Some musicians desire to go to school at a large university with thousands upon thousands of students. Think University of Michigan.
Others wish to go to a conservatory, a small school with usually less than 900 students whose lives are completely inundated with the performing arts. Think Juilliard.
But some students want to have a school with the academic & cultural variety of a university with the intimacy of a conservatory. That is where liberal arts colleges come into the picture.
When we think of the finest music schools in the country, we usually think about conservatories like New England Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Curtis. Or perhaps universities like Indiana, University of Southern California, and Northwestern.
It may surprise you, but many of the nation’s top music programs are housed in liberal arts colleges.
Some colleges that I profile in this article are leaders in fields such as Music Education, Musical Theatre, Classical & Jazz Performance, and even World Music.
They all have one thing in common that may not always be present in a large university – a strong, unique sense of community informed by academic culture relevant not only to artists, but to general humanity.
To qualify as a liberal arts college, the school must be fairly small with around 1,500 – 3,000 total students, although I did let one school slip in on this report that has slightly more than 3,000 students. It has to have academic majors outside of music and the performing arts.
When making this blueprint, I looked at a number of criteria, including the strength of the school’s faculty, what recent alumni have accomplished, the diversity and accomplishments of the school’s oeuvre of programs, the academic requirements & reputation of the institution outside of the music program.
I also looked to see if the school had something outstandingly unique about it; a massive multi-million dollar budget that goes toward furthering entrepreneurial musician initiatives, an unusually intensive & significantly accomplished program in Musical Theatre, and a scholarship collaboration with a major American orchestra are a few things that you will see noted in the schools on this list.
Without further ado, here are the top 10 liberal arts colleges in the country for music.
Wesleyan is an interesting choice for the music student. According to US News and World Report, Wesleyan ranks among the top 15 liberal arts colleges in the country, making it ideal for any academically competitive student, musician or otherwise, to pursue studies at this storied institution.
Wesleyan is one of the strongest choices of any college in the country for students who wish to study World Music as a major, which is the study of music stemming from multifarious & diverse cultures. Many of the ethnomusicologists on the faculty are leaders in the fields of European, Indonesian, South Indian, Chinese, Korean, African, and Caribbean music.
Some recent theses that Wesleyan ethnomusicologists have written about include the guitar playing of Mali, Balinese Music as it is seen throughout the world, and a study of Colombian musicians living in New York City.
Additionally, Wesleyan has one of the most expansive collections of world-music instruments. You can see pictures of all sorts of unique instruments in the university’s Virtual Instrument Museum.
The school has a deep history with experimental music that continues to this day. John Cage, one of the most controversial (he wrote a piece that was completely silent) yet critically acclaimed experimental musicians, had an ongoing affiliation with the school for over 40 years, collaborating with artist-faculty, publishing his manuscripts under the Wesleyan publishing company, etc. The tradition of experimental music continued with Wesleyan composers Alvin Lucier and Jon Barlow.
Additionally, the school boasts an unusually high number of alumni who have become prominent professionals in the music industry. These include both members of the indie-rock chart-topping sensation MGMT, and Tierney Sutton, a jazz vocalist who has been nominated for three Grammy awards. You can check out this wikipedia link to see the large number of of prominent musicologists, jazz performers, composers, and classical musicians studied at Wesleyan.
St. Olaf has a rich history in its acclaimed music program. For example, in 1906. the school’s well-known St. Olaf Band was the first college music ensemble in the US to perform internationally. To this day, the St. Olaf Band remains an impressive ensemble, having recently toured Norway & Japan.
St. Olaf’s most noted ensemble may just be the St. Olaf Choir, a 75-voice group that has toured France, South Korea, Australia, New York City, and New Zealand. They even were invited in 2005 to perform at the White House for the Bush family. Its complete discography throughout its history includes 27 discs of choral music, an impressive number for any ensemble professional or collegiate.
While doing research for one of my college consulting clients lately, I learned that the school has one of the top teachers in the country for jazz vibraphone, an instrument increasingly more unique at any college or conservatory. David Hagedorn, percussionist extraordinaire and big band director, led the school’s Jazz One ensemble to winning a Downbeat magazine award for “top undergraduate large ensemble” in 2011.
Overall, the level of talent of the student body at St. Olaf is only outmatched by the school’s longstanding commitment to music. It is an essential choice for any student looking into a top liberal arts college for music.
I am surprised that for St. Olaf College, there was no mention that 1/3 of the student body is involved in music either in lessons or ensembles. Ensembles include 9 choirs, 2 orchestras, 2 bands, 3 jazz bands, 3 handbell choirs, and numerous other ensembles. I’m also surprised that there was no mention of the highly acclaimed annual Christmas Festival that has appeared on PBS numerous times, or that the college is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Why no mention of church music in the opening paragraphs of the article?
Why would there be mention of Church music?
Many of these colleges don’t even have church music.
I would also like to give a shoutout to the many, many Luther College music education majors in top-notch international schools around the world. These gifted teachers are not only sharing their gifts of music in schools in Norway, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, India, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and other places I am not aware, but these graduates are also terrific ambassadors for the best of what it means to be “Called to Serve.” This is ranking is well-deserved for the program and for the graduates of this nationally recognized program for music and for music education excellence.
No mention of Simpson College? If Opera is what you want there isn’t a better program in the country.
Simpson’s opera rep is good but the music program as a whole does not encompass a large portion of the student body and do not perform in an impressive manner on the global scene. Same thing for Wartburg. They don’t have credentials that Luther has.
