and social contexts. In preparing students for careers in studying global music communities, our program assists students in understanding music as social practice from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Students are introduced to the intellectual history of the field and its paradigmatic shifts, and research methodology in preparation for ethnographic fieldwork. Our ethnomusicology program seeks to prepare students for careers in the academy, public sector, the music industry, and/or cultural heritage policy-making. We also offer seminars in select global music cultures as well as topics, which examine music as related to gender, politics, religion, economics, philosophy, aesthetics, and musical practice.

uclaalpert

We are proud to present our Iranian music series! ...

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We are proud to present our Iranian music series! This series consists of three events - two panel discussions and a concert celebrating Iranian music. All are welcome!
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May 19th, 1:00 pm, Lani Hall | Panel Discussion | Exploring the influence of Persian music and instruments in composition
May 21st, 8:00 pm, Schoenberg Hall | Concert | Diār
May 22nd, 3:00 pm, Green Room | Panel Discussion | Approaching Composition from a non-Eurocentric perspective
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#ucla #music #thisisUCLAmusic #uclaalpert #iranianmusic #concert #worldmusic #ethnomusicology

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Please join us on Friday, April 21st, at 2:30 pm ...

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Please join us on Friday, April 21st, at 2:30 pm at the Choral Room for a cello master class with Sunny Yang!
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Sunny Yang is a versatile cellist and committed educator, and has collaborated with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers. In this masterclass, UCLA students will perform contemporary and classical works for Yang’s instruction.
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#ucla #music #thisisUCLAmusic #uclaalpert #musicology #ethnomusicology #education

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Please join us on Wednesday, February 22nd, 1:00 ...

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Please join us on Wednesday, February 22nd, 1:00 pm over zoom for a lecture by Laith Ulaby, Director of Insights at Webflow!
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In this lecture, Laith Ulaby will talk about his experiences applying ethnographic approaches to the worlds of technology and beyond. He will discuss how to translate and transfer academic skills into new domains and explore some of the common pitfalls.
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Zoom reservation link in bio!
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#ucla #music #thisisUCLAmusic #uclaalpert #lecture #technology #ethnomusicology

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Nine years ago, the Armenian Music Program was ...

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Join us on Friday, April 8 at 11 AM for a ...

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Join us on Friday, April 8 at 11 AM for a screening of “Āvānegār”, a collaborative documentary narrated by Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi, the Director of Indo-Persian Music at UCLA, as he explores the history of transcription of Iranian music 📜, based on decades of research in various archives in Iran, Europe, and the United States. The screening event will include a Panel Discussion featuring @UCLAalpert faculty members Richard Danielpour and Mohsen Mohammadi (@mohammadigram) moderated by Dr. Shahab Paranj 💙💛 Rare historical documents and sources are presented in the film, and several historical notations of Iranian music are performed. Exclusively for the film Professor of Composition at Carnegie Mellon University, Dr. Reza Vali, arranged a five-movement piece that is performed by an ensemble of notable American musicians. Moreover, several prominent Iranian musicians are featured, including Navid Afghah (@navid_afghah), Ali Bahramifard (ali _bahramifard), Kazem Davoudian (@kazem.davoudian), Siroos Jamali, Siamak Jahangiri, Layla Ramezan (@laylaramezan), and Behzad Ravaqi (@behzadravaqi). This film is dedicated to the memory of Mohammad-Taghi Massoudieh (1927–1999), whose publications are invaluable and incomparable sources for researchers, musicians, composers, and all who are interested in Iranian music. 🎶 To learn more about the screening and the panelists, click the link in our bio ⬆️. #ThisisUCLAMusic #Ethnomusicology #Composition #MusicTheory

uclaalpert

We are proud to congratulate 🎉 the eight ...

