Founded in 1867, Boston's New England Conservatory of Music offers diploma programs to students desiring performance-based studies, along with traditional degrees. Nearby, Berklee College of Music trains students in contemporary music and its influences, while The Boston Conservatory focuses on performance, blending elements of theater and dance. Longy School of Music, located in Harvard Square, prepares students to become professional artists, with classes ranging from classical baroque to jazz. In New York City, Juilliard enjoys a distinguished global reputation and faculty, while Manhattan School of Music focuses on providing numerous performance opportunities for students. Pennsylvania boasts Curtis Institute of Music, a small conservatory that provides full scholarships for all admitted students.
A conservatory located just minutes from the nation's capital, Benjamin T. Rome School of Music aims to blend performance opportunities with classroom training, teaching experience and research. Students who wish to take advantage of Nashville's thriving music scene might consider Blair School of Music, a private conservatory founded at Peabody College and now housed at Vanderbilt. Because no graduate degrees are conferred at Blair, undergraduates benefit from full faculty attention. In Texas, The Shepherd School of Music, a private conservatory endowed by Rice University, focuses on orchestral music and opera training.
Students who attend Ohio's Oberlin College & Conservatory receive rigorous music conservatory training in the atmosphere of a liberal arts college. Cleveland Institute of Music, in partnership with Royal Academy of Music and Conservatoire de Paris, offers students the chance to study abroad. In Illinois, Wheaton Conservatory of Music provides professional music education in an evangelical Christian environment. VanderCook College of Music instructs its students in a range of subjects, including conducting, arrangement and instrument repair. Chicago College of Performing Arts, a conservatory housed at Roosevelt University, offers diplomas and degrees in composition, performance and orchestral studies.
Thornton School of Music, a conservatory housed at University of Southern California, offers students the opportunity to work with members of Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Los Angeles Opera. Established in 2003, The Colburn School Conservatory of Music provides classical instrumental training to each of its students, along with full financial support. The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts stresses fluency in multiple disciplines and cultures. By limiting enrollment, San Francisco Conservatory of Music works to assure each student receives individualized attention and ample performance opportunities.