The Juilliard School is located at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, the musical and cultural capitol of New York City. It is known for being one of the best schools in the world to study music and is ideal for any musician, regardless of the instrument, to have a career in performance. Because of the school's reputation, admission is extremely competitive. Only 7.4 percent of applicants are admitted to this 600-person program.
State University of New York at Fredonia is located on the tip of Western New York near Buffalo. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are available in a variety of fields, such as performance, composition, music education and music therapy. Fredonia boasts small class sizes and a well-rounded musical curriculum. Because it is part of the state university system, tuition is extremely affordable in comparison to private colleges and universities, especially for New York residents.
On the Upper-West Side of Manhattan is the Manhattan School of Music. This conservatory school has approximately 800 students and 275 faculty members, making for an impressive student-to-professor ratio. It is ideal for students who want a career in performance. The Manhattan School of Music has precollege, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs for students majoring in almost any instrument and style. The cost of attendance is steep, but fellowships and scholarships are available for talented and financially needy students.
The Eastman School of Music, which is part of the University of Rochester in Western New York, was founded over 80 years ago. It has multiple degree programs and certificates ranging from a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies to a Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology. This school is ideal for musicians who wish to seek a career in performance, music education, music history or musicology, or any combination thereof.