Music

The Department of Music brings together world-class music-making and cutting-edge scholarly research. Serving a broad and diverse constituency on campus and in local communities, the department hosts an abundance of courses, concerts, performance opportunities, research projects, workshops, and lectures throughout the year.

At Stanford, music is studied not only as an art form but also as a scientific, technological, and cultural phenomenon. Our alumni go on to become university and conservatory faculty, acoustic and music technology researchers, members of major orchestras, soloists, chamber musicians, sound artists, and composers or arrangers in contemporary, film, and game music.

Academic Programs and Musical Training

The Department of Music offers comprehensive, multidisciplinary training designed to support both performance excellence and academic inquiry across several core fields:

• Creative and Performance Pathways: Providing expert instruction in composition, conducting, and performance, allowing students to develop their individual artistic voices.

• Scholarly and Historical Studies: Grounding students in the rigorous study of music history, ethnomusicology, and music theory.

• Technological and Scientific Innovation: Exploring the intersection of music, science, and engineering through studies in cognitive science, intermedia, and computer-based technologies.

Ensembles and Interdisciplinary Collaborations

The department is characterized by its vibrant ensemble culture and deep ties to other academic disciplines across the Stanford campus:

• Diverse Performance Ensembles: Open to all students on campus, our ensembles span a variety of world cultures and genres, including orchestras, jazz and chamber ensembles, taiko, guzheng, steelpan, and multiple choral groups.

• Interdisciplinary Connections: Department faculty maintain active affiliations with numerous campus departments, programs, and centers. Key collaborations bridge music with Art and Art History, Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, German Studies, Islamic Studies, Neuroscience, and Symbolic Systems.