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California Institute of the Arts
The School of Music at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) strives to create a learning environment to support the informed, creative music maker. High standards, a focus on new and experimental forms, and a respect for great musical traditions are the School’s hallmark and its formula for success. In addition to cross-stylistic collaborations within the School of Music, students work with visual artists, filmmakers, animators, dancers, actors, and writers from the five other schools at CalArts.
The School of Music offers rigorous training in a unique variety of musical styles and cultures, from chamber and orchestral music to computer music, from opera to interdisciplinary performance, from jazz improvisation to the musical traditions of Africa, India, and Indonesia. With approximately 250 students and a 5:1 student-faculty ratio, the School of Music offers one of the most intimate learning environments available. Every student works closely with a mentor, a faculty member who serves as that student’s artistic and academic advisor.
Programs of Study The School of Music offers undergraduate programs that lead to a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree or a Certificate of Fine Arts. Graduate programs lead to a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree or an Advanced Certificate of Fine Arts. Prospective students are invited to apply to the following degree programs: Composition Program (B.F.A., M.F.A.), with a specialization available in experimental sound practices for M.F.A. only; Jazz Studies Program (B.F.A., M.F.A.); Multifocus Programs in Performance (B.F.A., M.F.A.), including the Wind/Brass/String Instruments Program, the Harp Program, the Piano/Keyboard/Collaborative Keyboard Program, the Guitar Program, the Percussion/World Percussion Program, and the Voice Program; Multi Focus Music Technologies Program (B.F.A. only); Performer/Composer Program (Upper-division B.F.A., M.F.A. only), with a specialization available in African American improvisational music; World Music Performance Program (B.F.A., M.F.A.), with specializations available in African music and dance (M.F.A. only), Balinese and Javanese music and dance (M.F.A. only), North Indian music (M.F.A. only), and World Percussion (M.F.A. only).
Every B.F.A. student pursues course work in three areas: the School of Music core curriculum, the critical studies undergraduate requirements, and his or her specialized program curriculum.
M.F.A. students concentrate primarily on advanced work in their respective programs. They are generally not required to take core curriculum and critical studies courses. M.F.A. students may be required, however, to take core curriculum courses to strengthen their musical skills and/or theoretical knowledge. Qualified graduate applicants may also apply to be considered for a supplemental concentration in integrated media (IM), a course of study focused on interdisciplinary work with digital media.
All B.F.A. and M.F.A. programs offered by the School of Music have their own integral curriculum. The School, however, encourages courses of study that draw on the resources of several programs. Faculty mentors guide students in designing such courses of study.
The School of Music offers more than 200 courses each semester. Music students may also take advantage of numerous elective courses offered throughout CalArts. In order to graduate, students must complete all program and course requirements and pass regular faculty member reviews of their artistic and academic progress.
Program Facilities Most large-ensemble performances take place in the Roy O. Disney Music Hall, a multipurpose space with adaptable acoustics, lighting, and sound features. This hall is used for both traditional and experimental events. Additional concerts are presented in the Walt Disney Modular Theater and the Main Gallery.
An important new addition to the School of Music’s resources is the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT), a performance and exhibition space that opened in November 2003 in downtown Los Angeles. Housed as a separate entity in the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall complex (the new home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra), REDCAT features CalArts student, alumni, and faculty member work as well as that of visiting artists.
The School of Music has more than twenty-five practice rooms, many with pianos, including special rooms for piano and percussion majors. All rooms are available around-the-clock when school is in session.
CalArts’ sizable instrument collection features fifty pianos, three harpsichords, an organ, and a celesta; three harps; various strings, woodwinds, brass, and early European instruments; numerous orchestral and nontraditional percussion instruments; Balinese and Javanese gamelans; African drum ensembles; and sarods, sitars, tabla, and other Indian instruments.
The School of Music has extensive state-of-the-art facilities for using computers and interactive media to create, perform, record, and print music. Studios support classes in composition, synthesis, and scoring; digital recording, editing, and processing; multimedia design; telecommunications; and software and hardware development. All studios are open around the clock during academic sessions.
Faculty, Resident Artists, Alumni CalArts’ faculty features innovators and leaders in each specialty—composers, performers, and producers who have distinguished themselves at the highest levels. All faculty members are practicing professionals and can prepare students for the demands of a global music community.
The School of Music regularly invites celebrated artists in a variety of specialties to share their experience and insights with students and to supplement the expertise of regular faculty members. They may perform, conduct their compositions, give master classes and workshops, and teach courses or lessons.
CalArts alumni have made their mark on every aspect of musicmaking, including professors at distinguished music schools, performing and recording artists, composers, computer musicians, and the like.
Student Performance/Exhibit Opportunities The School of Music’s performance schedule features more than 250 concerts every year, running the gamut from informal noon concerts and student-organized jam sessions to formal on-campus evening events and performances at high-profile venues throughout the Los Angeles area. Faculty members play alongside students at many of these concerts.
Application ProceduresDeadline--freshmen and transfers: January 4. Notification date--freshmen and transfers: April 1. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, 2 letters of recommendation, audition, portfolio for composition applicants, recorded audition for jazz applicants. Recommended: interview. Auditions held 1 time on campus and off campus in New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Interlochen, MI; Valencia, CA; San Francisco, CA; recorded music is permissible as a substitute for live auditions whenever needed and videotaped performances are permissible as a substitute for live auditions whenever sound reading is not available. Portfolio reviews held on campus.
ContactMs. Natalie Brejcha, Admissions Counselor, California Institute of the Arts, 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, California 91355; 661-255-1050, fax: 661-253-7710.
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