Jacobs School of Music facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
Address
1201 East Third Street Bloomington , Indiana
Information
Type	Public
Established	1921; 104 years ago (1921)
Dean	Abra K. Bush
Enrollment	More than 1,500
Campus	Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.
Information	812 855 1583
Website	music.indiana.edu

The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music is a famous music school in Bloomington, Indiana. It started in 1921. Before 2005, it was called the Indiana University School of Music. Over 1,500 students attend this school. About half of them are studying for their first college degree. It has the second-largest number of students among all music schools approved by the National Association of Schools of Music.

History of the Music School

In 1907, a person named Charles Campbell helped organize a music show. The money from this show helped create a fund for a music school at the university. In 1909, he gave talks about music history. These talks eventually led to a full music department.

In 1919, Barzille Winfred Merrill became the head of the music department. He worked hard to make it a separate School of Music. He also pushed for a new music building. This building opened in 1937 and was later named Merrill Hall in 1989. In 1921, the Department of Music officially became the School of Music. Merrill's daughter, Winifred Merrill Warren, was a talented violinist. She taught at the school from 1938 to 1961.

In 1938, Robert L. Sanders became the Dean. He was the youngest dean the school ever had. Thanks to him, the school joined the National Association of Schools of Music. He also helped build the Hall of Music, now known as the Indiana University Auditorium. In 1941, the Indiana University Auditorium opened. It hosted many events, including performances by the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo.

In 1942, the school put on its first full opera, Cavalleria rusticana. That same year, the Metropolitan Opera Company visited IU for the first time. They performed Aida. They continued to visit for the next 15 years, bringing two operas each time.

In 1982, the famous composer Leonard Bernstein spent six weeks at the school. He worked on his last opera, A Quiet Place.

In 1980, the School of Music started a weekly radio show. It featured students and teachers playing chamber music. By 1981, this show was broadcast across the country.

In 2005, the school received a huge gift of $40.6 million. This gift came from Barbara and David H. Jacobs. Because of their generosity, the school was renamed the Jacobs School of Music.

In 2009, Leonard Bernstein's family gave the school a special gift. It included everything from Bernstein's conducting studio.

Learning and Programs

How to Get In

To get into the Jacobs School of Music, students must audition. This can be a live audition or a recorded one. About 25% of undergraduate students are accepted. For graduate students, about 30% are accepted. However, the acceptance rates can be very different for various programs. Each new freshman class has about 200 students.

Music Groups and Ensembles

Most students at the school must join a music group, called an ensemble. They participate in an ensemble every semester. Some degree programs require students to join specific groups. Most ensembles require an audition to join.

Because the school is so large, it has many different groups. There are thirteen choirs, three bands, and seven orchestras. These groups play many different styles of music. Some examples include the Opera Chorus, Symphonic Band, and Philharmonic Orchestra. There are also various jazz groups.

Students who focus on performance also play chamber music. These are smaller groups, often formed by students. A teacher usually coaches them. Students who want to conduct or play solos with an orchestra can also form their own groups. These are completely run by students.

Special Contemporary Music Groups

The school has two top groups that play new music:

• The New Music Ensemble: This group started in 1975. It includes the best musicians from the school. They play modern pieces.
• NOTUS: This is a choir of 24 voices. They sing modern choral music, especially by living composers. They often perform new works by students and teachers. This group also tours around the country.

Opera Performances

The Jacobs School of Music is well-known for its long history with opera. The school puts on five operas and one musical each year. They perform classic operas by composers like Mozart and Verdi. They also perform older Baroque operas and new contemporary works. All the singers and chorus members are students. Many of the crew members are students too.

Study Programs Offered

The school offers many different types of music degrees. These include Bachelor of Music (B.M.), Master of Music (M.M.), and Doctor of Music (D.M.) degrees. They also offer Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. Students can also earn a "Performer's Certificate" or "Artist's Diploma." These are for students who show amazing performance skills. The school also has degrees in Historical Performance. Students can even combine their music studies with other subjects. This is called a Bachelor of Science in an Outside Field (B.S.O.F.).

Awards and Honors for the School

The Jacobs School of Music has received many honors. Magazines like Change and U.S. News & World Report have ranked it as one of the best. Classical Singer magazine listed it as the top voice school in America. Students from the IU School of Music often win big awards. They frequently win at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in New York City. The school has had 33 grand winners in total. Twenty students and alumni have also won BMI Student Composer Awards. In April 1981, the opera program made history. It was the first non-professional group to perform an opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Teachers and Professors

The school has over 175 full-time teachers. These include performers, scholars, and teachers who are famous around the world. Many other top musicians and experts visit the school each year. They give special classes, lectures, or work as guest directors.

You can find a list of current teachers on the school's website.

School Buildings and Spaces

The school has five buildings in the middle of the IU Bloomington campus. These buildings include concert halls, over 170 practice rooms, and rehearsal rooms. There are also more than 100 offices and studios.

Musical Arts Center (MAC)

The Musical Arts Center, known as the MAC, is the school's biggest performance building. It was finished in 1972. The building has a round opera theater with seats for 1,460 people. It also has space for a 100-piece orchestra. The MAC also contains studios, classrooms, and rehearsal areas for music and ballet. The backstage area is very large, taking up more than half of the building. The stage is often compared to the one at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. The MAC hosts six operas and three ballets each year. It also holds orchestra concerts.

A large sculpture called Peau Rouge Indiana sits on the lawn in front of the MAC. It was fixed up in 2007.

Simon Music Center

The Simon Music Center opened in 1995 after a big renovation. It holds the William and Gayle Cook Music Library. It also has Auer Hall, Ford-Crawford Hall, and Sweeney Lecture Hall. The Latin American Music Center, classrooms, and offices are also here.

Auer Hall

Auer Hall is on the second floor of the Simon Music Center. It was made possible by a $1 million gift from Ione B. Auer. This auditorium has 400 seats and a high, decorated ceiling. It is home to the Maidee H. and Jackson A. Seward Organ. This organ has almost 4,000 pipes.

Famous People Who Attended

See also

In Spanish: Escuela de Música Jacobs para niños