Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once called music “the universal language of mankind.” It’s no surprise, then, that tens of thousands of students every year. In this article, we shine a light on the country’s top undergraduate music programs, their specializations and opportunities, and how to approach the admissions process with confidence. Whether your student is interested in performance, composition, business, or production, this article will help you guide them in crafting a clear, grounded plan for choosing the right undergraduate music program.
Before Applying
Before sending out applications, students should reflect on what they want from a music program, and what each program can offer them in return. Thinking about the personality of each school, its culture and location, the size of its program, and their own post-graduation goals will help narrow down their preferences. For example, will they pursue advanced study or go straight into a music career? Some programs offer combined degrees that allow students to leave with a higher degree for only one additional year of education, like the accelerated five-year BM/MBA program at , in which you earn both your bachelor of music in music industry and your MBA.
Students should also think about whether they’d thrive in a large city with a host of networking opportunities, like New York University in New York City, or in a more intimate setting with closer connections and accessible faculty, like Oberlin College in Ohio. A larger city might mean more competition, but it also guarantees wider exposure to the music industry. A smaller program in a small town could offer deeper mentorship and a tight-knit community. Taking the time to consider all these aspects will ensure a list of the most promising schools for each student.
Choosing a Program: From Music Performance to Music Production
Music Performance: Vocal and Instrumental
One of the first choices for a music performance major is whether to attend a conservatory or a university. Conservatories focus intensively on classical music training, whereas universities pair that training with general education and broader campus life. Weighing the context of each choice—for example, being surrounded solely by other musicians at a conservatory, or having the ability to explore other areas of liberal arts at a university—alongside the student’s preferences and career goals will help them make a grounded and informed decision about where they’d most like to continue their education for their next four years.
While undergraduate music performance programs like , , or are widely known as some of the best, others like or , known particularly for jazz studies, often fly under the radar and yet are listed amongst the top music performance programs in the country. Each school offers a variety of majors, including vocal performance and instruments from the electric bass at MSM to the harp and organ at Juilliard. Oberlin offers 42 majors–the most of any of the music performance programs featured here.
Each of these top schools, except for Oberlin, is located in a major city. Prospective students will want to consider not only the music scene on campus, but the music scene in the city they’ll be living in. They should ask: does it align with my musical preferences? Is this the kind of music I want to be performing? Similarly, they’ll want to consider the music performance opportunities available at each program (and in each city). Will they have ample opportunity to perform their work? Will there be competition for the stage? At Juilliard and MSM, students have the opportunity to perform their work at renowned venues like Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, respectively.
Each music performance program offers unique ways to help students develop their craft and meet like-minded musicians. On-campus music organizations are important undergraduate experiences–and Berklee and Oberlin lead in both numbers and variety with groups like the Berklee 100 or ’s a capella group . Equally important are career development and networking opportunities like at MSM and ܾ’s . Often, a prospective student’s career success will be supplemented by these areas outside of the classroom.
Music Composition
Like music performance majors, prospective students who plan to focus on music composition should reflect on the differences between conservatories and universities, the music scene of the school and city, and the available opportunities to have their work performed. Some of the top undergraduate programs in music composition include , , , University of Southern California’s , University of Rochester’s , and finally, Northwestern University’s . Students who are dedicated to classical composition would likely be more at home at Juilliard, whereas students seeking to study a wider range of styles may prefer Thornton or Eastman, which actively asserts: “We have no stylistic or sectarian agendas; our goal is to help students learn to write the music that inspires and interests them.” These schools would better fit a student with experimental music tastes or an interest in pop or jazz.
When deciding on a program, students should consider the professional connections they’ll be able to establish in the city of each program, as that is likely where their careers will begin. If they want to compose for the Metropolitan Opera, they should strongly consider attending a program in New York City, like Juilliard. Are they interested in scoring films in Hollywood? Los Angeles’s Thornton School of Music would be a good fit. Or maybe they hope to be an avant-garde jazz composer, in which case Bienen at Northwestern in Chicago is an excellent choice and would allow them to immerse themselves in a city with a rich jazz legacy.
Bienen even offers a course entitled “” to help students navigate their careers post-graduation. Considering each program’s professional development offerings, as well as the composers and composition opportunities in the surrounding area, will help shape a tangible post-graduation career plan from day one.
Music Business
Any top undergraduate program in music business will combine music industry education with a rigorous business curriculum. Students will learn skills in areas like music publishing, music licensing, and talent management, as well as financial accounting, data analysis, and creative entrepreneurship, to name a few. Among the top programs in the country for the study of music business are ; ; ; ; and the .
