The School of Music transforms lives through excellence in music teaching, performance,
creative activities, research and service.
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.
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
We Are the Music
Against the backdrop of trauma caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, school shootings and social unrest, Schlegel, Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education at the University of South Carolina, sees an even greater need for hope, positivity and support. She believes music offers a unique pathway to bring people together.
Wellness Comes Full Circle
Under blue skies on a Friday morning in June, 25 residents and staff members from Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community gathered on the facility's Mansion Porch for a drum circle led by School of Music Professor of Music Education faculty member Wendy Valerio.
UofSC Music Series Helps Give Artists Social Voice
An endowment from the Racial Justice and Equity Research Fund at the University of South Carolina helped underwrite the commissions of two new compositions and their recordings.
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