Top Music Colleges, Schools, and Universities

There are many excellent music institutions in the United States. Below, you'll find a handful of our top picks.

1. Berklee College of Music

The Berklee College of Music is a private music college based in Boston, MA. It also offers select music programs through campuses in New York City, Valencia, Spain, and online.

Berklee is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world and boasts alumni like Melissa Ethridge, John Mayer, and Charlie Puth.

Undergraduate students can choose from 15 different Bachelor of Music degrees. These include majors in:

• composition
• music business/management
• music production and engineering
• performance

All students choose a principal instrument to focus on during their studies, and internships and study abroad opportunities are available. A select number of graduate degrees are offered as well.

2. Curtis Institute of Music

The Curtis Institute of Music is a private music institute in Philadelphia, PA. These music programs are primarily focused on classical music and opera.

Students at Curtis are first placed into the non-degree undergraduate diploma program and must then apply to the Bachelor of Music program and meet their selected program's requirements.

Curtis offers diplomas, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees in music. Students can choose a major in composition or in nearly 20 different instruments including:

• guitar
• percussion
• piano
• voice

A professional studies certificate in opera is also available.

3. Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University is a private research university in Baltimore, MD. While well-known for its medical programs, the university is also home to the Peabody Institute.

The Peabody Institute is a private music conservatory and the oldest music conservatory in the United States. It offers multiple degree options including:

• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Music in music education
• Bachelor of Music in recording arts and sciences
• Bachelor of Fine Arts
• Master of Music
• Master of Arts in audio sciences
• Doctor of Musical Arts

Within the degree programs, students can choose from multiple areas of study. These include a variety of instruments as well as areas like:

• acoustics
• business of music
• computer music
• film and game scoring

The Peabody Institute offers a variety of ensembles for students to participate in.

4. The Juilliard School

The Juilliard School is a world-renowned performing arts conservatory. It's typically best known for its drama program, but its music program includes alumni like Philip Glass and Yo-Yo Ma.

The music department at Juilliard offers six areas of focus:

• composition, with options including diplomas, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts
• historical music, which offers tuition-free graduate degrees and diplomas
• instruments, with nine concentrations including brass, harp, percussion, and piano
• jazz studies, including a jazz voice master's program
• orchestral conducting, which includes a Master of Music and a graduate diploma
• vocal arts, with options at all degree levels and an artist diploma in opera studies

These programs often include a combination of classroom instruction and performance opportunities.

5. Manhattan School of Music

The Manhattan School of Music is a private music conservatory in New York City. It offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in music.

Multiple program areas are available to students including:

• classical programs, with focuses in composition, conduction, and various instruments
• contemporary performance, with majors in all instruments as well as voice
• jazz arts, with majors in composition and a variety of instruments
• musical theater
• orchestral performance, with majors in a variety of brass, percussion, strings, and woodwinds instruments

The Manhattan School of Music also offers programs and summer intensives for kids and teenagers.

6. Oberlin College

Oberlin College, a private college in Ohio, is home to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. The conservatory is one of the oldest music conservatories in the United States.

Oberlin Conservatory offers 42 areas of private, applied study organized into 11 divisions. These divisions include:

• historical performance
• jazz studies
• music theory
• musicology

The conservatory shares a campus with Oberlin's liberal arts college, allowing students to earn majors from both schools through a five-year double major program.

7. University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private research university in Los Angeles. It offers a variety of music programs through its Thornton School of Music.

It offers music programs in classical performance and composition, contemporary music, and research and scholarly studies.

Students can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in fields such as:

• choral and sacred music
• composition
• music industry
• vocal arts and opera

Degrees that focus on specific instruments, such as keyboard, organ, strings, and winds and percussion, are also available.