School of Music | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

chamber music students playing instruments during a recent residency with Jessie Montgomery

photo by Jason Smith

Make music the heart of your education

Grow your talent. Build a foundation. Launch your career.

Why Iowa?

We're a close-knit artistic community within a major research university that's famous for its arts programs. We offer world-class musical instruction, ongoing performance opportunities, state-of-the-art facilities, and solid preparation for your career.

Study Here

professor william menefield, viewed from behind wearing a hawkeye baseball cap turned backward. He's holding up two fingers to the students in front of him holding their instruments

IOWA SUMMER MUSIC CAMPS

It's time to sign up for for specialized musical training and an incredible University of Iowa campus experience!

Build a foundation

Our Bachelor of Music program will help you build a musical career. Our Bachelor of Arts program will let you combine your musical education with any other Iowa major.

Build a foundation

Expand your horizons

Earn your MA, PhD, or DMA studying with internationally respected faculty artists and scholars in a welcoming, supportive community. We offer assistantships and fellowships.

Expand your horizons

close-up of Damani Phillips teaching in class

Learn from experts

Our faculty are outstanding teachers and mentors at the forefront of their musical disciplines. As performers, composers, scholars, educators, and therapists, they are active professionals respected across the nation and around the world.

Learn from experts

Compose your future at Iowa

It’s hard to find a school of music that delivers so many opportunities all within an undeniably individualized and inspirational setting.

Your destination for the Performing Arts

Creativity is at the heart of everything we do. We blend artistry and technology to offer a tremendous variety of ways to enjoy the performing arts.

Guest Artist Highlight

Steven Schick Residency

In October 2024, Hancher Auditorium hosted a weeklong residency led by percussionist, author, and conductor Steven Schick, an Iowa native and UI School of Music alumnus (76BM, 78MA). During his residency, Schick led master classes, gave lectures and a recital, and performed a concert with Iowa Percussion. Additional percussionists traveled to Iowa City from across the Midwest to perform John Luther Adams’ INUKSUIT outdoors in City Park, led by Schick.

Sean Harken portrait taken in Voxman Music Building

“I think it really represents the performance culture at Iowa. It feels triumphant but also inspiring.”
-Sean Harken, on the process of composing the track "Lights Up" for a collaborative Performing Arts At Iowa video project

Read Sean's story

See yourself here

You've worked hard on your music. Now you can use all that creativity and knowledge as your launch pad. If you dream of a musical career—or simply a musical life—Music at Iowa is right for you.

Visit

headhsot of Caitlyn Valencia in Voxman Music Building

“The School of Music is like home to me. There are a lot of different opportunities available for both undergraduate and graduate students. I’ve grown a lot here."
-Caitlyn Valencia

read Caitlyn's story

Write Your Story

Earn a well-rounded liberal arts education—with rigorous, personalized musical instruction at its core.

Apply

“In Iowa City, I discovered a home away from home. I was included right away in the School of Music’s vibrant atmosphere and embraced by a nurturing community that helped me flourish as a person while honing my musical skills.”

- Mady Doucette

read mady's story