:''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 of teaching
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 composition, or
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.
Notable music colleges, conservatories, and university music departments
See
List of colleges and university schools of music
External links
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World Music Central's guide to Music Schools This guide centers on music schools that teach world music and roots music in general.
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[1] The School of Music Reina Sofía belong to this Foundation.
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[2] National Association of Schools of Music
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[3] Excel-ability Learning
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Bridge to Music, Music School Directory Bridge to Music is an on line guide to music schools, organized by degree, program and location.