Because of the nature of the music industry, networking is a fundamental lesson taught and applied in a practical way in every top undergraduate music business program. Additionally, alumni networks are vast and well-connected, particularly at schools like Syracuse, Drexel, NYU, and Thornton. And while both Steinhardt and Thornton require traditional internships, Northeastern and Drexel place students in co-ops, which are often longer in duration and singularly focused on the job, allowing for a deeper integration of the skills required. At least 96 percent of Northeastern’s co-ops are paid.
Given the emphasis on networking and professional skills, both program location and on-campus activities are particularly important for prospective music business degree students. Not surprisingly, NYC and Los Angeles, where the music industry is most active, have the highest concentration of music degree recipients. On-campus music business organizations like college radio stations (NYU and Bandier) and record labels (NYU and Northeastern) also allow students to forge lasting bonds while gaining experience in their field. Even campus television broadcast networks help students learn the music needs of television, radio and film, and can set them up for a career in music for media, an increasingly in-demand area of the music industry.
Music Production and Technology
When choosing a program in music production and technology, prospective students should consider whether they’re more interested in creating the tools for music production or using those tools to record and produce music. Bachelor of science degrees in music technology, offered at or , for example, are grounded in computer science and electrical engineering and prepare students for careers such as designing sound technology, like speakers, or developing music production software.
The majority of music production and technology degrees are Bachelors of Music, like at , , , and . This degree will be grounded in music theory and performance curriculum, as well as other liberal arts courses. BM degree students often go on to become music producers, talent agents, and record label owners.
If prospective students are interested in the production side of the degree, they should consider the type of music they want to record and the available facilities at each program. Recording opportunities will hinge on the equipment they can learn on. For example, for a student interested in a career in post-production for film, a school like Steinhardt or Thornton would be a great place to learn since they can practice mixing on a digital console like the Avid S6 in rooms specifically designed for 5.1 surround sound (standard for movie theaters) and Dolby Atmos (with more than 50 speakers placed around the room).
Most schools emphasize digital, like at Frost School of Music’s , but if you’re more interested in producing records, then learning to work on analog equipment is important. , , and have iconic analog equipment that allows students to learn specific skills many professional studios desire. Remember that Frost, like Carnegie Mellon, offers a Bachelor of Science and will focus more heavily on theory, engineering, and design–like that of instruments or software. Johns Hopkins, Berklee, and NYU rival one another for the best student access to high-end digital and analog equipment for music production, and yet, all the programs we’ve listed here will prepare students for a successful career in music production and technology.
The Admissions Process
Applying to undergraduate music programs can look different depending on the area of study. For performance majors, the audition is the most crucial piece. Most top programs require pre-screening videos before granting an official live audition. Some schools may accept these videos in place of a live audition, but usually only after initial acceptance.
For a standout audition, students should memorize their pieces and select a diverse program to showcase range. It’s not uncommon to spend months preparing for an audition to demonstrate skill and versatility. Each school has specific audition requirements, so students should be sure to read them carefully.
Composition, business, and technology applicants often aren’t required to audition, but should be prepared to submit other materials. For example, asks applicants to submit a video answering questions about their career goals. NYU’s Steinhardt, meanwhile, asks composition students to submit video recordings that demonstrate their musicianship.
All prospective students, no matter the degree they’re pursuing, should consider the variety of admissions factors that go into a successful application. From vibrant personal essays that clearly articulate a student’s interests and goals to a robust list of extracurriculars that demonstrate a proven interest in the field of study they are applying to, each aspect of the application is an opportunity to tell a story about the student and demonstrate their alignment with the program.
Final Thoughts
Pursuing a music degree means balancing artistry with practicality. Each program has different strengths, whether that’s professional development and networking, rigorous classical training, or versatility in its approach to music. Students who thrive in a setting full of artists or who are musicians themselves might not reach their full potential in a science-based music program. Similarly, students who have a dedicated focus on classical music training may feel pulled in too many directions by a university music degree program as opposed to a conservatory education.
Choosing where to spend four transformative years—and launch a career—is no small decision. By reflecting deeply on their goals, researching the cultures of potential programs, and understanding what each degree path entails, prospective music students will be better prepared to take their first steps into the field with clarity and confidence.
By Julie Raynor Gross, EdM, MBA, 51Թ (NY)