Drake University Department of Music
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Dynamic teachers. Personal attention.
A world of performance opportunities.
Welcome - and thanks for your interest in the Department of Music at Drake University! All applicants to the Drake University Department of Music must complete the application and admission process to Drake University. Details are found here.
There is a $35 fee to use the Acceptd portal to apply and audition for our department.
Whether live on one of our in-person Audition Days or recorded via video submission to Acceptd, your audition for the Drake University Department of Music serves both as your audition for entrance to the department (whether as a major, minor, or non-major participant), and as your audition for scholarship awards. We are eager to meet you and to hear your audition, and look forward to our upcoming interactions!
Drake music students share in the excitement that comes from working with renowned artists who are committed to excellence. Opportunities abound, enabling students to succeed in their chosen field, whether it’s performance, education, music business, or research.
“The Drake music faculty always prompt students to think critically. My private instructor provides the tools to make these decisions to that I can try and stand out as a professional with a highly personal and well-informed conception of my craft.” ~Paul Virgilio, Cello performance major and Des Moines Symphony Orchestra cellist
Drake offers the best of both worlds: a music department that is large enough to support a vast range of musical activities, but small enough for students to receive highly personalized instruction and individual mentorship. This breadth and depth brings Drake students flexibility in career choices. Graduates of the Drake Department of Music are well-trained and well-rounded musicians who are highly competitive in today’s complex and fluid musical world.
"My time at Drake University set me up for success. Being an all undergrad music institution, I was afforded opportunities vastly beyond what my counterparts at other institutions were receiving. With top-notch professors, staff, and fellowship students to push me to greater heights, I could not imagine a better place to go for undergraduate music! Drake encouraged me to take auditions, which led to summer programs, which led to graduate school at the Boston Conservatory, and most recently, my Metropolitan Opera Principal Artist debut.” ~Eric Michael Ferring, Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, 2014
Options are plentiful in Des Moines, Iowa's capital and a lively center for arts, culture, and entertainment as well as business and government. Drake students earn positions in the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and perform in many other venues in the metro area as well as on campus.
Degrees
Bachelor of Music Education (instrumental or choral)
Bachelor of Music in Performance (instrumental and vocal)
Bachelor of Music with Elective Studies in Business
Jazz Studies Concentration (combined with a major)
Music Minor (combined with a major)
Scholarships
The Department of Music offers more than $850,000 annually in scholarships to incoming students, awarded on the basis of the audition. Approximately 98 percent of Drake full-time undergraduate students receive financial aid, totaling more than $45 million in institutional aid annually.
Department of Music
1-800-44-DRAKE, x3975
locally and from outside the U.S.: 1-515-271-3975
Office of Admission
1-800-44-DRAKE, x3181
locally and from outside the U.S.: 1-515-271-3181
For international students: international@drake.edu
Visit Campus
Take a look at Drake by arranging a campus visit. The Office of Admission is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round. Campus visits are also available on select Saturdays in the fall and spring. Call Drake’s toll-free number to schedule an appointment. Visitors are encouraged to call two weeks in advance to schedule appointments.