圣地亚哥加州大学音乐系提供了一个独特的环境，在此环境中，作曲家，表演者，即兴演奏者，计算机音乐研究人员和音乐学者都采用最重要的思想和最新技术，以突破当代音乐的界限。社区重叠的关注点揭示了一个充满传统但不断扩大的地形，令人兴奋的合作气氛和相互尊重的竞争气氛。该系享誉世界的教职员工致力于推动和激发独特的UC圣地亚哥音乐社区。教师和学生经常在音乐会上，在唱片上以及在国家和国际场所一起表演。节日，座谈会和杰出的参观者为我们的合作以及在我们这个时代的背景下研究新的音乐领域和音乐创造了一种激励和动感的环境。在多样化和
The Composition Program is committed to nourishing the individual gifts and capacities of student composers in a diverse and active environment, with an emphasis on intensive personal interaction between faculty and student. The faculty mentor considers a student's particular goals and then attempts to strengthen their technical capacity to meet them. The diversity and liveliness of our program itself often challenges students to reevaluate their goals.<br><br>An incoming student begins with a yearlong seminar (taught by a different faculty composer each quarter) and continues with individual studies thereafter. At the close of the first year fall quarter and again after the following spring quarter, the entire composition community gathers for a daylong jury. Each seminar member is allotted a block of time during which the composition that has just been completed is performed and recorded in a carefully rehearsed presentation. There is a detailed discussion of each work by the faculty composers, and the student has the opportunity to comment, explain, and pose questions. Following the performance and discussions of this day, the composition faculty meets to assess the students work collectively and to offer any guidance deemed necessary. This process is at the root of the uniqueness of the UC San Diego program, and manifests the range, seriousness, and vitality with which compositional issues are explored here.