The Sante Fe University of Art and Design offers a degree program in Contemporary Music. The program helps prepare students for performing and composing careers as contemporary musicians as well as working "behind the scenes" as a music producer, recording engineer and more. The bachelor's degree program provides instruction in music theory and music history. The course of study gives students the skills to create audio for multimedia and film, compose and arrange songs and take management roles in the performing arts.
Santa Fe New Music is a non-profit organization which aims to promote understanding of, participation in and enthusiasm for new classical music. It operates several programs which offer students the opportunity to create and perform music. The New Mexico Young Composers' Project offers youth in the area, many from under-served populations, the chance to produce a bi-annual youth opera. Commission Club develops music-based outreach programs for children, youth and adults through service-providing nonprofit agencies. These programs provide outreach and education which involves participants in planning and implementing music productions.
The Sante Fe Public Schools provides music instruction in the schools from kindergarten through 12th grade as part of its SFPS Music Education Programs. The program offers general music classes from kindergarten through fifth grade and adds strings/orchestra, choir and band instruction in the middle school years. Students, teachers and other school personnel operate a yearly MusicFest in Santa Fe to promote the schools' music program, involve parents and the community in helping to advance the program and gaining the community's support for the music programs.
The Suzuki Music School of the Santa Fe Talent Education Center teaches children as young as three years old to play stringed instruments through the Suzuki method of instruction. The school provides private lessons as well as group lessons and invites the community to the semester recitals. The Suzuki method provides a holistic approach to music education as the student learns to play the instrument by building the foundation of listening, reasoning and, judging together with coordination, confidence, math skills, spatial thinking and cooperation. Students who study an instrument in the Suzuki style learn to read music only after they have mastered basic playing skills.