You can also apply for USC academic scholarships and, for master and doctoral students, the school provides teaching assistantships. Knowing how a specific teacher works with you is critical for determining if a school is a good fit. You can find a helpful breakdown of the cost of attending Thornton here, You can find a list of application requirements for each program here, change/addition of major application process, https://music.usc.edu/departments/contemporary-music/, https://www.belmont.edu/cmpa/music/undergrad/index.html, https://bulletin.miami.edu/undergraduate-academic-programs/music/music-media-industry/musicianship-artistry-development-entrepreneurship-bm/#textcontainer#text, https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/programs/songwriting, https://tisch.nyu.edu/special-programs/courses-for-non-majors/clive-davis-institute-of-recorded-music, Mext Undergraduate Scholarship Acceptance Rate, If you are considering Psychology as a major. Its student-faculty ratio is three to two. Furthermore, the USC Thornton School has a significant community outreach program that hires students to teach music to kids from elementary school through high school. Beethoven_s_10th February 21, 2007, 2:52pm #8. Also, if they like you and your playing in your lesson together, your chance for getting in might be higher. The Division of Contemporary Music consistently produces programs that are regarded as some of the best and most well-known in the business. I am a transfer student and i was wondering if it would be recommended to send in samples of my music to better improve my chances. Offering both undergraduate and graduate degree programs, students at the Conservatoire de Paris join a marvelous music heritage, including Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Seans, Berlioz, Boulez, Faure and Messiaen. Under USC's Affordability Initiative, announced in 2020 (affordability.usc.edu), admitted students from U.S. families with an annual income of $80,000 or less, with typical assets, will attend USC tuition free. Important Note: Applicants to the USC Thornton School of Music are not permitted to apply for admission to a particular degree level (i.e. Thornton is also home to one of the best film music composition programs, rivaling both NYU and Berklee. (Visit https://bulletin.miami.edu/undergraduate-academic-programs/music/music-media-industry/musicianship-artistry-development-entrepreneurship-bm/#textcontainer#text). With a student to faculty ratio of 3 to 1, each student musician has direct access to faculty musicians and instructors. Any program that can turn down the overwhelming majority of those who want to join can clearly take in only the very best in the field. Numerous Berklee students have gone on to noteworthy careers as pop and jazz performers, film composers, record company executives, hit songwriters, recording engineers, producers, and more. The program combines classroom study with technical instruction and hands-on experience for those seeking a career in the music business. In other words, most of those who apply to Thornton will be rejected. ALAJE, a favorite at festivals and cultural gatherings in the Los Angeles region, was founded by Dr. Roberto Miranda, a former student at Thornton, and Thom Mason, a former member of the faculty. Sir Elton John calls the Academy a place of sheer joy and exuberance, of meticulous artistry where talents are passed on from generation to generation. The Royal Academy of Music also serves as a link to musics tradition. Master of Music, Master of Music Arts and Doctor Music Arts programs of study are offered. Its alumni include those who make the most exciting and popular music of our generation and masters who will never be forgotten. Knowing how a specific teacher works with you is critical for determining if a school is a good fit. The opportunity to learn music with the guidance of accomplished musicians in a close-knit community of like-minded individuals make it among the best music colleges in the world. In these cases, musicians who apply for maxed-out studios are usually refunded their application fee and told no one who plays their instrument will be accepted that particular year. Further innovations included establishing an audio recording department (1977), music business major (1992), music therapy major (1996), hip-hop curriculum (1999), American roots music minor (2006), Africana musical studies (2006), video game scoring (2009), an institute for creative entrepreneurship (2014), and a popular music institute (2016). ), T he Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music presents its own comprehensive program of study. But unlike Juilliard with its emphasis on the classical arts, Berklee is a distinctively contemporary music school. The average cost of a one-bedroom apartment is $1,950 per month, although its a bit more reasonable for a two-bedroom apartment at $2,500 if you split the cost. Somewhere around 10% get acceptances and most of those choose to come. Part of that quality also stems from Thorntons associations, including those with the world-famous Los Angeles Philharmonic. Look inside its buildings, and you will find top-notch studios and technology. USC Thornton Music Industry Major B.S. - College Confidential You can find a list of application requirements for each program here. Refer to the USC Catalogue for complete course descriptions and degree requirements here. Admission to USCs Thornton School of Music is competitive, with about a 20 percent acceptance rate. Facets of the program include artist management, the recording industry, music publishing, music supervision, artist branding and marketing, music law, live concert promotion, festival management, DIY touring, ethics in the music industry, venue management, music and mindfulness, and data analysis decision making for artists. <p>I personally think USC is the best music school in the West. Plus, it doesnt hurt either that majority of full-time undergraduate students receive substantial financial aid. Jazz Studies teacher Peter Erskine has played on more than 700 albums and scores, earning ten Grammy nominations and winning twice. It ranks at or near the top of the list for best contemporary music colleges, with popular music being a key component in its expansive curriculum. Like USC, Belmont is in a musical hotspot with proximity to Nashvilles iconic Music Row. By clicking on each link above, you can find in-depth information about your chosen field of study. Additionally, they perform live and in studio settings all over the world. Some of the most esteemed orchestras, groups, recording studios, and businesses in the music industry hire graduates from these programs. No one applying to music schools wants to hear that fact. The