Music and Dance

School of

Music and Dance

The premier educational institution of music and dance in the Pacific Northwest, this is the home stage for one of the largest full-time, in-residence music faculties in the West.

World-class faculty members—renowned performers themselves—teach an astonishing diversity of courses, guide more than 30 student ensembles, and manage more than 300 shows annually, featuring visiting professors, guest artists, faculty artists, and students in our state-of-the-art facilities. Here, you’ll discover countless opportunities to hone your craft and shine in the spotlight.

New Dance Degree

The University of Oregon is the first in the state to offer a bachelor of fine arts in dance, and the only BFA degree nationwide to place equal emphasis on dances of the African diaspora and those of European roots.

Music Dance Music and Dance Majors

Lexi Slovik

Majors: Music Technology
Hometown: Crestline, California
Class: 2018

Lexi transformed her lamp into a musical instrument for a performance with the Oregon Electronic Device Orchestra. She had a little help from the technology that Hollywood uses to design one-of-a-kind sounds like spaceships, aliens, and light sabers. Next, Lexi’s building a guitar-like instrument out of infrared sensors and a programmable computer chip.

Habib Iddrisu

Assistant professor, dance and ethnomusicology

Movement, rhythm, history, and stories—the magic happens when you blend them all together. Habib, named Ghana’s best dancer in 1993, founded the UO’s Dema African Dance and Drumming Ensemble, open to all students, faculty, and staff. The artists of Dema weave multiple modes of visual and physical storytelling from across Africa into what Habib calls a total African performance experience.