The Rocky Mountains in Colorado provide a scenic setting for musical studies.
Colorado is well known for its skiing, but it also has schools and performance venues for musical talent. The state's major universities offer music departments and schools for budding artists. Once they complete their studies, music students have opportunities to perform in orchestras throughout the Centennial State. Some of these include the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra.
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado at Boulder is less than an hour north of Denver and features the College of Music. This college offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Music departments include voice, opera and choral, jazz studies, conducting and musicology. The university also features the American Music Research Center, a music depository with records and information on the history of American music. Boulder's College of Music also has the Musicians' Wellness Initiative; its classes provide information on somatic training and prevent injury while performing.
Rocky Ridge Music Center
The Rocky Ridge Music Center is in Estes Park, a small town in the heart of Colorado's Rocky Mountains range. This music center was founded in 1942 and has music camps for musicians of all ages. The Music Center provides teaching through its staff and guest musical artists. The camps occur in the summer. Rocky Ridge hosts the YAS Composer Workshop, a monthlong camp that focuses on the composition of original works. This music school auditions talent throughout the United States in the late winter and early spring.
Colorado State University
Located in Fort Collins, Colorado State University's Department of Music provides undergraduate and graduate studies. Areas of concentration include music therapy, keyboard study, music education and conducting. The Department of Music has ensemble performance groups specializing in opera theater, orchestra and jazz. Colorado State's Conducting Seminar allows music educators to obtain their master's degree in music education without having to leave their current profession. During the summer, the university hosts its annual Rocky Mountain Summer Music Camp.
Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts
The Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts is in Lafayette, a small city less than 10 minutes from Boulder. This school emphasizes musical studies and is available to music students of all ages. The center provides studies for ensembles, such as the Bell A'Capella, a voice ensemble with no instruments, and Broadway Boomers, where the focus is on singing Broadway classics. The Rocky Mountain Center also allows home-school students to participate in music and voice classes.
University of Denver
Downtown Denver is home to the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music. The School of Music is in the Newman Center of the Performing Arts. Undergraduate degrees include audio production, composition and voice. The school also offers master's degrees in music theory, musicology and conducting. The University of Denver lets music students perform in Gates Hall, a 977-seat performance venue, and the Williams Recital Hall, which is for more intimate performances.
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