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We are proud to congratulate 🎉 the eight faculty and student music projects at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music that have received grants from the UCLA Library’s Hugo and Christine Davise Fund for Contemporary Music to support both creative and scholarly endeavors. 📚 The program, which is administered by the UCLA Music Library, chose projects for their potential to advance the field of contemporary music which span a range of departments and programs, from performance to composition to ethnomusicology, and include commissions, performances, recordings, residencies and a scholarly symposium. “Because of Hugo and Christine Davise’s legacy of generosity and the leadership of the UCLA Music Library, we are able to continue to explore and expand the wonderful creative possibilities for contemporary music in all of its diverse genres and applications,” said Eileen Strempel, inaugural dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. “This is an exciting alignment with the Herb Alpert School of Music’s mission that centers on the integration of scholarship and practice.” 🎵 We can’t wait to celebrate all the music faculty and student projects to come from this generous grant! 😍 💙💛 To learn more about the projects, the recipients, and the UCLA Library, click the link in our bio ⬆️.
@uclalibrary | #ThisisUCLAMusic #Ethnomusicology #Music #UCLA #UCLALibrary #Scholarship #Grant #Research @janberrybaker
@bentfrequency
@pianitis
@lmoh000
@gernotwolfgang
@ninaeidsheim
@quatuor_diotima
@noiselibrarian
+ more

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We are proud to highlight the accomplishments of ...

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We are proud to highlight the accomplishments of Professor of Ethnomusicology Cheryl Keyes who has authored a prize-winning book on the ethnography of Hip Hop and Rap, produced two award-winning albums on her own record label, and is currently chairing UCLA’s Department of African American Studies (@ucla_afam). 📚 In 2021, Keyes 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". Keyes was the lone woman academic selected for the committee, sharing space with industry luminaries the likes of 9th Wonder (@9thwonder) and Chuck D (@mrchuckd_pe) of Public Enemy (@publicenemy). She was selected over some who had written scholarly books on Hip Hop, but the Smithsonian’s choice of Dr. Keyes was a natural one. It was Keyes, after all, who undertook groundbreaking ethnographic field research in the 1980s, at a time when the genre was well out of the mainstream and dismissed as unworthy of serious study. To learn more about Cheryl Keyes and her amazing work, click the link in our bio. ⬆️ #ThisisUCLAMusic #Ethnomusicology #HipHop #Rap #Smithsonian

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

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“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

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Join us as we honor Distinguished Professor of ...

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At @UCLAalpert’s 2021 virtual commencement ...

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Join us Wednesday, June 2 at 12 p.m. PT for the ...

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Join us Wednesday, June 2 at 12 p.m. PT for the third installment of the Musics from Around the World: Southern California Composers in Concert series, which is part of UCLA World Music Center‘s yearlong celebration of the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive‘s 60th anniversary. @UCLAalpert is proud to highlight Daniel Ho (@daniel_ho_creations), a six-time GRAMMY Award winner, eleven-time GRAMMY Award nominee, six-time Taiwanese Golden Melody Award winner, and recipient of multiple Hawaiian Music awards as he presents a virtual concert of his compositions. Ho is a ‘ukulele virtuoso, slack key guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, singer-songwriter, producer, audio engineer and record company owner. As an artist and clinician, Ho performs throughout the U.S. and internationally. In pursuit of new musical adventures, he is the designer of the Romero Creations (@romerocreations) Tiny Tenor ‘ukulele, and the Ohana Bongolele and Shakerlele and his custom-designed six-string ‘ukulele is on exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum (@grammymuseum) in Los Angeles. Learn more and RSVP via the link in our bio ⬆️. #ThisisUCLAMusic #Ethnomusicology #GrammyMuseum #UCLALibrary

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Explore the music that is inside of you this ...

