California Institute of the Arts

CalArts is a multidisciplinary community of artists. Our ongoing educational endeavor is grounded in openness, experimentation, critical engagement, and creative freedom. Through artistic practice, we transform ourselves, each other, and the world.

The Herb Alpert School of Music is committed to fostering experimentation and innovation across an unrivaled diversity of musical styles. Our students are empowered to expand the boundaries of received practice and to develop distinctive voices that stand out in the music world. Others’ standards are our points of departure.

Students develop advanced skills in their area of specialization, while also having opportunities to work across musical disciplines. A CalArts musician may perform and compose for their peers, work on an installation, score a dance, learn to program, record a noise duo, and play in a salsa band—potentially all in the same week. Opportunities abound to collaborate with filmmakers, animators, dancers, actors, theater directors, and writers in other schools.