The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree program enables students to study music history, music theory, composition, or performance within a curriculum that is flexible enough to allow for a second major, study abroad, and other curricular options. The curricular philosophy of the Department of Music is based on the ideals of the conservatory within the academy. The faculty are concerned with the performance and creation of music within the context of the highest standards of historical, aesthetic, and theoretical inquiry. The faculty includes composers, musicologists and music theorists, conductors, and performers. All members of the faculty are highly active in their fields as publishing scholars, concert and recording artists, and well-known composers. Many of the instrumental instructors are drawn from the ranks of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony, and other orchestras in Southern California. The department also presents frequent performances and master classes by renowned guest artists, and houses several state of the art music technology facilities. The Honors Program in Music and Culture is designed to challenge superior students in the B.A. or B.Mus. program beyond the academic requirements of the Music major. It provides them with the opportunity to advance their knowledge in the scholarly fields of music while developing their writing, analytical, and research skills. The honors program is ideally suited for students who wish to study music at the graduate level, but not in performance, and who may be preparing for graduate work in arts criticism, the humanities, the social sciences, and the law.
