Are you a passionate person who enjoys music and wants to make it a job and are seeking for the best music schools in the globe to assist you reach this goal?
Please read this article attentively to learn how we figured this out. We will show you the best music schools that are also reasonably priced.
As a music student or an individual with an interest in music, it is expected of you to hunt for good musical schools all over the world to help you reach your vision or dream of being a top rock artist, or just about any other dimension in which you wish to ply your trade.
This list of music schools includes the most well-known music schools in the United States and around the world, and it is open to both local and international students from all over the world.
For an overview, please review the table of contents below.
What exactly are Music Schools?
When you take “music” out of “school,” all that remains is school. Yes, the music school is a school, but not just any school.
A music school is a specialized educational institution that focuses on music instruction, training, and research.
Aside from “music school,” it is also known as a music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department, conservatory, or conservatoire.
They all signify the same thing; the only difference is that schools around the world will use whichever name they like.
While many artists attend music schools, other countries require pupils to learn music at various levels of their education. As a result, music can be studied at the primary, secondary, and postsecondary levels.
However, for the sake of this piece, we will focus on tertiary music institutions.
Why Should You Go to Music School?
A career in music is successful due to a variety of characteristics such as abilities, ability, and education. Many will say that ancient men did not go to school to study music and yet they were skilled at it.
That is true, but the world has changed, and we now go to school for things that did not previously require schooling. Music is not immune to this, and music schools can truly help you.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Attending a music school early in childhood allows you to form relationships that will last throughout your musical career.
You will meet industry professionals who will become future bandmates, business partners, coworkers, and clientele. - Some will also serve as mentors, advisors, and friends to you.
- Music schools give you exposure to the music industry.
- Many good music schools throughout the world will provide you with access to industry specialists who will teach you things about the art that classroom study can never teach you.
- Most importantly, music schools will enhance your knowledge and abilities.
- You may be born with the intrinsic ability to play wonderful music, but you will not be able to refine this skill to perfection until you attend a decent music school.
- Aside from that, music education will help you grow as a person outside of music. It is not uncommon to see gifted musicians lose their careers by leading risky lives.
- Colleges and universities have a way of delivering knowledge that goes beyond what you learn in your major.
- This new information contributes to your personal development and helps shape your life.
Is a degree required to become a musician?
To become a musician, you basically need life-long training.
Although formal education is not required in the music industry, possessing one will be a huge advantage. In fact, aside from increasing your skills, as we discussed above, formal music education is required to occupy specific professions in the music industry.
A bachelor’s degree is required to work as a music director or composer. In the same line, a graduate degree is required to teach music at the university level.
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Depending on the career route you pick in music, you can obtain an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree.
A music degree will teach you the fundamental principles and practices of songwriting and instruments. Many associate’s degree programs allow you to specialize in one area of music, such as string instruments, keyboard, piano, or vocals.
A Bachelor’s Degree in music, on the other hand, develops your musical abilities by requiring you to take coursework in music theory, composition, and aural training.
You will almost certainly take further courses in conducting, performance, orchestration, and instrumental approach.
A Master of Music degree teaches advanced parts of music composition, theory, and allows you to specialize.
So, depending on your concentration, you’ll focus on jazz, piano, guitar, or orchestral conducting and take specific training.
A Doctorate in Music, on the other hand, is not so dissimilar.
You must still select a speciality.
The degree will prepare you to command well-known bands or orchestras, teach college-level courses, or work in music administration.
If you intend to pursue a bachelor’s degree in music at a music school, you might examine these 17 Undergraduate Scholarships For Music Students.
What are the earnings and job prospects for musicians?
Musicians, with or without formal education, receive a reasonable or satisfying income for the hour of performance.
The musician’s salary is mostly determined by his popularity. Nonetheless, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2018 data, Musicians and Singers make an average hourly income of $28.15.
There were 187,600 employment available for musicians that year, and with a 0% job growth rate, the job prognosis from 2018 to ’28 is little or no different. on the other hand, provides an average annual estimate compensation for musicians. Musicians earn an average of $46,744 per year, but this figure varies depending on the position.
