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California Institute of the Arts

BFA: Instrumental Arts

The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts

A young woman in a white dress stands at a microphone. Next to her is a large harp wrapped in flowers.

Embrace the unconventional

With a dynamic, nontraditional curriculum, CalArts’ four-year BFA in Instrumental Arts is ideal for instrumental artists who are passionate about pushing the boundaries of music performance and forging a singular career path. The program fosters creativity, collaboration, and innovation, encouraging you to explore and develop your musicianship in exciting new ways. As a BFA student in Instrumental Arts, you can pursue specialized study in the following instrument families: Brass, Guitar, Harp, Percussion, Piano/Keyboard, Strings, and Winds.

A man wearing a black-and-white striped shirt plays a drum set.

Alex Grant, BFA recital

Expand your musicianship

BFA Instrumental Arts

Whichever specialization you choose, the BFA in Instrumental Arts supports your development as a creative and motivated performer who is interested in pursuing instrumental performance at the highest skill level—but not by taking a conventional path. 

Designed for students who already have a strong background in performance and musicianship, the curriculum encourages you to explore your relationship to your instrument in nontraditional directions outside of a conservatory setting. From day one, you’ll be immersed in an environment that celebrates original work, helping you build a strong artistic voice and thrive in a constantly evolving music industry.

All undergraduate programs in The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts offer a broad and rigorous general musical education alongside highly individualized lesson instruction and mentoring. As a BFA student, you’ll engage in intensive shared training in musical techniques and concepts spanning classical, jazz, popular, electronic, and experimental styles, and both Western and non-Western musical cultures. You will graduate with experience in creating original work, ensemble performance, music notation and theory, professional development, and artistic métiers outside of music.

Interested in this program?

View our step-by-step application guide to learn more. 

Start your application

Instrument specializations

  • Brass studies at CalArts—including specializations in French horn, trombone, trumpet, and tuba—is unique and innovative, with a curriculum designed to further develop the role of brass instruments in the present and looking toward the future.

  • Guitar studies offers a comprehensive curriculum representing the full range of roles that the guitar plays in music today.

  • Harp studies enables harpists to explore a full range of repertoire, ensemble performance opportunities, and supplemental coursework in support of their métier.

  • Percussion studies supports students in gaining a broad and comprehensive understanding of the percussion field, acquiring cultural fluency, and developing high-level technical skills on numerous instruments. 

  • Piano/Keyboard studies encourages students to develop and refine advanced performing skills, explore new techniques, and extend their artistic horizons in order to become versatile and resourceful professional performers.

  • Strings studies surveys Western musical repertoire from the medieval to the modern and continues forward, emphasizing contemporary styles, diverse musical cultures, improvisation, digital media, and interdisciplinary performance.

  • Winds studies surveys Western musical repertoire from the medieval to the now, and emphasizes contemporary styles, diverse musical cultures, improvisation, digital technology, and interdisciplinary media.

Admission requirements

To be considered for the BFA Instrumental Arts program, you must complete an application and all program-specific requirements, including a portfolio representative of your work, an artist statement, a brief video introduction, two letters of recommendation, and an audition. Before applying, please familiarize yourself with the detailed application requirements and resources available to assist you in this important process. 

View application requirements

Degree requirements

Each CalArts music student designs a course of study in collaboration with a faculty mentor, with the first two BFA years focused on building a strong foundation in music theory, performance, and diverse musical cultures, and the final two years dedicated to personalized exploration through specialized concentrations, creative projects, and individualized mentorship.

⬆ See each instrument-family specialization above for detailed academic requirements.

In addition to work in your specific program, all undergraduate students must complete requirements in general education, which we call Critical Studies. This liberal arts curriculum is designed to enable students to consider aesthetic questions within larger socio-cultural, ethical, and political contexts.  

View Critical Studies requirements

Minors and interdisciplinary opportunities

CalArts offers students the chance to pursue additional interests alongside your chosen discipline, such as a minor in Music Theory, Digital Arts, or Arts Education.

Learn more about minors and interdisciplinary opportunities 

Courses you might take

What courses would you take as a BFA Instrumental Arts student? Browse the courses offered in the School of Music, including opportunities to study jazz, world music, experimental pop, film scoring, improvisation, electronic music, composition, vocal performance, African and Balinese ensembles, and much more.

Explore our course catalog

Meet the faculty

At CalArts, faculty and students are collaborators, teaching, learning, and working together as members of our community of artists.

Raising Standards: Marcos Mena

Alumni stories

Marcos Mena (BFA 20) returned to CalArts as a visiting guest artist to discuss his band Standards, his time at the Institute, and his musical career and experiences since graduating: “I’m still trying to craft my own sound,” he said. “And I think that should be everybody’s goal.”

Gallery

Some of our alumni

More School of Music alumni

Explore our ensembles

Student Performance

From world music and contemporary jazz to experimental sound art and interdisciplinary collaborations, a dynamic range of ensembles provides students with unparalleled opportunities to explore diverse genres, push creative boundaries, and perform innovative works with renowned artists and peers.

A trio of musicians play guitar, bass, and drums on a small stage

Alexander Grant and Thomas Blumberg, BFA mid-residence recital

Want to learn more?

We got you. Our Admissions team is all about providing the information you need to decide if CalArts is right for you. We’re excited to connect with you for a tour of our legendary campus, a virtual info session, or at one of our admissions events across the country or around the world. Take the next step—we’re here to help.