New York University's Department of Music has been in existence since 1923, and has seen illustrious names such as the composer Percy Grainger join the faculty as chairman. The university offers courses for undergraduates as well as postgraduates, and these include theory, history of music and performance. Additionally, there are short courses in popular music and ethnomusicology, which are open to everyone. Students can benefit from the Noah Greenberg Collection of Musical Instruments and the huge Bobst Library, which holds microfilms, DVDs and periodicals.
The offering at Columbia University, while including classical music and theory, has a strong focus on contemporary music. Seminars on topics such as Music and Childhood and Listening to Hip Hop help to introduce students to new areas of music. There are courses specifically aimed at improving performance skills as well as undergraduate courses, MAs and Ph.D. programs. The department is organized into four main areas: ethnomusicology, composition, historical musicology and music theory.
City University of New York offers degrees in composition and performance, and Ph.D.-level courses in musicology, ethnomusicology, theory/analysis and composition. Modules for Ph.D. courses (except composition) include gender studies, world music and the history of Western classical music. Several colleges form part of City University's music faculty, including Brooklyn College and Lehman College, meaning students can benefit from the facilities each of these departments has to offer. Additionally, the university often hosts free concerts, both by the students and professional musicians.
Cornell University's music department may be the only one in the world to have had three students win a Pulitzer prize. The university prides itself on its faculty of Southeast Asian music as well as a state-of-the-art Electroacoustic Music Center equipped with both hardware and recording software. Graduate level courses focus on theory, performance, composition, history of music and ethnomusicology, the graduate programs include musicology, composition and performance.