Composers earn an average of $38,783 per year, Market Research Analysts get $57,599 per year, Organists earn $34,608, and Music Producers earn $82,109 per year.
World’s Best Music Schools
Here are the best 20 music schools in the globe in various nations, with a high admission rate, low tuition prices, and an excellent academic environment to help you reach your musical goals.
- The Juilliard School in New York, USA
- Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Moscow Imperial Conservatory is located in Moscow, Russia.
- Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts
- South Kensington, London: Royal College of Music
- New Haven, Connecticut’s Yale School of Music
- The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is located on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, USA.
- Paris Conservatoire (Paris Conservatory).
- London’s Royal Academy of Music
- Glasgow, Scotland: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
- New York City’s Manhattan School of Music
- Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music
- Music Conservatory of San Francisco
- Oslo’s Norwegian Music Academy
- Stockholm’s Royal College of Music
- The University of Southern California’s Thornton Music School
- Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music in Tennessee
- Cleveland Institute of Music is located in Cleveland, Ohio.
- The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland.
Make certain that these universities have graduated excellent musicians, including some of the world-renowned musicians you listen to today.
As a result, you could be on your way to becoming a huge deal. EXPLORE!
The Juilliard School
The Juilliard School is located in New York, United States. The address is #60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, USA.
The Juilliard School, founded in 1905, is widely regarded as one of the greatest music schools in the world, according to a spate of rankings.
With a sophisticated musical atmosphere, you will find a clear amount of possibilities to pick from.
It collaborates with other recognized music schools in and outside of the United States to maintain its standing as a top music school.
If you didn’t already know, it collaborates with Lincoln Center, one of the most well-known hosts of musical concerts around the world.
Meanwhile, at the Juilliard School of Music, you can study Instruments, Vocal Arts, Jazz Studies, Historical Performance, Composition, and Orchestral Conducting.
6.4% acceptance rate
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Tuition is $41,310 USD.
The New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music is located at 290 Huntington Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts.
The New England Conservatory of Music, which competes with Berklee College for the second best music school in the United States, has become a popular choice among students.
Because of its founding in 1867, it is one of the world’s oldest and best music schools, and it has retained its renown despite competition from other prominent music schools.
Berklee is known for developing and fostering pop singers and rock bands, whereas New England Conservatory is known for training and nurturing future talented musicians in the dimensions of stringed and bass instruments.
The College offers a 5-year course collaboration with the esteemed Harvard University that can take you and your profession to new heights.
34% acceptance rate
Tuition is $46,930.
Moscow Imperial Conservatory
Moscow Imperial Conservatory is one of the best music schools in the world and one of Russia’s most prized possessions, and there is no reason why it should not rank fourth on our list of top music schools.
The Conservatory, which was founded in 1866, has a rich history, particularly because it is one of the country’s oldest conservatories.
Great musicians such as Sviatislov Richter, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Kabalevsky Rachmaninoff studied and made a career out of music here.
The Moscow Imperial Conservatory offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and research.
At Moscow Conservatory, you can also pursue a bachelor’s degree in music performance, a master’s degree in music, and a doctorate in research.
28% acceptance rate
Tuition ranges from $9,672 USD to $11,326.42 USD.
The School of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.
Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
This university was founded in 1817 and is one of the world’s oldest, as well as one of the largest and most prestigious music institutions.
It has been the hub and heart of music and arts since its inception, and it has graduated some of the world’s most prominent artists, including Mahler and Brahms.
At the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, you can study any speciality in music through its 25 departments.
These departments include the departments of popular music, music therapy, voice and music theatre, and so forth.
5-8% acceptance rate
Tuition per semester is €363.36 (£289.78).
The Royal College of Music is located in South Kensington, London.
The address is Prince Consort Rd, Kensington, London SW7 2BS, UK.
The Royal College of Music is one of the world’s greatest music institutions; a conservatoire founded by royal licence in 1882 in the big city of South Kensington, London, UK.
