2022-23 GUIDE TO MUSIC SCHOOLS

2022-23 Guide to Music Schools
Download the Guide or scroll down to view information for each school
Musical America's new
Guide to Music Schools
We create the Guide to Music Schools each year because change is constant in the performing arts and, even more particularly, in music. If a school wants to keep its enrollment robust, it has to keep up with the times.
Northeastern University, for example, offers Bachelor of Science degrees in, among others, Electrical Engineering and Music with Concentration in Music Technology, and Game Design and Music with Concentration in Music Technology.
From year to year, courses and tracks are added or dropped; career services expanded; tuition increased (usually) or dropped altogether for at least three (it used to be just one) conservatories that are fully funded; collaborations with other institutions or departments are offered for double degrees; audition requirements, teacher-to-student ratios—they all change annually and we make sure stay on top of them for the Guide.
 

2022-23 GUIDE TO MUSIC SCHOOLS

FEATURED SCHOOLS
 

 
 
Evanston, Illinois
With its proximity to the cultural hub of Chicago, conservatory-level musical training and engaging academic environment, Northwestern's Bienen School of Music provides students an educational atmosphere unlike any other. Undergraduates may pursue dual degrees, double majors or an ad-hoc (self-designed) major.
 
   
 

 
 
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston Conservatory at Berklee is internationally recognized as an innovative leader among conservatory programs focused on elevating every aspect of the performing arts. The institution is committed to making all forms of performing arts a more visible and valued dimension of communities here and abroad.
 
   
 

 
 
Los Angeles, California
Students receive full-tuition scholarships, room, and board. The Colburn Orchestra emulates a professional orchestra experience with distinguished guest conductors and Music Director Yehuda Gilad. Students perform alongside faculty and guest artists as part of the Colburn Chamber Music Society. Career development and wellness programs support all areas of student well-being.
 
   
 

 
 
Chicago, Illinois
The DePaul University School of Music offers conservatory style, performance-based study within a large university in Chicago, a destination city for world-class arts. Students benefit from individualized study and rehearsal at the highest level among a supportive community of individuals striving to be their best.
 
   
 

 
 
Toronoto, Ontario, Canada
The success of our graduates, many of whom now have successful international careers as concert and recording artists, is a testament to our focus on performance training. Committed to mentoring, our purposefully small school offers exceptional practice and performance spaces, and 50% more private lesson time with inspiring, well-known faculty.
 
   
 

 
 
Mounds, Oklahoma
This program prepares a student to get a job in the music industry with 15 hours of vital music business information from 40 top-level professionals.
 
   
 

 
 
New York, New York
Since 1905, Juilliard has educated the world's foremost musicians, dancers, actors, and playwrights. Our Lincoln Center campus, with its world-renowned faculty, continues to be a launch pad for the next generation of performing artists.
 
   
 

 
 
Cambridge, Massachusetts
The world needs music now more than ever. At Longy, we prepare students to become exceptional musicians who can engage new audiences; teach anyone, anywhere; and use artistry to change lives in communities around the world. Join us and become the musician the world needs you to be.
 
   
 

 
 
Baltimore, Maryland
At the Peabody Conservatory, we are a community of artists—cultivating excellence, embracing new ideas, and committed to the future of music in our world.
 
   
 

 
 
London, United Kingdom
Trinity Laban is London's Creative Conservatoire: an internationally celebrated centre of excellence, offering world-class training in dance, music and musical theatre, transforming those with potential into resourceful, enterprising and adaptable artistic leaders.
 
   
 

 
 
Cincinnati, Ohio
CCM provides life-changing experiences within a highly creative and multidisciplinary artistic environment. Declared one of this country's leading conservatories by the New York Times, CCM offers nine degree types (BA, BM, BFA, MFA, MM, MA, AD, DMA, PhD) in more than 100 possible majors.
 
   
 

 
 
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
UNCSA School of Music offers a transformative conservatory experience that prepares students for professional careers. The program combines intensive individual study under professional artist-mentors with a variety of performance opportunities including collaborations with other UNCSA arts schools. Students attend master classes with distinguished guest artists and perform in state-of-the-art facilities.
 
   
 

 
 
Los Angeles, California
As the music profession changes, the USC Thornton School of Music offers an innovative education that prepares students for careers at the highest level as performers, composers, educators and industry leaders. We do this while making the most of our location in Los Angeles, the nation’s center for creativity and original art of all kinds.
Our three exceptional divisions offer cross-genre experiences unique among the country’s top music schools. As a leading international research institution, USC offers students a rigorous, global education that enriches their artistic and musical development.
 
   
 

 
 
New Haven, Connecticut
YSM maintains a highly selective admission process, each year admitting approximately 100 students who come from prestigious American and international conservatories and universities to study with Yale’s distinguished faculty. A full tuition award and living stipend is given to all students who are admitted to the School.
 
