Pursuing a music degree is a path paved with numerous rewards, from honing your creative talents to forging lifelong connections within the industry. While the prestige and acclaim of top-tier music conservatories may be alluring, their steep price tags can be daunting. Fortunately, the United States is home to a wealth of affordable, high-quality music programs that provide aspiring musicians with the resources and training they need to thrive.
Affordable Excellence: ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
At Arizona State University, most students receive some form of financial aid, and over 40% graduate without debt. The ACF/Max and Clara Springer Scholarship – which bestows $5,000 to a first-year student graduating from an Arizona high school with the intent of majoring in music or other arts – is one of several awards students can acquire.
The Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts offers several unique concentrations rarely found in other conservatories or music schools. For example, the popular music concentration seeks multi-talented individuals interested in preparing themselves for a performance or non-performance track in the music industry. All students in this degree concentration complete an internship, which helps them begin to forge professional connections in fields like songwriting, song engineering, and instrumentation. Additionally, students complete a senior capstone project alongside a faculty member who serves to ease their transition into the music industry.
Matador Scholarships and Innovative Facilities at CSU Northridge
Northridge students can take advantage of financial assistance offered via Federal Perkins Loans, sponsorships, scholarships, and grants. The Matador Scholarship Program awards $250 to $8,000 to individual students who demonstrate financial need and academic excellence.
The school boasts facilities like the Music Therapy Wellness Clinic, where students collaborate with expert music therapists and researchers to develop music-related treatments for youth and adults with autism, developmental delay, learning disabilities, and other disorders. Degrees like the Music Industry Studies BA prepare students for executive and administrative positions within the music industry. This interdisciplinary pathway challenges students to organize events, form mock record labels, and cultivate relationships within the music community. The MIS option is competitive and requires an audition – historically, only half of all applicants gain admittance. Graduates may transition to careers as entertainment lawyers, heads of independent record labels, and artist managers, to name a few exciting positions.
UMKC’s Conservatory Bridges and Award-Winning Alumni
The conservatory at the University of Missouri at Kansas City produces hundreds of events each year. Acclaimed alumni include Charles Bruffy – Grammy-winning director of the Kansas City Chorale – and Andres Salguero, who recently won the 2016 Latin Grammy for Best Children’s Album. It is common for students, faculty, and alumni to earn Guggenheim Fellowships, Fulbright Fellowships, Pulitzer Prizes, American Prizes, and other composing awards.
Programs like Conservatory Bridges provide experiential education to the community around UMKC. Bridges helps students prepare for highly selective auditions processes – over 200 students in Kansas City schools have benefited from the program’s instruction, and most seniors who graduate from the program receive collegiate scholarships.
Scholarships and Specialized Programs at Temple University
Temple University’s tuition rates are lower than those of its Pennsylvania competitors, and the school offers many work-study placements through the Boyer College of Music and Dance. Music students are eligible for need-based and merit-based awards like the Diamond Band Scholarship, which grants $500 to $2,000 based on a student’s band musicianship and participation.
The school also offers, in my experience, some higher merit-based scholarships for exceptionally talented music students. The school operates one of the most competitive music technology programs in the United States, which features interdisciplinary coursework in computer science, math, music studies, and recording technology. Graduates within this concentration leave prepared to excel in music tech careers and national graduate programs.
Fly in 4 is one of Temple’s flagship programs. Guaranteeing four-year graduation in order to avoid extra costs associated with additional semesters, Fly in 4 provides academic guidance, special grants, priority access to certain classes, and other resources. Almost 40,000 students have joined the program, and its students graduate at a 17% higher rate than those who don’t opt-in. If students meet the program requirements and cannot graduate in four years, the University will pay for their remaining coursework fees.
Competitive Admission, Abundant Opportunities at SUNY Purchase
Many SUNY Purchase students receive financial aid, and the school distributes over $2 million in scholarship funds to students annually. Those who attend SUNY have the privilege of working with world-renowned teachers and musicians. Additionally, attending school in New York City provides abundant opportunities for professional development and networking.
Admission to the Conservatory is highly competitive, as the school only enrolls 400 undergraduate and graduate students at any one time. As a result, students receive more individual attention than their peers at other, more prominent schools. Programs in voice/opera performance boast award-winning stages and guarantee that students will participate in two full productions each academic year. In the classical composition program, student composers have ample opportunities to present their works and develop eclectic repertoires.
In their fourth year of study, students complete a Senior Project dedicated to one of their passions. The project aims to create a work demonstrating how that student has grown in knowledge and skill throughout their time at SUNY.
UNC School of the Arts: A Head Start on Collegiate Music Studies
The UNC School of the Arts stands out from other music schools in that it offers the nation’s only four-year residential high school program, where students can get a head-start on their collegiate music studies. Financial awards are given based on need and/or merit. Each of the five art schools can award scholarships based on merit, as demonstrated by an audition or formal interview. Need-based awards are based on a student’s application materials.