It provides chances in all aspects of Western art and performance, composition, music theory, and history, from the undergraduate to the PhD level.
This public university in the United Kingdom was named the top performing arts university in both the United Kingdom and Europe in the QS 2018 World University Ranking, and its alumni include Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Ireland.
The acceptance rate is 25%.
Tuition is £24,100.
Address: 98 Wall St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
The Yale School of Music
The Yale School of Music is a music school in the United States. Master of Musical Arts (MMA), Master of Music (MM), and Ph.D. in Musical Arts (DMA)
degrees are available at the graduate level, as well as a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Music program in collaboration with Yale College, a Performance Certificate, and an Artist Diploma.
Meanwhile, Yale School of Music is a private university and one of Yale University’s 12 professional schools.
It was founded in 1894 and now offers high-quality music degrees and certificates through its eminent staff.
8% of applicants are accepted.
$34,000 in tuition
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is located on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. The address is 77 W College St, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA.
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a music school in the United States that was founded in 1865 on the campus of Oberlin College. It is the second oldest conservatory and the oldest continuously functioning conservatory in the United States of America.
You can earn a degree in both music and traditional liberal arts fields at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
The school, however, has more undergraduate students than graduate students.
Popular programs at Oberlin include the Bachelor of Music, Performance Diploma, and Master of Music Conducting.
The acceptance rate is 25%.
$55,052 in tuition
Paris Conservatoire (Paris Conservatory)
Paris Conservatoire (Paris Conservatory), 209 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris, France.
The Conservatoire de Paris is a prominent music and dance college founded in 1795 and affiliated with PSL Research University.
This institution is located on the Jean Jaurès avenue in Paris’s 19th arrondissement.
The Conservatoire provides all nurturing in music, dance, drama, and other associated activities based on the School’s development.
28% of applicants were accepted.
€ 5,000 in tuition
The Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music is located at Marylebone Road, Marylebone, London NW1 5HT, UK.
The institution is one of the UK Music schools, located in London, England, and was founded in 1822 by two men, John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa.
It got its Royal Charter from King George IV in the record-breaking year of 1830, thanks to the assistance of the first Duke of Wellington.
The Royal Academy of Music teaches music at all levels, from infant to professional.
Thus, its senior academy confers the LRAM credential, whilst the main academy confers the Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) and Ph.D. degrees in Music.
10% acceptance rate
£11,350 – £25,100 in tuition
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is located in Glasgow, Scotland. The address is 100 Renfrew St, Glasgow G2 3DB, UK.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, formerly known as the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Theater, is a dance, drama, cinema, music, and production school located in the heart of Glasgow, Scotland.
Although this Scottish conservatory was founded in 1847, it just began giving degrees in 1993.
The conservatory is so well-known that it has become one of the busiest performing arts venues in Scotland, hosting approximately 500 public performances each year.
Students can earn degrees, certifications, and diplomas from any of its institutions, including the School of Music, the School of Drama, Dance, Production, and Film, and the Junior Conservatoire.
The Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is located at 130 Claremont Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA.
The Manhattan School of Music is a private music school in New York City, New York. Undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in classical and jazz performance are available at the school.
This Manhattan music school began as a private music school in 1917 and has since produced prominent alumni such as Raymond Beegle, Paul Cohen, and Gabriela Beaková.
46.1% of applicants were accepted.
$44,000 in tuition
The Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is located at 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA.
The School is a conservatory in the United States that offers musical courses of study leading to a performance degree, diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, or Professional Studies Certificate.
The Pennsylvania Institute
The Pennsylvania Institute of Music is a minor school that was founded in 1924.
It has 167 students and a highly demanding admissions process.
4.4% acceptance rate
$2,525 in tuition
Slemdalsveien
Slemdalsveien 11, 0363 Oslo, Norway is the address for the Norwegian Music Academy in Oslo.
The first Norwegian school on our ranking of the world’s greatest music schools.
The conservatory is located in Oslo, Norway, in the Majorstuen, Frogner area, and is the most extensive music school in Norway, providing the highest quality of music education in the country.
