Music in Piano Performance

Overview

Courses offered by the department include guidance in solo performance, keyboard literature, piano pedagogy, piano four-hands and duo repertoire, collaborative performance with singers and other instrumentalists and harpsichord.

The faculty is among the nation’s most prominent. These acclaimed and devoted teachers are internationally regarded as soloists, recitalists, adjudicators and teachers of master classes and workshops. Although there is no provision for a major in piano pedagogy, faculty specialists offer students interested in teaching careers ample opportunity for intensive study in that field.

The BM in Music in Piano Performance is a four-year, 132-unit program consisting of course work in the major (individual instruction, piano literature, functional skills, piano pedagogy, interpretation of baroque music), core music studies (theory, aural skills, music history, conducting, large ensemble) and University of Southern California's general education and writing program. A senior recital is required.

All curricular requirements are evaluated on an annual basis and are subject to change. Students follow the curricular requirements as published in the USC Catalogue for their year of matriculation. A typical undergraduate credit load is 16-18 units per semester.