How to Choose a Music School: 5 Things to Consider

If you’re just starting your college search and know you want to study something music related, it can be tough to figure out which schools are truly worth considering, visiting, or even auditioning for. My tips today will help you know how to choose a music school while staying true to yourself and your goals!

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Find a Good Private Teacher

My first tip is going to be especially helpful if you’re planning to be a music performance major, but even if you’re doing another major and you do want to get really good at your instrument then you really want to find a school with a great private teacher for your instrument. If you’re more focused on something more “behind the scenes” like music business then maybe the teacher doesn’t matter as much–maybe you don’t need lessons at all.

But if you want to be a music performance major then the teacher for your instrument matters a lot. If you’re a performance major you’re spending at least an hour every week with this teacher one-on-one to learn your instrument. They really become a role model for how you might want to act as a musician or really just someone to look up to.

Finding a school with a good teacher might not happen first. Maybe you want to start out your search by location (we’ll talk about that soon), or maybe if you have a favorite musician who plays your instrument, you can see if they teach anywhere and then explore the school from there.

All teachers are different; everyone has a different teaching method and different outlooks on teaching, playing, and musicianship. It’s so wonderful to find a teacher that aligns with what you value in music, although it’s great to have a teacher who expands your knowledges and challenges your viewpoint! But making sure that you’re compatible with this teacher is something very important to consider.

One of the best things you can do as a prospective music major is go to see schools. Try to meet these teachers and even schedule a trial lesson with them to see how the two of you work together!

They can even tell you if you’re playing at the right level to audition at their school, or if you should consider more or less competitive schools. And of course, a lesson is a lesson! You’ll probably learn some great things from that trial lesson that will help you on your journey no matter what you decide to do later on.

Another aspect to consider is how large their studio is. Their studio is their group of students. Does this viola teacher have 4 students right now, or do they have 24? Are there multiple viola teachers at this school? Are you looking for a small group of colleagues or a larger one? There are pros and cons to both!

Try to find recordings of this teacher playing to see if you even like their playing! I had a trial lesson with the viola teacher at the school I ended up going to and when I got home that night I listened to recordings of her on YouTube. I just loved her playing and I knew that that’s who I wanted to study with!

The Type of Music Program

The second thing you should consider when you’re looking for a college as a prospective music major is the type of music program and focus that they have.

There’s a difference between a conservatory vs. a college with a music school vs. a liberal arts school with a music program.

Conservatory

Conservatories are the highest level of music program. These are schools that only teach the arts. If you go to a conservatory, you likely won’t have any gen eds. Music is what you do day in and day out!

Juilliard and Curtis are examples of conservatories.

A conservatory might be right for you if you want to focus only on music and don’t mind skipping out on general education.

University with a Music School

The next highest level is a university with a music school. Here you’ll need to take gen eds. Of course, the number you’re required to take vary from school to school.

Gen eds are usually English, math, science, history, and maybe humanities courses.

Examples of universities with music schools are Indiana University – Jacobs School or Music and

A university with a music school might be right for you if you want to focus on music but still receive education in other subjects.

Liberal Arts School with a Music Program

Finally, a liberal arts school with a music program will be less competitive and offer more gen eds than music courses. The music department instrumentation in ensembles may be sort of bare bones.

A liberal arts school with a music program might be right for you if you want to learn about a variety of topics while exploring music or minoring in it.

My Experience

I actually went to a university that had a conservatory, so I would consider that to be kind of a hybrid between a full conservatory and a university with a music school.

I had to take one course in four different gen ed topics: English, math, science, and religion/philosophy. I did dual enrollment in high school for English, so I took one (easy) gen ed a semester for my first three semesters of college, and then I was onto music-only courses!

A lot of universities and liberal arts schools will require you to take multiples of those gen eds so that you’re doing gen eds for at least the first two years if not the first three out of four years you’re there. There are of course pros and cons to both of these ways of studying, and what’s right for you will depend on whether you want to study music intensely or have a more well-rounded education.

Degree Types Offered

Another thing to consider, related to the type of program, is the type of degree.

I’ll keep talking about music performance since that’s what I know – there’s a difference between of Bachelor of Music degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree. I know, it sounds silly!

A Bachelor of Music in Music Performance degree is made up of specialized music training. Most of the coursework is in music, with fewer gen eds. The performance rigor is high: you’ll have frequent lessons, ensemble rehearsals and concerts, and your own solo recitals and juries. It’s harder to double major with this degree, as it’s very intense.

A Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance degree includes a broader liberal arts education. You may have more liberal arts courses than music courses! While you’ll still have regular lessons and performances, the degree is less rigorous. It’s a bit easier to double major or minor, and it’s a good option if you’re not entirely sure that performance is the what you really want to do.

More Thoughts

The type of school you’re looking at is going to kind of determine the type of music program that you would be able to study in. Do you want a music-focused program where that is what you do day in and day out? Do you want more well-rounded education with some music mixed in? Do you want a mix? The type of school is going to determine what kind of mix or version of program that you actually have.

Ready to get serious about applying to music school? Check out my list of easy ways you can prepare for applications and auditions this summer!

The Cost

The third consideration to make–and it’s a big one–is the cost. It’s always a big deal when it comes to college, at least here in the United States.

Would you need a scholarship to be able to afford to go to the school? If you can get kind of a guess on student loans and how much you would be qualified to receive then you might be able to figure out something like “I need to get at least this much in scholarships from the school and then I can afford it”

State schools (as long as you’re in state) are generally cheaper and private schools are generally a lot more expensive.

I auditioned for one state school and two private schools, and the state school actually worked out to be more expensive than the other two because private universities generally have more money to give out in scholarships. For me it was more cost effective to go to a private school because I was getting more in talent and academic scholarships and it generally worked out to less.

Admission counselors are usually happy to talk about these things and can usually run some numbers and make guesses on things. Don’t be afraid to talk to those people if you go to tour the school. You can even reach out through email or a phone call!

There are always people who want to help because they want you to go to that school.

The Location

My fourth tip today is of course to look at the location of the school.

You might have to think long and hard about what you want in life–or maybe it’s easy for you and you already know! Do you want to live somewhere more urban or more rura? Do you want to be close to home, do you want to go further away, or do you want to go out of the country?

These are all huge things to consider, and for me that was kind of the first thing that I considered. I knew I wanted to stay close to home so I looked at schools there. There weren’t many good options, so I had to further my scope and then further it again, and then I found my perfect school.

Location can be a good way to find a couple schools to research and then either stick with those or go back to the drawing board.

Location is very important for music majors because where you end up can really help or hurt your career. Not to say that you’ll end up in your college town, but some places have a lot more gigs than others. Some places have a lot more students who want to take music lessons from anyone, and some places have a great orchestra in town. Take a look at the area and see if music is valued there.

If there are a lot of gigs in the area you can make some money to help pay for college, food, or rent. If there’s no orchestra around then you might not have as much inspiration and things might get a little bit stale.

Don’t forget to look into that music aspect of the area you want to live in because it’s something that I feel teenagers can easily forget. But it can be so helpful if you’re in an area that really values music because it’s really going to help you get your career started there!

The Ensembles

My fifth and final tip today is to research the ensembles and any performance opportunities and spaces within the college.

Look for the ensembles you’re interested in on the school’s website; they’re almost always listed there! Something I also did when I was looking for grad schools was searching for performances of each school’s ensembles on Youtube. I would just search [school name] [orchestra] and watch anything that came up just to get a sense of the playing level and overall vibe.

If you go to tour a school, a really good question to ask if you’re interested in a certain ensemble is if undergrads usually get into this ensemble or if it’s very competitive and full of mostly grad students. Is it attainable for you to be in this ensemble within your four years or early enough for you to get a substantial amount of learning time within the ensemble?

So if you play percussion and you want to be in the orchestra, there might be a lot of percussion players but only two or three percussion spots for the year. Your chances of getting in would be a lot lower than if you play the viola, for example–we almost always need more players!

If you’re visiting a school or live nearby, see if you can attend a performance! There’s nothing like experiencing music live. You can really get a sense of the playing level, conductor, and the performance hall if you’re there in person.

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Those are five kind of first things to consider when you’re looking for potential colleges as a music major! If you have any questions please leave them down below, and if you’d like to see part two, let me know as well!

Want to know how I’d prepare for music school if I had to do it over again? Read my tips here!

Planning to go to college for music is a super exciting time. There are so many things to think about! If you have any other related questions about going to college as a musician or about the audition process, please let me know and I’ll either reply to your comment or make a full post about it!

You’re doing great things, and you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be.