It is a university college that offers both undergraduate and postgraduate education.
This Norwegian Conservatory educates students to become musicians, composers, and teachers of folk music, church music, classical music, and jazz music.
In addition, the school is Oslo’s largest concert organizer, hosting over 300 events every year.
Acceptance Rate: Unknown
Tuition: $1,000 USD per year
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music is located at 50 Oak Street in San Francisco, California.
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is regarded as one of the best music schools in the city.
Every year, about 400 undergraduate students, including graduate students, are admitted to the school, which also has a Pre-College Division for aspiring musicians.
This San Francisco conservatory, founded in 1917, provides undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate studies in areas such as brass, conducting, guitar, keyboard, voice, technology, and applied composition.
Its learning curriculum incorporates history, theory, and the humanities into its music study.
46.7% of applicants were accepted.
Tuition is $43,410 USD.
The Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is located in Valhallavägen 105, 115 51 Stockholm, Sweden.
The Royal College of Music, founded in 1771 as the conservatory of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, is one of Sweden’s premier music institutions and the country’s oldest music school.
In 1971, the conservatory was secluded and left to its own devices.
UniRank ranks this Swedish university 32nd in Sweden’s higher education system.
You can enroll at this Swedish conservatory’s degree program to become a composer, conductor, instrumentalist, or vocalist and join its hundreds of distinguished alumni.
Jazz, Classical, Folk Music, Music Education, and more genres are represented in its music department.
10% acceptance rate
Tuition: 250,000 SEK per academic year.
The University of Southern California School of Music
The University of Southern California School of Music is one of the top music institutions in the United States; it was established in 1884 and dedicated in 1999.
The Institution is the oldest continuously operating arts school in Southern California, having been founded four years after the University of Southern California.
USC Thornton Music School
USC Thornton Music School is an established conservatory in the United States.
It is one of the few music schools in the United States that provides an Early Music degree program.
In addition to classical and jazz departments, it was the first university to offer a degree in popular music performance and songwriting.
Choral music, composition, keyboard studies, and pedagogical technology are some of the additional music programs offered at USC.
The acceptance rate is 20%.
Tuition is $57,256.
If you plan to study music at USC, you should look into the University of Southern California International Undergraduate Scholarships in the United States.
Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music
Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music is located at 2400 Blakemore Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee.
Blair School of Music is regarded as one of the best music institutions in the United States.
Vanderbilt University, a strong research university in Nashville, Tennessee, offers undergraduate programs in music performance, history, and theory.
Blair School of Music began as a tiny private music school in 1964.
It has about 190 undergraduate students but no graduate students because no graduate programs are available.
This Nashville music school, on the other hand, offers music instruction and classes to over 800 pre-college and adult students.
The acceptance rate is 20%.
Tuition is $44,900.
The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University
The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland.
1 E Mount Vernon Pl, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.
This is a conservatory in North Charles, Maryland, USA, situated near the iconic Washington Monument circle.
This school is well-known around the world for welcoming international students who are passionate about music.
Meanwhile, the Peabody Institute is the music school at Johns Hopkins University.
It was founded in 1857 but joined JHU in 1977. It is also the country’s oldest conservatory, offering diploma, certificate, undergraduate, and graduate degrees in music.
Bachelor of Music is one of its most popular degrees (BM). Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Master of Music (MM), and Graduate Performance Diploma (GPD).
52% of applicants were accepted.
Tuition is $51,077.
Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland Institute of Music’s address is 11021 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
The Cleveland School of Music is an independent music conservatory located in Cleveland’s University District.
President Paul Hogle is in charge of it. The Institute was established in 1920, with Ernest Bloch as its director.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) has some of the greatest music programs in the country, thanks to its collaboration with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).
As a result, at CIM, you can also pursue a CWRU Dual Degree or a Double Major.
You can also major in over 20 different fields of study, such as Audio Recording, Collaborative Piano, Percussion, Voice, Orchestral Conducting, and Guitar (Classical).
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