History of Music Education at Ferris
Ferris University was founded in 1870, and is Japan’s oldest institution of higher education for women. Musical education has been a major part of the curriculum since the university’s inception, and a professional program in music was established with the hiring of Julia Moulton as music instructor in 1888, making Ferris University the first institution in Japan to offer a full-fledged educational program in western music.

1947 saw the establishment of a three-year degree program in music, followed by a junior college program in 1951. A full four-year degree program was instituted in 1989, and a graduate program leading to a master degree was added in 1998. The faculty at Ferris University College of Music has included distinguished composers such as Ikuma Dan and Yoshinao Nakada and is renowned for emphasizing a combination of academic skills and practical musicianship while providing individual attention to all students in small classes.

The Ferris Seminary in 1875

Institute for Christian Music
Ferris University is first and foremost a Christian university, and given the close relationship between Christianity and the development of Western music, it comes as no surprise that the College of Music places strong emphasis on the study and performance of musical masterworks from this long and distinguished musical tradition.