A prestigious school in many fields, Yale's reputation for excellence extends to its music program. The university employs a highly selective admission process, requiring audio samples with voice or instruments as well as live panel auditions. Students specialize in music composition and performance utilizing voice and instruments such as the piano, violin and guitar. Yale also offers master's degrees in music as well.
Located in Broadway's backyard, Juilliard is a prime school for aspiring musicians. It has a long-standing national reputation for producing outstanding music graduates. Auditions are competitive, and entry is difficult, with an average student body of only 800 undergraduates. Juilliard partnered with two colleges in New York, Columbia University and Barnard College, in order to give the same musical training to students who auditioned successfully but could not get into Juilliard.
Oberlin is the one of the oldest music conservatories in the United States. With a relatively small student population of 1,400, the auditions to get into Oberlin's music program are known to be notoriously difficult. Successful students are immediately linked with its renowned network of established musicians. In 2009, Oberlin received the National Medal of Arts -- the highest award given by the U.S. to recognize excellent contributions to creative expression.
Admitting an average of only 260 students a year, the Eastman School of Music maintains among the strictest standards in accepting students. It also boasts one of the highest ratios of foreign talent -- 25 percent of the students have an international background. Eastman is famous for its opera training program, even among premium music colleges. The school consistently ranks at the top in several music disciplines, such as composition, piano and musical education.