The Piano/Keyboard specialization of the Instrumental Arts program is structured for students of piano and other keyboards to develop and refine advanced performing skills, explore new techniques, and extend their artistic horizons in order to become versatile and resourceful professional performers.
The program of study encourages students to expand their versatility by investigating topics such as extended piano techniques, harpsichord, jazz, improvisation, and pedagogy. Students further refine their practice through experimentation and cross-disciplinary exploration, acquiring the creative versatility and global cultural awareness to apply their individual musical voices to a broad spectrum of professional opportunities and settings.
At both the BFA and MFA levels, students explore a broad spectrum of repertoire, from Baroque to the very newest music, and enjoy numerous opportunities to perform classical and contemporary music in solo recitals and as part of chamber music groups and large conducted ensembles, including the school’s principal conducted faculty-student collaborative unit, the Ensemble at CalArts.
BFA
BFA degree requirements:
Undergraduate students participate in a rigorous pre-professional training program of study, developing their skills through major lessons, piano workshops, and performance forums. The curriculum covers Western classical music from the Baroque to cutting-edge contemporary styles, while faculty encourage students to incorporate diverse musical cultures, improvisation techniques, digital media, and interdisciplinary performance into their individual studies. The curriculum also includes classes in composition, creative skills, and pedagogy, allowing students to build a well-rounded, versatile skill set.
MFA
MFA degree requirements
Master’s degree candidates are encouraged to experiment and expand beyond their metier. The MFA offers an environment in which accomplished students of piano and other keyboards can explore advanced performance techniques and branch out in new stylistic directions, allowing them to shape their individual artistic profiles and prepare for careers in the professional music world.
In addition to major lessons, piano workshops, performance forums, and advanced classes in music history, literature, theory, and analysis, MFA students play in chamber groups and large ensembles. They further develop more specialized skills through electives (harpsichord, jazz piano, jazz keyboard) and ensembles focused mostly on jazz, improvisation, and experimental music. The MFA curriculum also incorporates classes in pedagogy and career design, as well as in movement (yoga for musicians, African and Indonesian dance, and offerings in other schools at CalArts).