"Music can change the world."    
--Beethoven

Are you ready to change your world?  If music is as necessary to you as breathing, we can help you make that change. The Music department at the Idyllwild Arts Academy has long offered an intensive musical education to an international group of students. It is a performance oriented program offering private lessons with an instructor who is right for you. Many of these talented teachers are active professionals in the Los Angeles area. You put that training to work by performing in on and off campus recitals, concerts, competitions and auditions throughout Southern California. Two solo recitals are required as part of your training.

Our curriculum is designed to support your musical understanding and technical proficiency-which means that you are involved in solo playing plus small and large ensemble work.

Our students fall into four distinct areas: Those who play orchestral instruments, pianists and guitarists, vocalists, and jazz musicians. Although each receives the same core training of music theory, history, class piano and ensemble, each also has courses more specifically designed to supplement the training he or she receives on the major instrument. Some of these include piano literature, vocal and opera literature.

Because your growth is all-important to us, your work in solo recitals, chamber ensembles, orchestral concerts, jazz concerts, and choral concerts is evaluated regularly by the resident faculty.

The following courses or series of courses are required for all Music majors to complete before graduation:

Chamber Ensemble
Class Piano (for non-piano majors)
Music History
Music Theory
Orchestra (for string, wind and percussion instrumentalists)
Private Lessons
Senior Seminar

To successfully complete the Music department course of study and receive a Music certificate upon graduation, senior Music majors are required to perform a full solo recital (minimum 45 minutes of music.) A junior Music major must perform a half solo recital (minimum 30 minutes of music.) Each student performing a recital must successfully pass a recital preview graded by the Music faculty. Previews are designed to ensure that repertoire chosen for the performance is appropriate and prepared for public performance in accordance with Academy standards.

All students perform jury examinations each semester.

Every piano major is expected to participate in an ensemble assignment to be decided by the faculty during orientation. This assignment may be a chamber music group, Accompanying/ Keyboard Skills class or a student accompanying assignment. Piano majors take Piano Literature in their junior or senior year and participate in Piano Performance class every semester.

Voice majors participate in Performance Class, Diction for Singers, Opera Literature and Art Song literature at the discretion of the Music faculty.