Music industry and innovative conservatory training in an urban liberal arts setting.
Occidental, the only liberal arts college in the heart of Los Angeles, gives students unparalleled access to the world’s most vibrant musical scene, where some of the most exciting and diverse music is being made today. At Oxy, named one of Billboard Magazine’s Top Music Business Schools, you will work side by side with our faculty of world-class musicians, producers, and scholars to explore, experiment, create, and communicate.
Develop Your Creativity
Occidental allows you to be the driver of your college education. Sing in the chorus of a local opera production – students are able to participate in Pacific Opera Project productions through the Oxy’s partnership with that group. Compose new music and have it premiered by LA’s best professional musicians – thanks to Oxy’s Fund for New Music, students in Composition seminar do just that every semester. DJ for the campus radio station and produce live sets on the quad – the campus radio station, KOXY, hosts events every semester. Work with a faculty mentor on a summer research project – Occidental offers summer research grants to over a hundred students every year. Study an instrument with our world-class faculty – Oxy’s music department faculty includes active professionals ranging from recording artists to members of the famed Los Angeles Philharmonic. With a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and a diverse community of passionate students, Oxy offers you the chance to explore what interests you with like-minded individuals at your side.
The Well-Rounded Musician
The breadth of a liberal arts education gives you the choice to synthesize your own comprehensive skill set. Singers learn choral conducting. Composers take psychology and linguistics. Music producers study Afro-Cuban drumming. Instrumentalists double-major in scientific fields like physics and geology. Music studies at Occidental span the range of musical skills and beyond to produce savvy musicians.
