Our Vision Statement

The University of South Carolina School of Music aspires to be a national leader in modeling the joys of a musical life. We demonstrate this by our commitment to musical and academic excellence, artistic independence and collaboration, curiosity and exploration, mentorship and leadership, and service and community.

Our Values

We develop potential

• Students arrive with limitless potential. Our goal is to help them define their own career success.
• Musical expression exists in many forms. We challenge members of our musical community to broaden their creative and intellectual horizons, develop new skills, and express themselves using what they’ve learned.
• We value critical thinking as well as musical excellence and mastery, understanding that musical study is a lifelong pursuit. 

We collaborate and help each other grow

• Everyone is welcome in our community. We believe that curiosity and diverse talents add richness and benefit all.
• We provide students with many curricular and experiential choices.
• We recognize that music-making and health are interdependent, and have committed resources to support physical and mental wellness.

We are devoted to education in all forms

• We believe musical citizens should be well-rounded. Preparing excellent performers, composers, conductors, scholars and industry professionals also means preparing them to be excellent teachers and mentors.
• We seek to inspire and empower our students to be musical leaders and advocates in their own communities.
• We know that refining and expressing our musical and intellectual gifts requires time and attention. Our mission is to foster that process.

We expand our musical community beyond the walls of our institution

• We believe in the power of music and its ability to transform lives no matter one’s place or circumstances.
• Society and music are changing rapidly; we adapt, innovate, and embrace the unknown.
• We are committed to the principle that music can unite us.
• We seek opportunities to take music anywhere people want to experience it.