Bachelor's in Experimental Pop (BFA)

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a prestigious institution renowned for its comprehensive arts education and innovative programs. With a strong emphasis on creativity and experimentation, CalArts provides students with a platform to explore their artistic interests and develop their unique creative voices. At CalArts, students are encouraged to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and push the boundaries of traditional artistic practices. The university boasts a faculty of experienced artists and industry professionals who provide valuable guidance and mentorship to students, nurturing their artistic development and helping them thrive in their chosen fields. With its vibrant artistic community, state-of-the-art facilities, and a focus on fostering a culture of artistic innovation, California Institute of the Arts continues to be a leading institution for aspiring artists seeking to make a meaningful impact in the creative world.

The Music BFA program offers a broad and rigorous general musical education alongside highly individualized lesson instruction and mentoring. All undergraduate students engage in intensive shared training in musical techniques and concepts spanning classical, jazz, popular, electronic, and experimental styles, and both Western and non-Western musical cultures. They will graduate with experience in creating original work, ensemble performance, music notation and theory, professional development, and artistic metiers outside of music. The BFA curriculum features a network of courses that offer core theory and skills studies, songwriting, arranging, rock and pop history, recording, producing and individual lessons. Students are highly encouraged to add classes in non-Western music, experimental composition and music technology in order to broaden the creative and technical reach of their individual musical voices. From the beginning and throughout their residency, students build and develop a cumulative portfolio of creative work in close collaboration with their mentor. This portfolio is periodically reviewed. In order to obtain the degree, this portfolio must be evaluated and approved by faculty in the student’s final year.