In November 1949, the Labor Specialized Course was renamed the Art Department, which consisted of music and art majors with a four-year schooling period. In April 1950, in order to meet the needs of secondary education teachers, the Art Department also established a two-year Specialized courses in music and art.

In 1958, the departments were restructured. The Art Department of Northwest Normal University and the Chinese Department of Lanzhou University merged and were independently established as "Lanzhou Art Institute". In 1962, the School of Art was abolished, and the music and fine arts departments returned to Northwest Normal University, and the music and fine arts departments were established separately.

In January 2006, in order to further promote the development of various disciplines, the School of Music of Northwest Normal University was established. The School of Music consists of the Department of Music, Department of Digital Music, Department of Dance, Department of Instrumental Music, Department of Vocal Music, Western Music Research Center, Digital Music Laboratory, Data Center, "Western Music Culture" Editorial Department, Teaching Steering Committee, Academic Committee, Music Technical secondary school department and other internal structures. It has two master's degree programs in art and musicology, and recruits master's degree students in seven directions, including vocal music, instrumental music, composition, Chinese traditional music, northwest minority music, music education theory, and Western music.

The Conservatory of Music has a teaching staff with rich teaching experience, solid foundation, high level of scientific research and creation, and strong overall strength. Currently, there are more than 50 professional teachers in ***, including 11 professors and 8 associate professors. 2 have doctoral degrees and 18 have master's degrees. Since 2000, he has published more than 10 monographs and more than 200 academic papers. He has successfully held the "China-Austrian Music Week", the 11th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Traditional Music Society and the First Huaer International Academic Symposium, and China STN Digital Music Education conference, Chinese Music Education Society composition theory teaching seminar and other large academic conferences.

The School of Music of Northwest Normal University is one of the eleven physical education and art teacher training bases established by the Ministry of Education across the country. The art discipline was selected as a key discipline in colleges and universities in Gansu Province from 2002 to 2005. The college has a music teaching building, a dance teaching building, and a student practice building. There are two digital piano classrooms, two computer music classrooms, one multi-functional hall, one audio and video studio, one recording studio, one concert hall with more than 400 seats, and a STEINWAY concert grand piano worth 1.3 million yuan. , a YAMAHA grand piano, 10 K·KAWAI grand pianos worth 130,000 yuan, more than 150 upright pianos and hundreds of other Western and ethnic orchestral instruments. The needs of teaching and concert performances are ensured.

The Conservatory of Music currently recruits four-year undergraduate programs in musicology, music performance, and dance performance; two-year junior college programs to undergraduate programs; self-study undergraduate programs; three-year secondary music junior college programs, and master’s degree programs in musicology and art.