Prospective Students

Welcome!

Welcome to the Department of Music! Cornell’s music department offers a wealth of exciting courses, music-making opportunities, a world-class library – and the promise of lifelong friendships and extracurricular interests around music. We hope you’ll take advantage of visiting campus, getting to know faculty and students, and taking a virtual tour of Lincoln Hall and our performance venues. Be sure to look at our event calendar and join us in the audience!

We look forward to making your transition to college life intellectually stimulating, artistically creative – the most memorable time of your life.

With all best wishes,

Ariana Kim, Director of Undergraduate Studies

Find your musical outlet at Cornell!

Participating in music at Cornell provides fantastic opportunities for students to become engaged in a community, explore a creative outlet while pursuing other interests, and take advantage of the superb resources and teachers here! 

One of the biggest reasons Tanvi Athavale ‘23 chose Cornell is because it had programs that fit exactly what she wanted to do! “The ISST major is kind of perfect for my interests and I also loved that Cornell would allow me to continue playing the violin at a high level and complete a music minor while studying something else as my major.” 

Adedayo Perkovich ‘25 is grateful for the amazing opportunities she’s come across in Cornell Music. “I haven't even finished my first year! From playing for Professor Wynton Marsalis to singing with a collection of historical pianos, Cornell has so much to offer.”

“I'm very pleased with the role music has played in my life during my time here at Cornell, and I eagerly look forward to the exciting musical projects in the coming years,” said Luke Ellis ‘24. “I remain extremely thankful to have encountered such passionate and competent mentors throughout high school and now at Cornell.”

The most exciting part of Elisabeth Wang’s ‘23 musical journey has been connecting with others through music at Cornell. “I’ve met some of the most amazing people through music classes and ensembles, and we have a strong community within the chimes program.”  

Caroline Hinrichs ‘22 came to Cornell for academic excellence and applied learning, but quickly became involved with Cornell Music. “[M]aking music within a supportive community has been one of the defining experiences of my college experience here.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about becoming involved in the music department.

Visiting campus/trial lessons

Click here for more information about visiting campus

Select studios offer the opportunity for trial lessons, as well as virtual options. Contact the faculty member noted below for more information.

Instrument Faculty Contact Email
Violin/Viola Ariana Kim arianakim@cornell.edu
Cello John Haines-Eitzen jah242@cornell.edu
Piano Visit cupiano.org  
Jazz Paul Merrill pm75@cornell.edu

Student News

Blog posts from students discuss different ways of being involved in music on campus. Visit the News section of our website for additional interesting stories, and follow us on social media for more about our students and events!

See a need on campus? Start a new club

Students find community in a cappella group

Student finds opportunity to travel through passion through music

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