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A university school of music or college of music, or academy of music or conservatoire (French, but used in British English) — also known as a conservatory (American and British English) or a conservatorium (Australian English) — is a higher education institution dedicated to teaching the art of music, including the playing of musical instruments, singing, musical composition, musicianship, musicology, 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 late 7th century, the Schola Cantorum, school of singers, was founded by the Roman Catholic Church, may be the first professional music school in history. Soon after, the Chinese Royal Academy was set up by Emperor Gaozu of Tang in the purpose to teach music, theater, and dance for court entertainment, being the first school to teach singing, instrumental performing, acting, and such.

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 colleges or university schools of music in Europe.

Instruments and subjects

Most of the world's famous music colleges and conservatories like the Royal Academy of Music, London, the Paris Conservatoire, the Juilliard School of Music in New York and the Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre in Leipzig focus on Western art music (classical music). However, in non-European, non-Oceanic and non-American countries, especially Asian conservatories, traditional instruments may be offered as a principal study. An example is the Shanghai Conservatory of Music 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 in Boston and the Manhattan School of Music and Mannes College in New York City. 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.

Preparatory schools

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, which trains elementary school-age children and high school-age youths in music performance, dance, or other artistic endeavors. The top students from the preparatory programs may continue their studies at the post-secondary level, and enter professional training programs. There are also 3 boarding prepatory schools in the US that offer pre-professional training in music at a college level. They are: Idyllwild Arts Academy, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and Walnut Hill School

Independent conservatories

Conservatories are the most individual and popular type of music school. Conservatories completely focus on music and do not specialize in anything else. Usually emphasis within the school will be focused on either "Classical" or "Contemporary" studies, though in recent years, this divide has begun to meld. Some conservatories also include instruction in drama and dance, most notably the Juilliard School, however this instruction is usually not considered part of the "Conservatory" part of the School. In the Juilliard School, for example, there are three schools each operating quasi-independently; the Juilliard School of Music is the only true "Conservatory" part of the school.

Notable Classical conservatories in the United States are:

• Cleveland Institute of Music (Cleveland, OH)
• Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, PA)
• The Juilliard School (New York, NY)
• New England Conservatory (Boston, MA)
• Manhattan School of Music (New York, NY)
• Mannes College The New School for Music (New York, NY)
• San Francisco Conservatory of Music (San Francisco, CA)

Notable contemporary music (Jazz and popular styles) conservatories are:

• Berklee College of Music (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music (Los Angeles, CA)
• The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music (New York, New York)
• McNally Smith College of Music (St. Paul, Minnesota)

Often, academic requirements for conservatories are merely supplemental to a music student's education and career. This makes them very popular with students who are aiming at a professional performance career, and who do not wish to do all of the academic requirements that are normally required at music schools that are part of a larger university system.

As part of a larger university

While closely related to independent conservatories, this type of schools is where a music school is amalgamated as part of a larger university using the university's resources.

Notable examples of this type of music school are:

• Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)
• Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music of Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
• Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Department of Music and Performing Arts Profession of New York University (New York, NY)
• The Hartt School of the University of Hartford (Hartford, CT)
• Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Music [325959] (Urbana, IL)
• University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)
• Mannes College The New School for Music of the New School University (New York, NY)
• Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Oberlin, Ohio)
• The College-Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati, Ohio)
• University of North Texas College of Music (Denton)
• Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music of the University of Texas-Austin (Austin, TX)
• Shepherd School of Music of the Rice University (Houston, Texas)
• Crane School of Music of the State University of New York at Potsdam (Potsdam, NY)
• School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Lawrence University Conservatory of Music of Lawrence University (Appleton,WI)
• Westminster Choir College of Rider University (Princeton, NJ)

Contemporary as part of a larger university

• College of Arts and Media of the University of Colorado Denver (Denver, CO)

Several conservatories and contemporary music (jazz) schools that are tied to a university often function as a separate entity while being attached to a university. There are several reasons that music programs want to be affiliated with universities. Being affiliated with a university may enable a music college to offer a broader education to its students, because it enables students from the music college to take liberal arts courses from the university (e.g., English literature, history, etc). As well, with the affiliation, the students from the music college may be able to use the facilities of the university, such as the gym, swimming pool, and health services. Finally, affiliation with a university may enable a music college to offer a broader range of degrees, such as the Master of Music degree (M.Mus.), which the university may be able to grant.

Notable cases of conservatories that are affiliated with universities are the Eastman School of Music (which is affiliated with the University of Rochester), The Hartt School, Mannes College, and the Peabody Institute. All of these conservatories were independent schools before joining a larger entity. For example, Eastman and Mannes, while having separate admissions offices than the larger university, both share the larger's bursars and student services offices. These three schools are also removed from their respective university's campuses further showing their independence.

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.

Other

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

References

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.
• Music Education in Bangalore
• The National Association of Schools of Music.
• Bridge to Music, Music School Directory Bridge to Music: an on line guide to music schools, organized by degree, program and location.