Winds studies, a specialization within the Instrumental Arts program, surveys Western musical repertoire from the medieval to the modern, emphasizing contemporary styles, diverse musical cultures, improvisation, digital technology, and interdisciplinary media.
Students of flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon explore a full range of challenging repertoire, ensemble performance opportunities, and supplemental coursework in support of their metier.
The curriculum features weekly seminars on performance practice and technique, often with distinguished visiting artists from around the globe. Intensive ensemble work involves performing with an eclectic variety of chamber groups and conducted large ensembles, including the school’s principal conducted faculty-student group, the Ensemble at CalArts.
BFA
The undergraduate track is designed for wind players to master performance skills and attain musical knowledge at the highest level. Students hone their skills through major lessons, studio classes, woodwind workshops, and performance forums, as well as intensive ensemble work. The curriculum also includes classes in composition, creative skills, and pedagogy, allowing students to build a well-rounded, versatile skill set.
MFA
At the master’s degree level, Winds studies provides a challenging forum for highly accomplished students, building on each student’s preexisting practice while encouraging them to apply their unique musical voices to a wide range of different professional opportunities and settings. Students explore advanced performance techniques and a greater range of stylistic directions as they develop their individual artistic profiles and prepare for professional careers after graduation.
In addition to major lessons, winds ensemble, winds workshop, and advanced classes in music history, literature, theory, and analysis, MFA candidates perform in a variety of ensembles. Wind players further hone their skills in extended techniques, improvisation, and interpretation through a number of more specialized groups, covering Baroque, jazz, electronic, improvisational, and creative music, as well as a host of non-Western traditions. As part of the preparation for the professional world, the MFA curriculum also incorporates classes in career design.