Top 10 Best Music Colleges Known to Man

An artistically inclined individual would be interested in many artistic forms, but eventually, one would then have to choose a specialization. Artists may be compared to athletes. Any athlete can perform various sports like basketball, swimming, soccer, etc., but there can be only one amongst the many that he specializes in. In the field of arts, music is probably man’s first love. Throughout the years, music has evolved and is still evolving into greater heights. In order to become the best in this field, admission to the best music colleges is the only option. Luckily, these colleges provide rigorous training and students only need to stand up to the test in order to become successful in their chosen fields.

10. The Eastman School of Music

10 The Eastman School of Music

Home to more than 250 students a year, The Eastman School of Music is the place to be when it comes to jazz and opera. Jazz is America’s best musical contribution to the world and is never to be taken lightly and being one of the schools trademark, The Eastman School of Music has earned the respect and recognition of the music industry. The school is also well known for its piano program and concentrated music composition.

9. Oberlin Conservatory of Music

9 Oberlin Conservatory of Music

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music can be found in Ohio. Like most music schools, it is also required of the prospective student to audition first before being admitted. Some might think that going into a music school is like going into any other ordinary college or university in which there will only be entrance examinations. Music schools are very strict in admissions and would only select the best and the most qualified applicants in order to maintain and preserve their good reputation.

8. Jacobs School of Music

8 Jacobs School of Music

1921 was the year when the Jacobs School of Music was founded. This school approximately has 1,600 students and was considered in the past to be the second music school to have the largest admissions in the music enrollment history. Before it was called Jacobs School of Music, this school was known to be as the Indiana University School of Music.

7. Lawrence University Conservatory of Music

7 Lawrence University Conservatory of Music

The Lawrence School is also worth mentioning when it comes to music schools. It offers intensive trainings and workshops for students. The only thing different in this school among other schools is that it does not offer jazz studies. It would seem to be an unlikely choice for a major music school but we are sure they must have very good reasons for not offering such an interesting music major.

6. New England Conservatory of Music

6 New England Conservatory of Music

The New England Conservatory is not just a famous school for music but also a famous historical landmark. It hosts about 600 concerts per year and has been doing so for many decades. The NEC as they call it is also considered as the oldest institution to teach music in the United States of America.

5. Rice University

5 Rice University

The Rice University is not a school that mainly focuses on music but the music program it offers is well known. In this particular case, it can be considered that universities not mainly focusing in the musical arts can also be a base to enrich a students’ musical inclination by providing sufficient and efficient training in the said field.

4. Berklee College of Music

4 Berklee College of Music

Do you know what the largest college of contemporary music in the face of the earth is? That’s right; it’s the famous Berklee College of Music. This college has been getting a lot of attention due to its well known reputation in jazz, popular music as well as rock. No wonder why a lot of Grammy Award winners went here to study. Students are admitted to Berklee the same way as other schools of music admit theirs –through live audition. It really must be nerve-wracking to audition and hope to be admitted since only a certain percentage of the applicants are expected to pass.

3. Le Conservatoire De Paris

3 Le Conservatoire De Paris

Paris is not just a city known of lights but also for people who love of music. Some of the early important musicians came from this country and made their mark in the history of music. Since French people love music, it is but natural that they have their own music school –the Le Conservatoire De Paris. This school is known for the teachings of early music and classical instruments. After graduation employment may soon follow because graduates are also given the opportunity to be part of the school’s own orchestra.

2. Royal Academy of Music

2 Royal Academy of Music

The Royal Academy of Music is another fine and famous music school that produces top-notch musicians. It is located in the United Kingdom and is home to famous musicians as well. The school’s curriculum includes performances of the student on various festivals and gatherings and shows on famous venues, which serve as training ground for students. It is chosen and patronized by students from different countries making this school home for a cornucopia of musicians of different nationalities who have the same goal, and that is to be the best musician in the world.

1. Julliard School

1 Julliard School

Julliard had made its mark in the music arena by producing the best of the best musicians we’ve ever known. The standards of this school are top caliber. The school is honing and continuously molding its students not just to become good at what they do but to become the best at what they do. Julliard has been the home of famous celebrity musicians as well as dancers and actors making this school stand out among the rest.

A person can only become the best if equipped with talent, which is developed within a reputable institution that knows which necessary elements and what foundations to work on. In addition, determination and perseverance is needed in order to succeed and triumph in any endeavor. Schools only prepare musicians and provide them with the proper tools to make any dream a reality. Being admitted on the best school is a privilege, but it takes hard work to succeed. What’s important is to make the best out of the experience and learn all that you can learn.

