School of Music

The School of Music transforms lives through excellence in music teaching, performance, creative activities, research and service.

The Power and Promise of Music

We prepare musicians for professional careers and leadership in music teaching, performance, composition, research and related fields, by offering more than 20 degree programs.

The School of Music enriches the musical life of the university and the Midlands by offering more than 300 concerts and recitals a year. Orchestras, choirs, opera, chamber ensembles and guest artist concerts — most are free to attend — take place in beautiful venues like the Koger Center for the Arts, the School of Music’s Recital Hall and Johnson Performance Hall in the Darla Moore School of Business.

The School also boasts one of America's most robust and inspiring community engagement programs, MUSIC FOR YOUR LIFE, where folks of all ages and from all neighborhoods can study and experience the beauty of music and music-making through accessible and affordable opportunities for music enrichment made available by School faculty, students, staff, alumni and friends including workshops, classes, camps, lessons, and clinics.

music for the public good We believe music is an essential component of the human experience. Our mission is to prepare our students to be skilled music leaders to ensure that they advance the quality of life in their communities by helping to make others happier, healthier, more hopeful and more fulfilled through the power of music. We do this not only by advancing musical instruction at the highest level for students' professional preparation, but also by leveraging the actual daily work done by students and faculty in the teaching and learning of music to unlock music’s unlimited potential to improve lives throughout the Midlands and beyond.

School of Music News

A Taste of the Very Best of What We Do

The Friends of the School of Music are pleased to announce tickets are now on sale for its upcoming Musical Feast on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the Koger Center for the Arts.

Guitar Professor Mak Grgic Wins InnoVision Education Award for Music App

University of South Carolina Assistant Professor of Guitar Mak Grgić's newly released AI-based music education app receives InnoVision Award in Education.

Harmonizing Art and Entrepreneurship: The Eric Duncan Legacy

The Duncan Endowment for Student Composers is evidence of the enduring commitment of Eric Duncan, a 1995 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Music. This initiative annually supports the recording of new compositions by USC graduate and undergraduate composition students.

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Upcoming Events

New Voices: Music by USC Student Composers

Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023

Location: School of Music 206 Recital Hall

Cost: FREE

MIS Cozy Christmas - Music Industry Studies

Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023

Location: See Description for Event Location.

Cost: FREE

MTNA/CPS Holiday Concert

Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023

Location: School of Music 206 Recital Hall

Cost: FREE

View the Calendar

Musical Feast

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.