Good Music Colleges

University of California, Berkley

• The University of California at Berkley, along with its famous programs of political science and student activism, also has programs for studying any of the performing arts including music. Students benefit from the rich musical environment of the San Fransisco Bay area including the San Francisco Opera, the Oakland Ballet, the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Ali Akbar College of Music and other venues for performance of musical traditions from around the world.

  The Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library is a world-famous research library that gives academic vigor and support to the music studies program. The school boasts of the Salz and O'Niel instrument collections, as well as a major composition facility, the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies at UC Berkeley (CNMAT).

  University of California-Berkeley
  Department of Music
  104 Morrison, #1200
  Berkeley, CA 94720-5800
  510-642-6000
  berkeley.edu

Harvard

• Not all students at Harvard leave with MBAs or law degrees. Many come out of the famous East Coast institution as highly trained musicians. Graduate students can pursue a degree in the Ph.D. program in historical musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory or composition.

  Harvard music majors can enjoy the campus' renovated Fanny Peabody Mason Music Building, which houses classrooms and music practice rooms. The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library provides a place for world-class research in music theory and history. Students and community members can attend events at the John Knowles Paine Concert Hall. The Harvard University Studio for Electroacoustic Composition (HUSEAC) is a breeding ground for musical creativity.

  Harvard University
  Department of Music
  Music Building
  Cambridge, MA 02138
  617-495-2791
  harvard.edu

Columbia University

• Another Ivy League academic powerhouse that has a good track record for the performing arts and music is Columbia University. This program has spread over two campuses, one in Morningside Heights and the other in Washington Heights. The rich history of this musical program began in 1896 with the founder Edward MacDowell (1860-1908). Besides the fact that MacDowell remained at Columbia for only eight years, his impact on the importance of humanities in the study of music remains a central focus of the department. There is a dual emphasis on technical training in musical performance and general musical culture knowledge.

  Columbia University
  Department of Music
  621 Dodge Hall
  Columbia University
  2960 Broadway, MC 1813
  New York, NY 10027
  212-854-3825
  columbia.edu