Classically
Oriented

The Department of Music offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Western classical music, with concentrations in composition and performance and a specialized undergraduate program in music education. Jazz performance is also offered at the graduate level, in partnership with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA.

The four-year Bachelor of Arts curriculum in music prepares students for professional success in an ever-changing musical world, combining practical training and individual study with the development of theoretical and historical context and artistic imagination. The major, designed for students who seek to combine fine musicianship with academic excellence, centers on a core curriculum of academic music courses, one-on-one work with artist-teaching faculty, and opportunities to collaborate with peers in large and small ensembles.

In addition to these foundational music studies, the Music Education major offers professional preparation leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree and teaching credential in just four years. Students develop pedagogical skills and innovative insights into theories and practices essential to teach music to California’s diverse student population and provide leadership in the field of arts education.

At the graduate level, specialized studies lead to Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in composition; Master of Music (M.M.) and Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degrees in all classical solo instruments, voice, and conducting; and the master of music degree in jazz performance.

Students interested in a concentration in music history and literature should consider the major in Musicology, and those interested in a concentration in world music should consider the major in Ethnomusicology.

The Department of Music, aligned with the departments of Ethnomusicology and Musicology in the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, fosters creative collaboration between performance and scholarship; a cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of musical expression in many forms; and transformative engagement with fellow artists, audiences, and communities both local and global. In short, we strive to prepare students to make the music our world needs now and into the future.

Explore Music Degrees

Conducting
Graduate study and training in choral, orchestral, or wind conducting
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 B.A. and teaching credential in just four years
Music Performance
Study and training towards professional performance careers in Western classical music
Music Performance Jazz
A highly selective M.M. program in partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
Train with Guest Artists

Each year, dozens of guests from Los Angeles and around the world work with our students in masterclasses and performances, helping them further develop their talents. Recent guests have included John Adams, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer; Tim Buzbee, Principal Tuba, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Placido Domingo, internationally renowned tenor; Hershey Felder, pianist, actor, playwright and composer;  Gilbert Kalish, pianist, pedagogue and recording artist; Matthew Howard, principal percussionist LA Philharmonic; Kronos Quartet; Esa-Pekka Salonen, composer and conductor of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra; David Starobin, critically acclaimed jazz guitarist; and John Williams, composer.

John Williams Guest Artist Mask C Left Mask Image John Williams John Williams
New Chancellor Visits the Recording Studio
Chancellor Julio Frenk loves opera. As he gets to know UCLA, he paid a visit to The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to listen to some opera arias during an impromptu recording session.
GRAMMY-Nominated Opera Director James Darrah Joins The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
James Darrah, the GRAMMY Award-nominated director/producer of acclaimed and innovative opera and film productions will join The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music faculty in Fall 2024.
The Joint Music Education Program at UCLA Center X
Professor Lily Chen-Hafteck explains how The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music is helping educate the next generation of music educators.
November 3 Concert to Feature Winning Composition from Resonate Competition
Yi-Ting Lu, a Chicago-based composer from Taiwan, has been selected as the winner of UCLA Library’s Resonate 2024: An Open Access Call for Scores, for her composition, “An Unopened Seashell.” Lu will receive
Summer Dispatches from Students, Faculty & Alumni, 2024
Our students, faculty and alums have had a busy summer. We’ve been collecting their dispatches from Italy to Mongolia, from the Hollywood Bowl to Mannheim, Germany, from South Korea to
Jazz: A Way to Run Your Business, a Way to Run Your Life
JB Dyas, vice president of education and curriculum development at the Herbie Hancock Institute, has a new article in Downbeat Magazine on how the tenets of jazz philosophy have been

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