University of Southern California Thorton School of Music is the oldest continually operating music institution in Los Angeles. The school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in musical instruments including strings, piano, winds, percussion and jazz and classic guitar as well as non performance-based degrees like music education, musicology and music industry. The school has strong ties to the music and motion picture industry in Los Angeles and frequently hosts lecturers, performances and workshops with members of the L.A. Chamber Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic as well as composers for film and television.
The California State University System includes 23 universities, 14 of which have Music Departments that offer a bachelor of arts in music. California State University Long Beach's Bob Cole Conservatory of Music offers both bachelor and master of arts or in music with specializations in all major instruments as well as composition, vocal, music education and music history. Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in an instrument at an admissions audition. The school has a number of opportunities for students to practice and perform through organized annual events and the conservatory's wind symphony, symphonic band and concert band.
The University of California System includes 10 universities, six of which offer degree programs in music. The University of California San Diego offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in music including degrees with a concentration in jazz, composition, performance, technology and music of the African Diaspora.
University of California Irvine's music department offers bachelor of arts in music open to all students which focuses on music history, theory and composition and a bachelor of music in performance which requires advanced skill in a musical instrument or vocal ability. Both schools require an entry audition demonstrating proficiency in the chosen instrument or vocal performance.
Pepperdine University is a private four-year university located in Malibu that offers a bachelor of arts in music. Students are encouraged to expand musical ability through historic and theoretical studies as well as performance. Music majors are required to participate in at least one Pepperdine University music ensemble including the university symphony, jazz band, chamber singers or concert choir throughout the four-year program, as of 2011. Students are also required to pass a piano proficiency exam in order to graduate.
Occidental College is small liberal arts college located in Los Angeles. The music degree program focuses on providing students with a broad analytical vision of music as a cultural expression through study of the world's musical traditions, composition, theory and history. The school also has a choral glee club that performs frequently and tours internationally every three years..