47 Comments on "Top 10 Best Music Colleges Known to Man"

  1. please …they are not …find a single person who can play as well as this Dutch teacher

    you wont

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2LzSItsQ80

  2. Ruby Feagin Brallier | October 4, 2013 at 1:44 pm | Reply

    Excuse me, but Lawrence University definitely has a Jazz program. Who researched this???

    http://www.lawrence.edu/conservatory/departments/jazz_improvisational_music

  3. Please update to include Lawrence’s fantastic jazz program. This article spends it’s measly paragraph erroneously lamenting Lawrence’s lack thereof.

  4. I appreciate the props to LU, but this is a pretty terrible article that doesn’t take into account any of the multitude of factors that go toward making a school a good choice for any single student. Take this down, please.
    (LU has a “jazz emphasis” and BM student can attach to their degree; it’s in effect a jazz minor)

  5. Lawrence University’s Conservatory actually has a fantastic jazz program and offers a performance degree with jazz emphasis. Please consider updating your review to reflect these facts.

  6. Hey, author: copy and paste this whole thing into Word, and run “Spelling & Grammar Check”. It’s not difficult, and it doesn’t take long. Sentences like ” This school approximately has 1,600 students and was considered in the past to be the second music school to have the largest admissions in the music enrollment history” are error-ridden and amateurish.

  7. Name one popular performer who graduated from Julliard in the past 5 years

  8. This list is not entirely accurate. 1 Eastman 2 Indiana Univ Bloomington 3 Univ Mich ann arbor 4 Julliard 5 Curtis 6 New England 7 Northwestern 6 Oberlin etc etc Only those that did not get accepted to these schools believe in The top 10 music colleges known to mankind….

  9. Michael Talerico | October 5, 2013 at 3:33 am | Reply

    It is so crazy these lists. Curtis is not even in the top ten and what about Yale? I went to New England Conservatory and Cleveland Institute of Music and in the last 4 years at CIM these are some of the competitions they have been apart of. Grand Prize in the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, Grand Prize in the Fischoff Chamber Competition, Grand Prize in the Cleveland International Piano Competition, 3rd Prize in the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, Grand Prize Gaspar Cassado International Cello Competition, and First Prize Buenos Aires International Violin Competition. I think that deserves some credibility to be in the top 10 as well.

    • Because taking 10 years to master a competition program has something to do with how good one school said competitor attended? Wait, most competitions are bs, as is your logic on winners come from the best schools. Although, Yale should be on there, instead of IU.

      • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 7:53 pm | Reply

        My point is it seems they are basing the ranking of tradition alone and not what the present represents. I was just using that as an example. Have the people that look at this list and they won’t even know about CIM, but the point is they are the youngest school by far compared to the others listed there. If you look at facts and what the students are doing and the faculty that is present I would be hard pressed to not have CIM in the top 10. Every Principle player from the Cleveland orchestra teaches there and they are considered the best orchestra in the world.

        • What makes people great orchestra players does not make people great faculty members…

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 8:46 pm |

            So basically your saying students are just good because they are good and that non of the teachers that play in the Cleveland Orchestra are good teachers! Yep makes a lot of sense to me! Moron!

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 8:48 pm |

            Also I dare you to not find famous musicians or people that play in top orchestras throughout the top 10 list that is posted above!

          • Jerry Pudler | October 6, 2013 at 9:01 pm |

            You completely misunderstand. I am saying that being a great orchestra player does not make you a great teacher. But it can certainly win you a job with a conservatory. Some performers are great teachers. Some teachers have no idea how to teach because they are naturals. Thanks for the insult, btw. Kind of like Congress, when you don’t have a real response, just try insulting the other party.

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 9:04 pm |

            I have seen so many students improve from teachers that have had huge careers as singers and orchestral members. I went to two of the top music schools on this list and I watched them take people with a small amount of talent and make them into singers at the met I myself for example benefited and now I am a tenor at Arizona Opera. I would say that every once and awhile what your saying is true but when students are pouring out of the school and landing major orchestra jobs on an every year basis you can’t say that it is just based on talent alone.

          • Jerry Pudler | October 6, 2013 at 9:11 pm |

            You went to NEC, but your other two schools aren’t on there. WVU and CIM…
            And it has everything to do with how much the student puts into his/her work. Better reputation teachers are going to get more of those students.