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Explore the music that is inside of you this summer with Professor of Ethnomusicology, Dr. Diane White-Clayton (@dianewhiteclayton), in her course “African American Music,” offered in Summer Session A from June 21-July 30. Students will study and perform the music of African American sacred traditions, including gospel, spirituals and hymns. Summer Courses are open to high school students as well as musicians and scholars of any skill level. Study with expert instructors as you expand upon your current skill set or follow your curiosity to explore something new. To learn more, click the link in our bio ⬆️. #ThisisUCLAMusic #Ethnomusicology #BlackMusic

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In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander ...

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We are pleased to announce that Ethnomusicology ...

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We are pleased to announce that Ethnomusicology faculty member, Supeena Adler (@supeenainseedler) and Music Education faculty member, Lily Chen-Hafteck at @UCLAalpert, will receive research grants from the UCLA Chancellor’s Council on the Arts and the university’s Office of Research and Creative Activities. 🎉 This year, funding was awarded to 12 faculty members to advance relevant arts and humanities research.⠀
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Adler will research a unique folk tradition of Northeast Thailand 🇹🇭 and acquire related instruments and costumes to incorporate into her Music of Thailand Ensemble course. Exploring music education and prejudice, Chen-Hafteck will investigate how Los Angeles elementary school students may benefit from learning the music and cultures of their fellow classmates, allowing for the appreciation of differences while reducing racial biases. 🎵⠀
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Additionally, the Ethnomusicology Archive and UCLA Library (@uclalibrary) have received funding to co-host a large-scale exhibition of Black music in Los Angeles that will feature familiar names and stories of musicians who have been excluded from the narrative of Los Angeles music making. 📚⠀
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“These research grants recognize the arts as essential to our lives,” said Eileen Strempel (@uclamusicdean), inaugural dean and chair of the UCLA Chancellor’s Council on the Arts. “The arts inspire innovation and creativity as they break down barriers to build empathy and understanding.”⠀
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We look forward to seeing how this funding will contribute to advancing the role of the arts as a vital part of the UCLA experience.💙⠀
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To read the full UCLA Newsroom article, click the link in our bio ⬆️.⠀
#ThisisUCLAMusic #Ethnomusicology #Giving

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Join the UCLA Film & TV archive ...

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Join the UCLA Film & TV archive (@uclaftvarchive) Thursday, May 6, at 4 PM PT for a free virtual screening of the Los Angeles-based TV 📺 music program “Frankly Jazz” from 1962 hosted and co-produced by noted disc jockey Frank Evans🎷, who was known for his laid-back cool and trademark sign-off, “later.” The Archive presents three episodes of this obscure local music TV series, as preserved from recently acquired, original master videotapes featuring legendary artists such as Gerald Wilson, the Jazz Crusaders and Sammy Davis Jr.⠀
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Introducing the performances will be jazz musician, educator, and @UCLAalpert Ethnomusicology alumnus, Ray Briggs Ph.D., ‘02, Jazz Studies Department Chair for the Pasadena Conservatory of Music (@pasadenaconservatoryofmusic), and Assistant Director of Jazz Studies at California State University, Long Beach (@csulb_bccm), where he teaches courses in jazz history and ethnomusicology.📚⠀
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To learn more and RSVP for this event, click the link in our bio ⬆️.⠀
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#ThisisUCLAMusic #Ethnomusicology #Alumni

uclaalpert

In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, we are ...

