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Music at SDSU

Tradition. Excellence. Travel.

The School of Performing Arts is where Jackrabbits come to express themselves through music. SDSU students have been making music on campus for over 125 years.

We are known as a school on the go. The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band has been featured in parades and festivals from coast to coast. Our choral ensembles have performed in some of the most well-known concert halls in the United States and Europe, as well as during prestigious national music conferences.

Not only do our students see the world, we also bring the world to our campus. In our state-of-the-art Larson Memorial Concert Hall, we have played host to performances by Leslie Odom Jr., Wynton Marsalis, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Kristin Chenoweth, the Soweto Gospel Choir and practically all of the top military service bands.

Led by dedicated and knowledgeable faculty who were educated in some of the nation’s most prestigious music schools, our students are challenged to do their best in their studies, whether they be applied lessons, music theory and history courses or in music ensembles. More than 7% of all SDSU students, regardless of their major, participate in the music program each year. For those who want to major in music, three options are available – the Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.), the Bachelor of Arts in music studies and the Bachelor of Arts in music (music entrepreneurship specialization).

Music at SDSU News

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Hiltje Peitz, seventh and eighth grade band teacher at Liberty Middle School in Papillion, Nebraska, directs her student musicians.

Performing arts alum receives Manilow Music Project Teacher Award

A Papillion La Vista teacher and South Dakota State University School of Performing Arts graduate has received the Omaha Manilow Music Project Teacher Award. Hiltje Peitz received the award, along with a $10,000 prize, in July.

A/B Duo to perform at SDSU

The South Dakota State University School of Performing Arts presents the A/B Duo on Monday, Nov. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.

‘New Worlds’ in sound: SDSU Civic Symphony to present fall concert of classical masterworks

The South Dakota State University Civic Symphony will deliver a vibrant celebration of classical music with its fall concert, “New Worlds,” at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.