Thread: top music schools

What do you guys think are the top say 10-20 music schools internationally.
Do you think it depends on the students, or the actual program and training or standard the school offers or expects?

I can offer an opinion of several in the US. Julliard is among the best but the Colburn Conservatory in LA is rising fast in the rankings since the tuition is free if you can gain admission. The University of Southern California has a very large and diverse program. Others in the top tier include the U. of Indiana, Peabody, Berkeley in Boston, Eastman, and Curtiss.

you go where you get what you need/want, whether it's 'sand-lot community college' or the 'grand cosmic conservatory'

dj

I agree with David here ...

It's not the school that makes or breaks a prospective musician ... it's the students themselves.

I did the 'sand lot' version myself, mainly because that what was available in my region at the time, and am today no less of a competent musician than my colleagues who attended those "grand cosmic" conservatories mentioned above. I have no regrets whatsoever. The degree earned from a 'sand lot' college works just as well as if it was from a more 'nationally known' university.

It's, imho, what you, as a student, decide to put into your education and learning that will make you the professional musician you want to be, not the school.

now that the sensibleness is out of the way, and assuming you got $ or great financial help ...

i'm a trumpeter, if wanted to study under chicago-school playing i'd try to get into northwestern u,
i also like the sound of the cincinnatti orchestra trumpets, so the cin conservatory would be of interest to me.
oberlin, eastman, north texas u, the usa is blessed with a great many fine music schools...even down to the smaller state schools.
another thing to consider is along the line of - if you wish to compose, go to where your profs are folx who have an active publishing catalog; if you want to be a player, attend where there are many playing opportunities and the applied teachers have some professional contacts.

i assume the same holds true in all countries, i can only speak of the usa for sure.

what would i do (as though anyone cared ) ? probably pretty much what i've already done: go to a smaller state school to get my chops up and learn a lot, shoot for an assistantship at ' biggie u', then earn a living for awhile to get some $ & experience and to decide if i wanted to hit for the doctorate, the conservatory performance diploma, or whatever.

dj

The Curtis Institute of Music was founded in 1924 by Mary Louise Curtis Bok "to train exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists on the highest professional level." From the start, the curriculum has reflected Mrs. Bok's philosophy on the best way to accomplish the school's mission.

Curtis is the only major music conservatory in the United States that provides merit-based full-tuition scholarships to undergraduate, as well as graduate, students, who are chosen as a result of highly selective auditions.

Enrollment is purposely kept very limited, with just enough students to complete a full orchestra and a select opera department, plus a small number of keyboard, composition and conducting students. The enrollment for 2008-09 is 162.

The length of a student's stay is open-ended and can be anywhere from two to twelve years. Students graduate when their teachers decide they are ready. In most cases this is between three and five years. Curtis students range in age from 11 to 29.

Curtis maintains that a greatly gifted young musician should study with an important teacher from the beginning of his or her conservatory days. Students of elementary-school or high-school age receive training from the same teachers at the same intensive levels as do their older colleagues. There are no "preparatory" teachers or teaching assistants.

Curtis's celebrated faculty, which numbers about 100, is composed largely of performing musicians whose livelihood is not primarily derived from teaching. Students are thus accepted on merit alone and not in order to fulfill contractual obligations to teachers.

All piano, organ, harpsichord, conducting, and composition students are lent Steinway grand pianos for use throughout their studies at Curtis. Mrs. Bok set this policy when she founded the school. Curtis currently owns 90 Steinways.

http://www.curtis.edu/html/10000.shtml

http://www.esm.rochester.edu/
http://www.juilliard.edu/
http://www.ccm.uc.edu/
http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/

Paris conservatoir seems to set a standard in the region...

Originally Posted by Krummhorn

I agree with David here ...

It's not the school that makes or breaks a prospective musician ... it's the students themselves.

I did the 'sand lot' version myself, mainly because that what was available in my region at the time, and am today no less of a competent musician than my colleagues who attended those "grand cosmic" conservatories mentioned above. I have no regrets whatsoever. The degree earned from a 'sand lot' college works just as well as if it was from a more 'nationally known' university.

It's, imho, what you, as a student, decide to put into your education and learning that will make you the professional musician you want to be, not the school.

I don't know about the US, but in Greece you cannot do this. There so many conservatories / music schools here that are totally crap and you need to know where to go in order to have a decent music training / education.

For instance, I studied musicology at the Athens University, because for many reasons I needed to study in Athens and not in another city, but I can tell you I really regreted this.

Thanks for sharing this, Danae.
It is always interesting to hear about the education system in other countries.

Well, in the USA, of course there is the famous Julliard which hails itself as the Harvard of music. I heard that the New England conservatory is also excellent.
In UK, I think it's widely agreed that the best is Royal college of music?

First and foremost it is the school with THE teacher you most wish to work with, the one who will take you the furthest.
Then, a school is only as good as its teaching staff AND its student body. An excellent peer group at a fine school -- all at a high level -- is easily half the legitimate value of the university environment.

[Is it just dirty gossip that The Juilliard* School is weirdly and near grossly over-rated?]
* that is the correct spelling, folks :-)

Originally Posted by LuvRavel

Well, in the USA, of course there is the famous Julliard which hails itself as the Harvard of music.

That's downright odd, since Harvard University has a stellar and strong music department, perhaps more in the arena of composition, and musicology, but nonetheless....

Royal Academy of Music, London

Not sure who did this ranking of the top 30 US music schools in 2011, but there were some surprises for me.
http://www.uscollegeranking.org/musi...l-ranking.html