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In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, we are thrilled to spotlight fourth year Global Jazz Studies Major and double Music Industry and Ethnomusicology minor, Michael Alvarado. A composer, drummer, and percussionist 🥁 , Alvarado participates in several @UCLAalpert ensembles including the UCLA Jazz Orchestra and the UCLA Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra among others. At 50 years old, Alvarado decided to return to school to finish what he started. “The significance of returning to school is immeasurable and I realize I have something new and different to contribute to the field of Global Jazz Studies," he said. Alvarado is eager to share his talent and creativity at the School of Music and to participate in the ongoing conversation of jazz today. A native Angeleno, Alvarado began performing professionally at age 16. His extensive background in different styles of music ranging from African drumming, Latin percussion, punk rock, and thrash-metal to funk, jazz-fusion and big band, has prepared him for the Global Jazz Studies program at @ucla. In addition to his professors, mentors, and advisors at the School of Music, Alvarado finds inspiration in Billy Cobham (@billycobhamofficial), describing his music as the bridge that guided him from thrash metal to jazz-fusion, while identifying with his powerful drumming, elaborate drum kit, and solos. Alvarado advises those interested in a career in jazz to obtain a solid education in music theory, composition and to perform live as much as possible. “Jazz is a fearless endeavor, so get ready.” His senior recital will livestream on our website 💻 on Sunday, June 6 at 2 p.m. and include a program of five-original pieces showcasing Latin jazz, jazz-fusion, and avant-garde. #ThisisUCLAMusic #GlobalJazz #MusicIndustry #Ethnomusicology

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@UCLAalpert is proud to announce Professor Farzad ...

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Join us Wednesday, 4/7 at 11 AM PT for the first ...

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Join us tonight, 3/19 at 7 p.m. for the “End of ...

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Join us tonight, 3/19 at 7 p.m. for the “End of the Quarter Showcase” organized by the Alpert Student Advisory Board! ⠀
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Tonight’s concert features performers from all departments at the School of Music, including the UCLA Percussion Ensemble, the Music of China Ensemble, Irina Bazik, Kelsey Ma (@melseyka), Valerie Stern, Professor Inna Faliks, and original works from Kian Ravaei (@kianraveei), Robby Good (@robbygood702), Shirunyu Li among many more. ⠀
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To watch the concert, click the link in our bio ⬆️. ⠀
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#ThisisUCLAMusic #music #Ethnomusicology #GlobalJazz

uclaalpert

In recognition of Women’s History Month, ...

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In recognition of Women’s History Month, @UCLAalpert is proud to spotlight fourth year Ethnomusicology major and composer Kenedea Lee (@kenedea_music). ⠀
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Lee started classical training when she was 9 years old and only immersed herself in that style of music until her late teen years. During her senior year of high school, she realized that she wanted to learn music outside of Western classical music, which led her to pursue Ethnomusicology. Having fond memories performing at UCLA Alpert’s Schoenberg Hall during high school was a huge reason why she chose to attend the School of Music.⠀
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She began writing music after she was given an assignment to write and perform a short blues piece from her music theory professor. After hearing herself and other musicians play a simple melodic line with supporting harmonies, that nearly knocked her off her feet. ⠀
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“I was inspired to compose music ever since,” said Lee. “As I genuinely write from my heart, I aspire to bring a sense of joy and warmth to those who listen to my compositions.” ⠀
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One woman musician she looks up to is Lynette Williams (@hammondgal), the keyboardist for @ChildishGambino. ⠀
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“I am not only inspired by her talent, but also by her kindness and character,” said Lee. “She inspires me to be a better musician and a good person at the same time. The two should always be hand and hand!” ⠀
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Lee encourages other women wanting to pursue a profession in music to wholeheartedly believe in yourself. Acknowledging that the industry is heavily dominated by men, she wants women not to be discouraged by what looks like the "odds,” but to keep your eyes on your goals. ⠀
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Staying focused on her goals, Lee is releasing a short jazz album called "Warm Colors” in the coming months, which will be available on most music platforms. ⠀
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We are truly inspired and look forward to hearing Lee’s new music. 🎵💙⠀
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#ThisisUCLAMusic #WomenInMusic #WomensHistoryMonth #Ethnomusicology

Student Perspectives:<br />
David Castañeda

Student Perspectives:
David Castañeda

“I enjoyed the connections that I made with my colleagues who have now become family, seeing my approach as a researcher develop substantially in such a short amount of time, and most of all the opportunity to grow as an instructor and educator.” – David Castañeda Ph.D. ’21 | Ethnomusicology

