conservatoire n : a schoolhouse with special facilities for fine arts [syn: conservatory]

This article is about the higher professional education in music. For the main article about higher education see Higher education.

A university school of music or college of music, or academy of music or conservatoire (British English) — also known as a conservatory (American English) or a conservatorium (Australian English) — is a higher education institution dedicated to teaching the art of music, including the playing of musical instruments, musical composition, musicianship, music history, and music theory.

Colleges of music and university schools of music are tertiary level institutions, and they may either be independent or part of a university. Many music schools originated as vocational training centers for would-be professional musicians, often outside the main academic structure. These institutions have retained an emphasis on performance into the 21st century, while also adopting a more formal academic approach. On the other hand there are university music departments, which originally placed more emphasis on academic study of music, but often place greater emphasis on performance now than they did in the past. The two groups overlap more than they used to, with the specific balance of vocational training and academic study varying from one institution to another.

College and university schools of music

History

In the 8th Century, The Royal Pear Garden was set up by Emperor Xuanzong in the purpose to teach Chinese Opera.

Contemporary institutions

Some institutions have university status while others have vocational university status. University schools of music grant professional degrees. The time required to complete music degrees is generally not much different from degrees in other fields, i.e. 3-4 years for a Bachelor of Music degree, 2 years for a Master of Music degree, and 3 years for a Doctor of Musical Arts or Doctor of Music Degree. A Ph.D degree is usually gained for areas such as musicology, music theory, music composition, or music education. Some schools also offer a non-academic degree that is solely performance based, such as the A.D. or Artist Diploma; this may be offered at the undergraduate and/or graduate level. In addition, some schools may offer non-professional music-related degrees such as a Bachelor of Arts in Music or a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education.

The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), is an accreditor for Colleges or university schools of music in the United States of America. They currently accredit 610 institutions of higher learning.

The European Association of Conservatoires (AEC) is the main association of College or university school of music in Europe.

U.S. News & World Report and Change make a national and international ranking of the music schools. (See also College and university rankings)

Instruments and subjects

Most of the world's famous music colleges and conservatories focus on Western art music (classical music). However, in non-European and non-American countries, especially Asian conservatories, traditional instruments may be offered as a principal study. An example is the Shanghai Conservatory in Shanghai, China and other Chinese conservatories, where Chinese traditional instruments are taught.

Certain schools or conservatories may be exclusively focused on music, such as the New England Conservatory of Music. Others may have one or more other focuses such as the Boston Conservatory which instructs in music, theater, dance and music education.

Schools of Music in the United States

In the United States, there are four types of music schools. Three of them follow the more traditional formats of music education. The last one is more informal and includes schools that teach the history and performance of world music.

The first type and seemingly the most prevalent (though not the largest) are preparatory schools. Almost all of the major conservatories and music schools of the United States also carry a preparatory program. Notable graduates of preparatory programs include Sarah Chang and Midori, both of whom entered the Juilliard School's preparatory program at a young age.

The second and third types of music schools in the United States are closely related, but with distinct structural differences.

Conservatories are the most individual and popular type of music school. Conservatories essentially focus on music and do not specialize in anything else. Some conservatories also include instruction in drama and dance, most notably the Juilliard School. Examples of conservatories are The Juilliard School (NY, NY), The Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, PA), The Cleveland Institute of Music (Cleveland, OH), The Colburn School (Los Angeles, CA), The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (San Francisco, CA), The Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Oberlin, OH), and The New England Conservatory (Boston, MA). Often, academic requirements for conservatories are merely supplemental to a music student's education and career. This makes them very popular with students who would rather not be burdened by academic requirements that are normally enforced at music schools that are part of a larger university system.

Music schools that are part of a larger university system are quite prevalent, but often the level of instruction is not as keen toward just music. Examples of this type of music school are The Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University-Bloomington, The Peabody Institute of Music which is part of John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) and The Graduate School of Music at Yale University (New Haven, CT). Though some of these music schools do forego requiring prospective applicants to meet university admission standards, most still follow a strict complementary structure of general education along with music education.

The fourth type of music school is the most informal. These schools are not incorporated in terms of their recognition as a school entitled to non-profit legal status. Almost anyone can attend these schools and pay a for-profit fee for instruction in diverse types of music.

Notable music colleges, conservatories, and university music departments

See List of colleges and university schools of music

External links

• World Music Central's guide to Music Schools This guide centers on music schools that teach world music and roots music in general.
• http://www.fundacionalbeniz.com The School of Music Reina Sofía belong to this Foundation.
• http://nasm.arts-accredit.org/ National Association of Schools of Music
• http://www.excel-ability.com/Music/ Excel-ability Learning
• Bridge to Music, Music School Directory Bridge to Music is an on line guide to music schools, organized by degree, program and location.