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Princeton's Music Department serves as the vibrant heart of a rich musical ecosystem that spans the entire campus, connecting academic spaces with performance venues, and bridging faculty-directed ensembles with student-led initiatives. This dynamic hub brings together undergraduates, graduate students, professors, and acclaimed artists who collectively push musical boundaries while fostering community spirit and student wellness. We invite you to engage with us through performances, academic courses, and beyond. Collaboration lies at the core of the department's success, evident not just internally (with graduate composers writing for undergraduate orchestras or musicologists preparing performance editions for student opera productions), but also through partnerships across campus and with external organizations. All Princeton students—regardless of their major—can benefit from instruction by globally distinguished faculty in composition, music history, and theory; receive private lessons from elite performers; join performance ensembles ranging from African music groups to laptop orchestras; and connect with young audiences through Trenton Arts at Princeton initiatives. Performance-focused students can pursue international opportunities like the dual-degree program with London's Royal College of Music, while numerous student organizations—from a cappella troupes to early music societies and composer collectives—offer additional creative outlets.
Academic record is evaluated within the context of your educational system and school curriculum. Your academic record should include any available internal grades from classes, achieved marks from external exams (for example: (I)GCSE, British A-Level, International Baccalaureate, national leaving exams such as Std X/Std XII in India), or a combination of both.
If English is not your native language and you are attending a school where English is not the language of instruction, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System Academic (IELTS Academic) or the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic). You are not required to take the TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic if English is your native language or if you have spent at least three years at a secondary school where English is the primary language of instruction.