World’s Top Music Schools in 2024
Check out the top music schools shaping the next generation of musical talent, and what it costs for aspiring musicians to attend.
by Bobby Owsinski via Music 3.0
Getting a higher education degree in music has always been a dubious endeavor, since most of the skills can be learned independently and you don’t need a piece of paper to enter the industry unless you want to be a teacher. Not only that, the costs have spiraled out of control enough that, given the low revenue nature of the music business, you have to wonder how to justify spending all that money. That said, there’s a definite advantage if you can learn from some of the best in the business, and that’s what you’ll get from one of the top music schools.
The Hollywood Reporter took a look at what it feels are the top music schools (in no particular order), and this is what it came up with. There are some surprises here, and the prices can be downright scary.
| SCHOOL | PRICE TO ATTEND |
| Julliard | $54,400 |
| USC Thornton School of Music | $69,904 |
| Berklee College of Music | $50,540 |
| Columbia College Chicago | $32,316 |
| The Oberlin Conservatory of Music | $66,410 |
| The San Francisco Conservatory of Music | $54,400 |
| UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music | $15,154 |
| The New England Conservatory of Music | $58,910 |
| Eastman School of Music | $65,870 |
| Indiana University Jacobs School of Music | $40,369 |
| Film Scoring Academy of Europe | $39,000 |
| New York University Steinhardt School | $31,398 |
| University of North Carolina School of the Arts | $24,399 |
| Yale School of Music | $39,500 |
| Belmont University | $42,540 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | $74,846 |
| Musicians Institute, Los Angeles | $32,400 |
| Cal State Northridge | $7,458 |
| Los Angeles College of Music | $27,000 |
| Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program | $35,000 |
Probably everyone in the business is familiar with most of the schools on the list, but almost everyone except students and parents are aware of the cost of attending.
As you can see, most charge a great deal, but less than a few of the elite colleges. Still, a few stand out for their low cost – UCLA and Cal State Northridge.
What puts this all in perspective is a quote from veteran composer and orchestrator Conrad Pope, who has worked with many of the schools on THR‘s annual list of the world’s best music schools, “[Music schools] can’t provide you with an original voice. You can’t teach creativity. But you can teach the craft.”
Bobby Owsinski is a producer/engineer, author, blogger, podcaster, and coach. He has authored 24 books on music production, music, the music business, music AI, and social media.
