Welcome to the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music! Founded in 1920, the college offers a wide range of programs for undergraduate and graduate study, uniquely combining advanced musical training with professionally oriented experiences and the rich resources of a leading research university. Active as award-winning professional performers, composers and scholars, College of Music faculty members are committed to helping students develop their talents and succeed in their chosen musical endeavors. The college offers seven undergraduate and graduate degrees in 23 fields of study, along with an array of interdisciplinary opportunities, including certificates in music technology and entrepreneurship. Ensemble experiences include a full complement of concert and jazz bands, choirs and symphonic orchestras as well as chamber groups, pioneering world music ensembles and a state-of-the-art laptop orchestra. The College of Music presents more than 400 musical events to the public each year, ranging from fully staged operas to early and new music performances. |
Brass and Percussion | Graduates of the Brass and Percussion program at CU Boulder hold positions in orchestras, military ensembles, chamber groups, colleges and universities and public school music programs around the world. Recent successes include positions in the Louisiana Philharmonic, U.S. Army Field Band, New World Symphony, Sarajevo Philharmonic and many more. Additionally, students have been admitted to prestigious graduate schools and have been successful in major competitions including Fischoff, Falcone and others. |
Composition | Our faculty bring with them years of experience as award-winning, active composers. In addition, each year we host an impressive variety of guest composers and performers. Recent guests have included George Crumb, William Bolcom, Leslie Bassett, John Harbison, Joan Tower, Judith Bettina, Skin & Bones, Michael Daugherty, Roger Reynolds and many others. |
Conducting | Welcome to Conducting at the University of Colorado Boulder! We welcome graduate students to join our program and study conducting with our acclaimed conducting faculty. Conducting students in the MM and DMA degree programs may concentrate in the choral, orchestral or wind/band areas. Major work in the conducting degrees includes advanced conducting, analytical studies, score reading, orchestration, arranging, performance-related writing and conducting practica. |
Jazz Studies | Welcome to the award-winning Thompson Jazz Studies Program at the University of Colorado Boulder! Our program offers specialized instruction in jazz performance and pedagogy for trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, saxophone and drum set, and we welcome the participation of students across the CU Boulder campus, regardless of major, in our jazz ensembles. |
Music Education | Welcome to Music Education at the University of Colorado Boulder! Our experienced educators teach undergraduate and graduate courses aimed at preparing students for a career in music education; combined with unique programs and opportunities for involvement, the CU Music Education program has resulted in 100 percent job placement for our graduates. |
Musicology | Welcome to Musicology at the University of Colorado! We offer courses in the history of Western music in all historical periods; ethnomusicology, including courses in African, Japanese, Latin American, American Indian, and Euro-American musics; and in special topics such as aesthetics, music and ritual, progressive rock, history of opera, and world music theories. |
Piano and Keyboard | Welcome to the Roser Piano and Keyboard Program at the University of Colorado Boulder! We are home to passionate educators and performers skilled in all facets of keyboard study, including solo performance, pedagogy, collaborative piano, chamber music, organ, harpsichord, literature, jazz performance and improvisation. |
Strings | Welcome to the Strings Department at the College of Music! Our 11 professional faculty offer high-level experiences for string players through weekly individual lessons and through the opportunity to participate in various outstanding ensembles. Weekly performance classes are a vital part of the core curriculum and give the string players a regular forum for their solo and chamber music repertory. |
Theory | Welcome to Music Theory at the University of Colorado Boulder! Music theory forms an integral part of each College of Music student’s education, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate music majors take required courses in Music Theory (semesters 1-4) and Aural Skills (semesters 1-4), along with upper-division electives in tonal analysis, post-tonal analysis, counterpoint, jazz theory, composition and music technology. Graduate students may pursue study in advanced topics in music theory and analysis. The Master’s in Music Theory equips students for theory teaching and original research and prepares them for advanced doctoral study. Beginning in Fall 2018, the college also offers a Graduate Certificate in Music Theory for currently enrolled master’s, doctral and PhD students. |
Voice and Opera | Welcome to Voice and Opera at the University of Colorado Boulder! Well-known across the United States for producing superior musicians and scholars, we are one of the top vocal music programs in North America. The department is particularly renowned for its vocal pedagogy program, which follows in the tradition of CU voice professors Berton Coffin and Barbara Doscher, as well as its emphasis on choral research. |
Woodwinds | Welcome to woodwinds at CU Boulder! This area comprises six artist teachers who represent the performance areas of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and saxophone. We are all active as performers and pedagogues, and are recognized nationally and internationally as leaders in our field. |
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Undergraduate |
Bachelor of Arts |
Bachelor of Music |
Bachelor of Music Education |
Graduate |
Master of music Performance / Pedagogy |
Master of Arts |
Master of Music Education |
Artist Diploma |
Post Graduate |
Doctor of Musicical Arts |
PHD |
Doctor of Philosophy in Music |
Certificate |
Graduate certificate in Music Theory |
Artist Diploma in Opera and Solo Vocal Performance |
Artist Diploma in String Quartet Performance |
Artist Diploma in Solo Instrumental Performance |
Artist Diploma in Chamber Music Performance |
Artist Diploma in Orchestral Performance |
Artist Diploma in Vocal Coaching |
Certificate in Arts Administration |