Guest Artists & Scholars Offer Students Unique Insights from the City of Angels

A stream of high-profile artists and scholars from around the world have energized and inspired our students, helping to transform their educational experience. Among them are J.H. Kwabena Nketia, considered Africa’s premier musicologist/ethnomusicologist; Akin Euba, a Nigerian composer, musicologist, and pianist; MacArthur Fellow Steven Feld, an American ethnomusicologist, anthropologist, and linguist, who worked for many years with the Kaluli people of Papua New Guinea; Judith Becker, professor emerita of ethnomusicology, University of Michigan; Mark Slobin, the author or editor of books on Afghanistan and Central Asia, eastern European Jewish music, film music, and ethnomusicology theory; Chano Dominguez, award-winning Spanish-born pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and Hossein Omoumi, a scholar and teacher of Persian traditional music, among others.

More News

Time for the Spring Festival of World Music

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Doctoral Student Breana McCullough Connects Baroque Music and Native American Voices

McCullough has been an apprentice with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado in 2022-23. She collaborated with the orchestra on their winter concert, re-envisioning a French carol to elevate indigenous perspectives.

An Unconventional Genius: Martha Gonzalez (Ethnomusicology, 1999)

Martha Gonzalez has done it all. She completed a dissertation, won a Grammy, published a book, teaches at a top liberal arts college, and was awarded a 2022 MacArthur "genius" grant.

Prominent Advocate for Musical Sustainability to Deliver Regents' Lecture

Musician, scholar, and leading arts director Huib Schippers brings his wealth of experience to UCLA when he delivers the UC Regents’ Lecture as part of his Fall 2022 appointment as Regents’ Professor in the ethnomusicology department of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The lecture, titled “Sound Futures: Why Some Music Practices Thrive, Many

UCLA Ethnomusicology Professor Named Bakë-Jairazbhoy Chair for Indian Ocean Studies

Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy, adjunct professor of ethnomusicology at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Bakë-Jairazbhoy Chair for Indian Ocean Studies at the Pocker Sahib Memorial Orphanage College (PSMO), an affiliate with Calicut University in Kerala, India. The chair was created for the specific purpose of recovering and

Countering Anti-Asian Stereotyping on Stage and Screen

The subject of Asian representation in popular media is a pressing question. While the historical roots of negative Asian stereotyping in America extend back for more than a century and a half, the more recent strife in American politics has been accompanied by an alarming rise of Anti-Asian violence. “We wanted to talk about why

EXPLORE ALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC EVENTS

May 31 Wed

1:00pm
Free

lectures-symposia

Georgian Traditional Music Revival: Giving Modern Shape to an Old Tradition

This lecture gives an overview of the Georgian traditional music revival process with a closer focus on Georgian folk-fusion music, seen as one of the best musical expressions of the contemporary Georgian identity.

Room B544

Jun 2 Fri

7:00pm
Free

world-music

Music of Turkey Ensemble and Music of Mexico Ensemble

The Music of Turkey Ensemble and Music of Mexico Ensemble showcase traditional music from these regions on the same stage.

Schoenberg Hall

Jun 3 Sat

7:00pm
Free

world-music

Music of Java, Thailand, and Korea Ensembles

The Music of Java, Thailand, and Korea Ensembles showcase traditional music from these regions on the same stage.

Schoenberg Hall

Conducting

Graduate study and training in choral, orchestral, or wind conducting

MM/DMA

Ethnomusicology

The study of global musical traditions through performance training, research, and field work

BA MA / PhD

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

BA MA / PhD

Music Education

Preparation for music educators leading to a B.A. and teaching credential in just four years

Music History & Industry

Combining Musicology and the Music Industry minor for practical hands-on training with the study of music within the context of different societies, cultures, and theories

Music Industry

Industry professionals and UCLA faculty prepare students for music-related careers

Minor

Musicology

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

BA MA / PhD Minor

Music Performance

Study and training towards professional performance careers in Western classical music

BM MM/DMA