In 1919 Barzille Winfred Merrill took the position of department head and worked to create a separate school of music.

In 1941 the Indiana University Auditorium was dedicated and offered 15 events including appearances by the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo and the San Carlo Opera Company.

In 1982 Leonard Bernstein spent six weeks at the school to work on his final opera, A Quiet Place.

In its first year, the series featured student and faculty performers and was broadcast on six Indiana stations.

By 1981 (and through 1984), "Music from Indiana" had achieved national syndication on American Public Radio, and in 1983, the number of stations carrying the program had jumped to 54.

Drummer, composer, and educator Sean Dobbins serves on the jazz faculty at Jacobs.

or Bachelor of Science in an Outside Field in some select areas of study so that students may diversify their education outside of the standard prescribed curriculum.

Honors for the school include being ranked first in the nation by Change magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and U.S. News & World Report.

IU School of Music voice students are frequent winners in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in New York City each spring.

In addition, many top musicians and scholars come to the school each year to give master classes and guest lectures or to serve as visiting artistic directors, conductors, and faculty.

The school's facilities, including five buildings located in the heart of the IU Bloomington campus, comprise recital halls, more than 170 practice rooms, choral and instrumental rehearsal rooms, and more than 100 offices and studios.

Designed by Indianapolis architect Evans Woollen III and completed in 1972, it is an example of the Brutalist architecture style.

Currently, the MAC hosts performances of six operas and three ballets annually, as well as orchestra concerts.

Peau Rouge Indiana, a large sculpture by Alexander Calder, sits on the lawn in front of the MAC.