Undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members are all members of one community in the Department of Music. While it is natural for students to bond with others in their major or their studio, there are many opportunities to form close friendships with students in other majors: in class, in ensemble rehearsals, at friends' performances, and around campus and D.C.

A special opportunity in our department is the many chances that undergraduate students have to work and perform alongside graduate students. Freshmen are onstage with graduate students in our opera productions, and undergraduates play alongside graduate students in the orchestra and sing with them in the choruses and the Chamber Choir. This interaction allows for a valuable peer learning experience not available at many university departments of music.