A $6 million grant endows the Kenan Excellence Scholarship – the largest one-time private contribution in the school’s history – to cover full tuition, room and board, and fees for up to five first-year students. High school students attending UNC SOA and other schools may not apply for the award; instead, it is distributed based on merit.
The School of Music performs over 200 concerts, operas, and recitals yearly. Those attending the School of Music will attend weekly master classes instructed by honorary guest artists and perform in exquisite facilities like the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute. The Fletcher Opera Institute provides tuition-free instruction to opera students who, following graduation, proceed to perform at some of the world’s best opera houses. These houses include the Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, and La Scala.
Affordable Living and Talent-Based Scholarships at the University of Cincinnati
Forbes recently named Cincinnati as the fifth most affordable metropolitan in the United States. The University of Cincinnati offers various forms of financial aid, further adding to the economic appeal of attending. All students are eligible for talent-based scholarships distributed based on pre-screening, audition, and interview performance.
Awards are also given in specific focuses of study – the CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship, for example, is a two-year immersive learning experience reserved for exceptional string players from historically underrepresented demographics within classical music. CCM’s programs maintain a positive reputation across the globe. Their opera program is one of the country’s best, and music ed. graduates achieve a 100% placement rate within a school, church, or community arts setting.
Students gain additional experience in real-world contexts through the college’s Talent for Hire service, which connects them to clients looking to hire artists for weddings, parties, ensembles, or other special events. On the other hand, the Student Artist Program (SAP) connects students to community service opportunities in Cincinnati’s retirement communities.
Renowned Faculty and Diverse Musical Offerings at Florida State University
At Florida State University’s College of Music, students learn under the tutelage of Grammy Award-, Pulitzer Prize-, Guggenheim Fellowship-, and Fulbright Scholar-winning faculty members. The School schedules more than 500 concerts each year, and students can access programs not offered anywhere else in the nation.
For example, the World Music Ensemble program presents two annual music festivals and houses a massive curation of international instruments. Students can specialize in everything from Andean music and Balinese gamelan to Irish fiddling and Steelband. As part of a joint venture with the College of Business, the Commercial Music program merges a BA in Music with a minor in Business. Students enroll in entrepreneurship and film scoring electives, then participate in senior capstone internships outside of Florida in music-focused cities like Nashville, Los Angeles, and NYC.
UNT: The Largest and Most Diverse Composition Program in the Nation
As the nation’s largest public university music program, UNT’s School of Music regularly sits atop music school rankings published by Billboard Magazine, the Yamaha Institution of Excellence, and College Factual. UNT is known for having the nation’s largest and most diverse composition program. It hosts a weekly department meeting called Music Now, an open forum for discussing and creating new music.
The School disburses $49 million in merit- and need-based scholarships annually, and 75% of its students receive financial aid. UNT also employs over 5,000 students in on-campus and off-campus work-study placements. Students can apply for more than 200 scholarship opportunities and six awards explicitly dedicated to music students. Awards are announced each spring semester and require an application, audition, and nomination from a standing faculty member. College of Music scholarships pay $1,000+ to students selected by faculty committees. Students receiving performance scholarships must participate in 1 to 2 performing ensembles per year and maintain a 3.0 GPA in all music courses.
Diverse Degree Offerings and Endowed Scholarships at the Aaron Copland School of Music
Attending the Aaron Copland School of Music (ACSM) gives students access to many endowed scholarship funds created for undergraduate music students. Awards like the Albert Burnett Memorial Scholarship are given to students pursuing musicology or music theory. At the same time, the George and Violet Zatkin Scholarship is reserved for students with exceptional opera performance prowess.
ACSM is part of Queens College – it is considered to be the flagship program and leading senior college in the City University of New York (CUNY). The School offers three music undergraduate degrees: a BA in General Music, a B.Mus in Performance, and a B.Mus/Ed in Music Education. All music students enroll in coursework focusing on music theory, ear training, performance, and sight singing.
The BM Degree with a Music Education Certificate is one of the school’s unique offerings. In years 1 and 2, students complete a standard liberal arts curriculum. In years 3 and 4, they complete the music education sequence. Year 5 follows commencement and places students in internships where they will gain teaching experience. High-quality instruments and facilities are spread throughout the campus, which organizes more than 300 performances each year.
The United States is home to an abundance of affordable, high-quality music programs that offer aspiring musicians the training and resources they need to thrive. From generous scholarship opportunities and renowned faculty to innovative facilities and diverse course offerings, these 10 schools demonstrate that earning a music degree need not come at the expense of financial security. Whether your passion lies in performance, composition, music education, or beyond, these colleges and universities provide accessible pathways to a rewarding career in the world of music.
