Best Music College
Looking for the best music colleges? Finding the best music school for your needs will depend on what you plan to pursue. Do you plan to be a musician, play in a rock band, conduct, compose, manage or teach? Each school is renowned for different aspects of the music industry. Juilliard for example is known for classical training and Berklee College of Music is known for producing rock and roll stars.
Some of the best music schools in the country are listed below in alphabetical order:
(click on a school name for more info and student reviews of that college)
Can you get into these schools? Use our college admissions calculator to see your chances of being accepted
- Berklee College of Music
- Cleveland Institute of Music
- Curtis Institute of Music
- Harvard School
- Julliard School
- Manhattan School of Music
- New England Conservatory
- Oberlin College
- San Francisco Conservatory of Music
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- University of Rochester (Eastman)
In deciding what school you want to attend consider the following:
- What would you like to study, where do you want to be located and prioritize your requirements.
- Collect information and brochures from the schools and study them carefully. You want to be armed with enough information to make informed choices based on your decisions and priorities.
- Create a list of questions that will help you find out if the institution has what you seek.
- Visit the college campus and take a campus tour [link to College Campus Tour, It's a Must article] to see firsthand if it’s an environment you can see yourself in for the duration.
- Prepare to meet portfolio and entrance requirements.
- What are the possibilities for personal, artistic and intellectual growth.
- Who are their faculty members, are they presently practicing music? In what ways?
- Who are the visiting artists that come to school? How often do they have special presenters?
- Who’s on their alumni list?
- Last, but not least, once you decide on a short list of schools to apply, understand your commitments and responsibilities if you enroll.
When you think about the school’s reputation, look to the visiting artists and the alumni. The caliber of visiting artists will give you an indication of the school’s reputation in the industry. The alumni list is a testament of their product.
