About the School

The School of Music at Texas Tech University prepares professional musicians and educators, provides every student at the University a chance to experience music, and serves as a center of musical art and culture for Lubbock and the surrounding West Texas area. In addition to its primary responsibilities to music majors, the School also provides numerous courses and activities for musical amateurs and other non-music majors.

Over 500 students are enrolled as majors in the School of Music. This size is ideal in affording a pleasant atmosphere ensuring complete instrumentation for the larger ensembles as well as individual attention for students in private applied music study, in classes, and in the many small ensembles.

The faculty includes a performing specialist on all band and orchestral instruments as well as piano, voice, organ, harp and guitar, and specialists in conducting, composition, electronic music, music education, musicology, world musics, and music theory.

In addition to the music holdings of the campus library, the School maintains a smaller reference library of books and an extensive library of recordings and scores. Included are over 10,000 recordings and 2800 study scores. In addition, tutorials used in conjunction with music theory classes are available on Macintosh computers, and music writing and word processing software can be used on Macintosh computers attached to a laser printer.

Performance facilities include 541-seat Hemmle Recital Hall which houses an 81-rank Holtkamp Organ consisting of 4271 pipes. Also used for performances are one Bechstein and two Steinway grand pianos, a Kingston French double harpsichord, and a Martin harpsichord. The campus is also fortunate to have a 36-bell carillon.

Texas Tech music graduates have distinguished themselves in a variety of ways, from winning Fulbright and other advanced study fellowships to performing professionally. Many are outstanding teachers in public schools, colleges and universities, while others have achieved fame in such specialized areas as electronic music or performance on the Metropolitan Opera stage.

The School of Music is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music and offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in music.