   

The Crane School of Music
Potsdam, New York
Crane is an undergraduate-focused music school with attentive full-time faculty. We are part of SUNY Potsdam, an arts-centric school, with more than 500 music majors and where 25% of students major in the arts. At Crane, students can choose from a wide variety of programs and majors.
Rochester, New York
Eastman is dedicated to the highest levels of artistry and scholarship and to the broad education of young musicians within the context of a university. Our students enjoy a challenging but nurturing environment that focuses on artistic excellence while encouraging the pursuit of individual paths and interests.
Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music
Orange, California
We specialize in undergraduate education for musicians, promoting their artistic, professional, and intellectual development. Our students enjoy exceptional performance opportunities in state-of-the-art facilities with internationally renowned faculty who know them by name. Come here to hone your craft and turn your passion into profession.
Ithaca College Center for Music is an undergraduate-focused, conservatory-style setting within a comprehensive college in Upstate NY. Each music degree features experiential learning driven by expert residential faculty. Ithaca hosts almost 400 concerts/recitals every year, spanning from Symphony Orchestra to Steel Drum Ensemble; Contemporary Ensembles to Choir; and everything in-between.
Northeastern University Department of Music, College of Arts, Media & Design
Boston, Massachusetts
The Department of Music at Northeastern is devoted to offering graduate and undergraduate majors, combined majors and minors a cross-disciplinary approach to research and practice in music, underscored by real-world experiential learning and cutting�edge technology.
Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin Conservatory focuses on undergraduate pre-professional musicians in classical, contemporary, jazz performance; composition; and electronic music. Two graduate programs�Piano Technology and Recording Arts & Production�lead to Artist Diplomas. The conservatory is embedded within the premier liberal arts environment of Oberlin College and is renowned for the Double Degree Program.
Pacific Region International Summer Music Association Festival & Academy
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
PRISMA prides itself on its focus not only on the technical aspects of music education but on the care it takes to ensure a positive experience-one that brings people together through a shared love of music. It has an exceptionally supportive environment for learning and performing together.
London, United Kingdom
The Royal College of Music is one of the world's greatest conservatoires. Ranked the top global institution for performing arts in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022. We have nurtured exceptional musical talent for more than 140 years and welcome students from all over the world.
The Shepherd School of Music
Houston, Texas
The Shepherd School of Music provides a dedicated faculty of artist-teachers, extraordinary performance opportunities, beautiful facilities, and an unparalleled education at one of America's premiere universities.
Tianjin, China
The Tianjin Juilliard School uniquely focuses on collaborative musicianship, emphasizing a commitment to ensemble playing of the highest artistic level. Our programs reflect the best of educational standards, preparing students for a lifetime of creative expression, of engagement and growth as an individual and as a musician.
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
Ann Arbor, Michigan
The School's unique relationship as a part of the U-M, ranked as one the top universities in the U.S., provides students with a vast array of options and opportunities. All of our degrees require some academic coursework, most of which can be selected from any area of the University.
Salt Lake City, Utah
The School of Music's state-of-the-art facilities include four concert halls that support live streaming, an opera production center, a music library dedicated to student success, and a music technology studio with the latest gear.

Additional Schools
Academy of Vocal Arts
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Adelphi University
Garden City, New York
Arizona State University School of Music, Dance and Theatre
Tempe, Arizona
Bard College Conservatory of Music
Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
Biola University Conservatory of Music
Biola University
La Mirada, California
Blair School of Music
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
The Buchmann-Mehta School of Music
Tel Aviv University
Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas
Carnegie Mellon University School of Music
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland, Ohio
Columbia University, Teachers College
New York, New York
Coservatorio di Musica "Arrigo Boito"
Parma, Italy
Curtis Institute of Music
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
East Carolina University School of Music
Greenville, NC
Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin
Berlin, Germany
Florida State University College of Music
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
The Fredonia School of Music
State University of New York at Fredonia
Fredonia, New York
Frost School of Music
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
Hugh A. Glauser School of Music
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio
The Hartt School
University of Hartford
West Hartford, Connecticut
iClassical Academy
Crans-Montana, Switzerland
IU Jacobs School of Music
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana
JAM MUSIC LAB Private University for Jazz & Popular Music Vienna
Vienna, Austria
Manhattan School of Music
New York, New York
Mannes School of Music
The New School
New York, New York
Robert McDuffie Center for Strings
Mercer University
Macon, Georgia
New England Conservatory
Boston, Massachusetts
New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy
Miami Beach, Florida
The Ohio State University School of Music
Columbus, Ohio
Peck School of the Arts
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco, California
Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia
UC Berkeley Department of Music
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
University of Illinois School of Music
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, Illinois
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Department of Music & Dance
Amherst, Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
Lowell Department of Music
Lowell, Massachusetts
Westminster College of the Arts
Rider University
Lawrenceville, New Jersey