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 9:21 pm |

            1 Curtis 2 Julliard 3 Michigan 4 Indiana 5 New England Conservatory 6 Universität Mozarteum Salzburg 7 Eastman 8 Oberlin 9 Yale 10 CIM.

          • Jerry Pudler | October 6, 2013 at 9:02 pm |

            You dare me? How old are we? As I said, 43 minutes ago, IT DOESN’T MATTER!!!!!

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 9:09 pm |

            What is your top 10?

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 9:09 pm |

            And tell me why?

          • Jerry Pudler | October 6, 2013 at 9:12 pm |

            You wouldn’t care, because it doesn’t include CIM, and therefore you and your tenor mentality would deem it incorrect.

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 9:17 pm |

            I am interested either way.

          • Jerry Pudler | October 6, 2013 at 9:22 pm |

            Frankly, I think doing a top ten is ridiculous unless you have actual knowledge of every music school “known to man”. I do know a lot of programs in my field. But I certainly would never presume (nor spend the time) to find out the best parts of every music school in the world.

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 9:28 pm |

            You did say Yale should be on the list instead of IU so you do have somewhat of a list in mind don’t you. I am basing my knowledge on working professionals and where I know they have come from and competitions and faculty reputation. I mean I am not saying my list is right I am just wondering for the sake of argument what others think the top 10 are and why, thats all.

          • Jerry Pudler | October 6, 2013 at 9:30 pm |

            Maybe tenors have time to do things for the sake of argument, but my field does not give me that luxury.

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 9:33 pm |

            If they are good! Anyway, have a good one. If you didn’t have an opinion why did you chime in on the top 10 discussion

          • Jerry Pudler | October 6, 2013 at 9:35 pm |

            gotta have something to do while on a practice break. good luck with ao.

          • Michael Talerico | October 6, 2013 at 9:35 pm |

            Thanks Man, sorry I called you a moron! I got heated for a second. What do you play?

  10. The author can’t spell Juilliard to save his life!! Proof read, man! And what about Curtis Institute of Music in Philly? One of THE hardest schools to be accept to as an orchestral musician.

    • If you’re going to critique the writing of the article, I would be quite sure that your own writing is flawless… (accepted*)

  11. I received a B. Mus. in Piano Performance WITH AN EMPHASIS IN JAZZ STUDIES from Lawrence University in 1993. In fact, the LU jazz program has earned countless student Downbeat awards and is one of the biggest reasons for the school’s notoriety. I got my Master’s from NEC in ’95, and have never heard it referred to as “the NEC.” While I am proud that I went to 2 of the schools listed here, it’s a pretty bad article and another example of why these “top college lists” are stupid. Where’s Curtis? Bloomington? Stony Brook? UNC?

  12. Ok let’s see. Curtis Institute, Cleveland Institute, Cincinnati Conservatory, Colburn School, Manhattan School, McGill University, Northwestern University, none of these made it on your list? That’s just North America. What about the freaking Karajan Acadamy in Berlin? As a professional musician who holds a degree from one of the schools mentioned in the article, I can be pretty certain that whoever wrote this article is either getting paid to plug these schools, or googled ‘top music schools’ and took the first ten they found. People should stop reading and sharing this poorly written tripe, and if they are interested in attending a music school, ask a music teacher what school has the best program for their area of musical study.

  13. Matthew Gibson | October 5, 2013 at 11:48 am | Reply

    No love for Michigan State? I would argue that the jazz program here is absolutely top notch, some of the best I’ve heard, plus, our bass section (which I’m a part of) consistently has at least 17 very talented players in the studio, right on par with Indiana if you ask me.

  14. Jeffrey Chansky Chan | October 5, 2013 at 4:39 pm | Reply

    Quite probably the most ridiculous ranking I’ve ever read. Seriously — where are all those schools in Germany and Russia? Herbert von Karajan Academy? Moscow Music Conservatory? and, even in the US: Curtis? Colburn?
    Do better research next time

  15. Wiggles McGee | October 5, 2013 at 5:17 pm | Reply

    Hey author. You spelled “Juilliard” wrong.

  16. Igor Pikayzen | October 6, 2013 at 4:18 am | Reply

    One of the laziest, poorly written, ill-informed “articles” about conservatories, even in comparison to other “top 10” lists, that usually don’t demand much from the author. From the misspellings to complete banalities, exclusion of every foreign conservatory bar Paris, and a basic inability to write in English, I really hope the author is a 3rd-grader doing this as part of his English homework assignment.

  17. Narendra Naren | March 3, 2014 at 7:57 am | Reply

    good research..

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