Welcome from the Director

Welcome to the John J. Cali School of Music. Our school has entered a new and exciting time in its history. We moved into a new building in the summer of 2009. This new facility offers a fine environment for teaching, rehearsing and performing, and supports further development of programs that have long been known for their excellence. I encourage you to explore online to get to know our exceptional school.

Robert Aldridge
Cali School Director

Mission

John J. Cali School of Music is committed to providing a creative and challenging environment in which our students have access to a high-quality, affordable education and excellent faculty who inspire and prepare them to serve the community as educators, performers, composers, therapists, and scholars in the musical arts.

Values:

Learning — The Cali School shall create well-rounded students in music and the liberal arts, with the skills and knowledge to pursue successful careers and to make meaningful contributions to society.

Creativity — The Cali School shall foster musical creativity among students, faculty and the larger community served by the School.

Diversity — The Cali School shall attract a student population and faculty that reflect the cultural diversity of our society.

Accessibility — The Cali School shall seek to ensure that talent and the desire and ability to benefit from the educational programs of the School are the determinants of admission to the School, and that, through the provision of scholarship opportunities, students with those attributes shall not be prevented from access to the School as a result of financial need.

Community — The Cali School shall contribute to broad access to rich musical experiences for the citizens of New Jersey, the nation and the world.

School Overview

The School was established in 2006 in recognition of Montclair State University’s long tradition of academic and artistic excellence in music.

The Cali School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance, theory/composition, music education and music therapy. Graduate programs also include certification programs in education and therapy, the Performer's Certificate and Artist's Diploma.

Cali's faculty are recognized as superb artists and educators. They have received local, regional, national and international acclaim for performing, composing and conducting as well as for their scholarship and research. The curriculum is structured so that students may all have contact with as many faculty as possible.

We take full advantage of Montclair State's proximity to the cultural riches of New York City. Guest artists regularly complement our excellent permanent faculty.

The Cali School presents over 100 performances each year by students, faculty, guest artists and the Shanghai Quartet. Students have opportunities to learn and perform off campus. Recent performances include the MSU Chorale's performance of the Beethoven Ninth Symphony with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Jazz Band's performances at Lincoln Center. Cali students may also participate in international exchange programs at the Moscow Conservatory of Music, Liszt Academy in Budapest, Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Slovakia and the University of Graz in Austria.

The members of the eminent Shanghai Quartet have been artists-in- residence since 2002. In addition to teaching, coaching, and reading the works of student composers, they perform regularly on campus.

Unique Program — Cali is home to the Harry Partch Instrumentarium, the world's most extensive collection of instruments by the pioneering mid-20th century composer. Partch developed an original microtonal tuning system and built special instruments for performance of his compositions. Cali students can study microtonal music by composing and participating in the MSU Harry Partch Ensemble.

The Cali School, part of the Montclair State University College of the Arts, moved to historic Chapin Hall in 2009. The facilities include the 250-seat Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall, rehearsal halls and studios, practice rooms, a music therapy suite, and a room dedicated to the collection of works by composer George Rochberg, an alumnus of the University.

Photo Credits: Michael Peters [top four]; Steve Hockstein [bottom]