Santa Clara University

Mission Statement

The Department of Music at Santa Clara University is committed to the education of the whole person: intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual.

The goal of the Department of Music is to provide an inspiring environment that engages all university students and ensures that music flourishes as an essential element in the university’s intellectual, cultural, and experiential life. The Department advocates a dynamic variety of approaches to music, including individual and collective expression, performance, observation, reflection, immersion and service learning, and outreach.

The Department of Music offers courses that contribute significantly to the University Core curriculum, and offers a Music Major, Music Minor, and with the Department of Theater and Dance, a Minor in Musical Theater. Preparing for graduate study and diverse careers in music and other fields, students develop a comprehensive understanding of a global musical heritage that embodies multiple aesthetic ideals.

Students work with dedicated faculty, many of them on the leading edge of their fields, to appreciate the great role music and musicians play in today’s cultures and societies. The Department enriches and provides cultural depth to campus and community by hosting over 100 musical events each year in the form of concerts, workshops, master-classes and performance series.
Each academic year the Department of Music presents numerous guest artists, lecturers, and scholars from related fields, providing the greater community with enrichment and the opportunity to interact with students and faculty through a variety of forums.

The Department of Music recognizes the capacity, opportunity, and responsibility the performing arts have to further global cognition, champion social justice, and help produce leaders for a diverse world. Through study, performance, and experiences of music, we seek to invite, nurture, and engage our students, our community, and ourselves in the discovery and appreciation of the vast array of musical styles and cultures of yesterday and today. The exploration and encouragement of a life balance that includes the comprehensive study of music and the arts is at the heart of the Music Department’s mission.