Various Types of Music Schools

01/07/2012

If you are looking for an education toward a career in music, you have many music schools from which to choose. However, choosing a music school is not quite the same as choosing a law school or a school of medicine, where the emphasis is usually the same and you are simply comparing schools on quality. Music is a diverse field, and the music schools are equally diverse. Before you decide on one, you must decide what you want to do in music—whether you want to be a classical performer, a jazz musician, a teacher, a studio session player, a recording artist, a music producer…the list goes on. Different schools will emphasize different aspects of music, and knowing what a particular school offers should help you determine whether that school is right for you. That being said, here is a brief overview of the various types of music schools.
 

COLLEGE/CONSERVATORY PROGRAM

For the longest time, college music departments and conservatories of music were pretty much the only form of higher musical education, and most have been geared toward classical (and more recently, jazz) music. Even today, if you desire a career as a classical performer or composer, jazz musician, or music educator, you probably can’t go wrong by taking the college or conservatory route. Some of these programs in recent years have expanded their program offerings to include studies in contemporary music, or even audio production—but the classical/jazz emphasis is still the norm for most of these music schools.
 

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SCHOOLS

More and more music schools are now offering studies in contemporary genres (like rock, pop or country), along with training in Music Industry, Music Business and Audio Production. Berklee College of Music in Boston is perhaps one of the best-known music colleges o

f this type. This kind of school can be a great option for you if you want to become a professional, industry-related musician, such as a singer-songwriter or recording artist, because it will give you a well-rounded education that covers both the performance and technical aspects of music.
 

AUDIO PRODUCTION SCHOOLS

If your desire is ultimately to be on the production side of the music business, as an audio engineer or music producer, you’re more likely to find what you’re looking for at a trade school that teaches audio engineering, music production and recording—essentially helping you learn the ins and outs of the recording studio. These programs can range from college degree plans to short-term certificate programs, and even mentor-apprentice programs that teach their students inside real recording studios. This type of program is also good for musicians in production-heavy genres of music like electronica or rap.

As you can see, the field of music is broad and diverse. To get the education you need, you should decide on a career path and narrow your choice of music schools down to those that will help you with that path.