You blew it…you didn’t mention Wartburg College in Waverly, IA. Living in southern Minnesota and having heard ensembles from all of he Lutheran Colleges in Minnesota and northern Iowa, plus ensembles from other private colleges, I would list Wartburg as one of the best – year after year!
Well, I liked your article quite a bit, Bill! What a bunch of negative Nellies your commenters are. Go write your own articles, then.
Ithaca College, just so everyone knows, isn’t located in New York, New York. It’s 4 hours away, in the Finger Lakes region of the state.
Several of these were just listed elsewhere on a list of worst value for the price. But it sounds like their schools of music might actually be worth it.
My daughter attended and graduated SU Conservatory as a Music Therapist Major in 2011. It is truly an awesome institution. The faculty, resources, the diversity and the wonderful connection with peers within the Conservatory is amazing. I can truly say, the education she received from Shenandoah prepared her very well for the workforce employed as a Board Certified Music Therapist. Not to mention the life long friends from all disciplines within the Conservatory. It’s so wonderful to have met such wonderful students from a parent’s perspective , which, I can call my SU daughters and sons. The campus environment is so calm and relaxing but, immersed in the intensity of the student’s musical lives.
…Setnor school of music @SU isn’t a conservatory. Nor would SU be considered a liberal arts college.
Why is Wesleyan College not mentioned ? Wesleyan is known for their music programs.
I agree that St. Olaf College should be much closer to the top of the list. While all the schools mentioned have wonderful programs, St. Olaf has one that is outstanding as many students participate, the Christmas Festival is one of the best, and everywhere people walk on campus, music rings in their ears.
The College of Wooster has a formidable music education program.
Are they the ones that used to give full scholarships for bagpipers? Do they still do that? I always thought that was kind of cool.
What about Berklee College of Music?
I am thrilled to see the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory on this list as #4!! As an alum, I can say that BW prepared me to thrive at a top tier graduate school and have a successful career in the music field. I am so grateful to have attended a smaller undergraduate Conservatory that was housed in a liberal arts university… and just minutes from Cleveland! It was truly the best of both worlds! BW has incredible alumni in major orchestras (Cleveland Orchestra, Philidelphia, Detroit, Dallas, Cincinatti, & Baltimore just to name a few), students graduate and land leading roles on Broadway, and the Music Education program has a 100% job placement rate. Alumni also sing leading roles with the Metroplitan Opera, are published composers & authors, and are practicing music therapists. I’m glad to see that BW is getting the notice it truly deserves!!
Yale University (a large liberal arts college) has historically attracted accomplished musicians who participate in the Symphony, Jazz Band, Glee Club and numerous independent groups, whether majoring in music or not. It doesn’t hurt that the Yale Graduate School of Music hosts numerous faculty luminaries.
Curious why you didn’t mention SUNY Purchase, Music Division?
What are your feelings on Rollins Liberal Arts College in Winter Springs Fl.?
Thanks for this article, Bill! There is tremendous value in majoring in Music at a liberal arts college rather than a conservatory. Exciting things have been happening in the Music Department at Occidental College in Los Angeles, as well. For example, Occidental Assistant Professor of Composition, Adam Schoenberg, was just named among the top 10 most-performed living classical composers in the United States. The College has as a notable vocal music program which includes several vocal ensembles. Instrumental ensembles include the Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos, Chamber Music Ensembles, Son Jarocho Ensemble, Afro-Cuban Drumming Ensemble, and the brand new Occidental Sinfonia.
As a graduate of Baldwin Wallace, I am proud to see my school listed 4th. It is interesting to note that #2 Oberlin is only about 20 miles to the west of Baldwin Wallace. The article also mentioned the famous Cleveland Institute of Music. Many people may not realize the wealth of music education and professional representation (the Cleveland Orchestra, and Playhouse Square theaters) that the Cleveland area provides. Cleveland isn’t just the home of the resurgent Cavs and the woeful Browns. It is home to the arts.
Oberlin isn’t near a cultural center such as Chicago or Ann Arbor??? Ann Arbor????? Really ???????
Oberlin is 35 miles southwest of Cleveland where you will find the Cleveland Orchestra, The Cleveland Museum of Art and as well as a few other world class institutions.
St. Olaf does have a marvelous music program and the Christmas program and touring opportunities for the choirs, bands and orchestra are amazing!! It’s not amazing for every musician, though. Make sure to cement your position in one of the top ensembles before you sign on because the spots are limited and competitive. You could find yourself being an usher at the Christmas program and watching other students going on international tours while staying behind (and you wll pay a premium price).
The author of this website is very Bard-centric. Obviously he has a personal connection with Bard and Contemporaneus.
– Williams (MA): I believe they have a strong orchestra and subsidize private lessons for all interested students.
– Oberlin (OH): She’s applying to the College of Arts and Sciences, which has a separate orchestra from the Conservatory. CAS students usually don’t have the privilege of studying under Prof. Alexa Still, for example.
Larger universities such as the Ivies, Northwestern, and University of California campuses typically have a lot of opportunities, given their size and scope. However, she prefers smaller LACs.
Your daughter may want to consider Luther.
As an alumnus and someone whose daughter is an alumnus I may be biased. However, Luther provides muai performance scholarships for non-music majors. Whether or not you are a music Major does not impact whether or not you are able to participate in an ensemble at any level, and individual lessons are available for non-music majors.
I can tell you that my daughter’s music scholarship made the college affordable, even though she did not Major in music. She participated in choral ensembles even though her scholarship was for piano.
Absolutely. Consider Luther. Great liberal arts study, enjoy flute and stimulating musical organizations without being a Music Major !