Popular Performance at Arts Academy
Why Study Popular Performance
From dance hits to moody blues, soulful r&b to nostalgic folk, punk rock to alt rap, at Interlochen you'll learn to play and express yourself through various styles while developing your own unique sound. Through intensive practice and performance, you'll gain your command of multiple genres and prepare for a successful professional career.
What You’ll Learn
In the Popular Performance track, you'll take a combination of private and studio lessons. You'll learn essential aspects of performance and develop the necessary skills to perform at your highest level on stage and in the studio, with a strong foundation in music theory and musicianship.
Your experienced instructors have extensive teaching and industry expertise. They'll help you discover your personal style, build confidence, and cultivate your unique artistic expression. Your faculty will also provide guidance to support your college search or career path.
As a student at our boarding school for popular performance, you will:
- Demonstrate efficient and professional practices in rehearsal and performance
- Analyze various musical styles throughout history
- Perform on your primary instrument, which includes voice
- Collaborate with other Interlochen students, writing songs, arranging instrumentation, and performances
- Communicate personal musical vision to others using common music theory terminology and notation systems including Nashville numbers, charts, and lead sheets
- Understand how to best support an artist’s music and explain another artist’s vision to a musical group or producer
- Learn the skills and confidence it takes to be a music director
- Create and promote student-run performances
- Create professional-quality recordings of songs using digital audio workstations
- Build a professional portfolio of repertoire
For more information on graduation requirements and academic curriculum, please visit Academy Academics.
Guest Artists
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Sydney James Harcourt, musician, actor, dancer, and theatrical producer
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Quiana Lynell, blues and jazz singer, arranger, songwriter
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Makeba Riddick, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter
Program Highlights
Music Theory
In addition to working extensively on your performance skills, all music majors at the Academy take Music Theory courses. In these courses you’ll receive thorough training in all basic musicianship skills; you’ll preview advanced, college-level theory; and you’ll explore the creative process through composition of concert music.
Awards & Honors
Interlochen Arts Academy Popular Performance students have the opportunity to pursue awards such as Interlochen's own prestigious Fine Arts award and the National YoungArts Foundation's Voice award.
The Music Center
Our state-of-the-art 60,000 square-foot music facility has two 3,500 square-foot rehearsal halls, two recording studios which allow for rehearsal and performance recordings in multiple venues on campus with multiple ensemble and practice rooms, and individual faculty teaching studios. Learn more about The Music Center.
College Matriculation
Popular Performance students regularly enroll in top music programs and conservatories including:
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Belmont University
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Berklee College of Music
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California Institute of the Arts
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Detroit Institute of the Arts
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Institute of Contemporary Performance
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Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
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Los Angeles College of Music
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Loyola University
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Musicians Institute
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The New School
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New York University
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Syracuse University
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University of Hartford
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University of Miami
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University of Southern California
Dive deeper into Interlochen Arts Academy with a free digital viewbook
In our free informational booklet, you'll learn more about:
- Each of our seven arts areas
- Renowned faculty
- College-preparatory academics
- Student resources
- How to apply and financial aid information
- And more