deadline for the undergraduate application if December 1st of any given year. The institutes mission is to equip students with the business and creative skills to become industry leaders in the art and commerce of recorded music. It is a program where youth and experience come together in a vibrant urban setting to create provocative productions of classic and modern masterpieces. The average person may not know the name Ludwig Gransson, but they have certainly heard his music. The USC Thornton School of Music, established in 1884, is one of the top music schools in the country and has emerged as the hub of higher education in music in the western United States. As one of the nations best music schools, Thornton receives thousands of applications each year. Founded in 1945, Berklee College of Music, in Boston, Massachusetts, could be said to be renowned equally for its distinctive philosophy of music as for the Colleges striking success. Please note: the application deadline is when all material must be received and is not a postmark deadline. The USC Thornton Symphony is one of the most esteemed musical ensembles connected to the USC Thornton School of Music. The program is built on a foundation of classical music, jazz, and blues to inform student studies of contemporary forms. Belmont actually fields a second college dedicated to various aspects of popular music. The USC Thornton School is no exception to the University of Southern Californias reputation for having politically active and socially conscious students. For those passionate about more contemporary forms of music, Thornton has majors that keep students up-to-date with the latest pop trends. Life in LA is not for everyone. #6: Thornton School of Music (USC) Location: Los Angeles, CA Acceptance rate: 20% (varies depending on program and year) Student body size: 450-500 undergrads Tuition: $63,468 The Thornton School of Music is part of the University of Southern California (USC), a highly selective private university in Los Angeles. (Visit https://www.belmont.edu/cmpa/music/undergrad/index.html for further information.). Liberal arts courses round out the degree. The USC music program at the Thornton School, which is situated in the heart of Los Angeless thriving musical scene, is home to a renowned faculty as well as some of the most gifted students in the world. For example, teachers can only take on a certain number of students for a given instrument each year. Students who attend high-level music schools like Thornton may prefer to practice their scales instead of doing their history homework, but Thornton is still a school and, therefore, still hard work. 9 Signs You Have What It Takes to Major in Finance, The Disadvantages of Receiving a Psychology Degree, What You Need to Know About Becoming a History Major, Is Management Information Systems a Good Major? Her work has earned her the highest possible honors, such as multiple Grammies, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2021, the National Medal of Arts, and Kennedy Center Honors. One of the most highly competitive music schools, accepting below 5% of applicants, a small student body (165 students) have the opportunity to work closely with Curtis decorated faculty (99 faculty members), linking students to past great masters. Popular majors include Business, Communications, and Biology. In addition to instrumental and voice performance studies (which embrace classical music, opera, jazz, and popular styles), other departments focus on music education and therapy, theory and composition, studio music and jazz, musicology, and music media and industry. For high school students wanting an advanced look at its songwriting studies, NYU offers an intensive, two-week songwriting seminar each summer. April 5, 2023 by Robby. He holds bachelors and masters degrees in classical guitar performance from New England Conservatory and California State University, Fullerton. In studying, teaching and researching music and the arts at Eastman, students and faculty become members of an august musical family whose alumni include: the opera vocalist, Rene Fleming; jazz musician Ron Carter; composers Robert Ward, Charles Strouse (Bye Bye Birdie; Annie), and Alexander Courage (Star Trek; The Waltons); and Doriot Anthony Dwyer, former principal flute of the Boston Symphony, and one of the first women to be named a principal in a major American orchestra.. Application deadlines for other processes are noted below. Over the decades, it has burnished its outlier reputation by creating a very diverse curriculum. The USC Thornton Music Industry program prepares students to succeed in a rapidly evolving industry that is largely rooted in the Los Angeles area. Curtis offers several programs of study: the Diploma for post-secondary-school students; the Bachelor of Music, which takes 3 to 5 years; the Professional Studies Certificate; and post-baccalaureate Diploma and Master of Music tracks, which may be completed in 2 to 3 years. The University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music has an acceptance rate of approximately 20% and its total student body averages around 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students combined. [2] The school is located on the USC University Park Campus, south of Downtown Los Angeles . For all students at the graduate level, tuition is assessed at a rate of $2,137 per unit during the 2022- . At the end of the post, we follow it up with a list of notable programs at other institutions. While USC Thornton does not explicitly state the actual GPA students need for admission, a good rule of thumb for music programs in prestigious universities is at least a 3.5. The University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music has an acceptance rate of approximately 20% and its total student body averages around 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students combined. <p>I don't really know what the acceptance rates are but if you want my guess, about a third of the people who apply get to audition and about a third of them get an offer. Many schools say they have a commercial music program, but their ensembles are primarily jazz bands. Its philosophy holds that music can be best taught through the music of the time. Where is Berklee in rankings? The average cost of a one-bedroom apartment is $1,950 per month, although its a bit more reasonable for a two-bedroom apartment at $2,500 if you split the cost. Top Colleges for Popular Music - Inside Music Schools By blending the rigors of a traditional conservatory-style education with the benefits of a leading research university, USC Thornton offers a curriculum designed to prepare students to excel as . is open to all Frost music majors by audition. Indeed, it's considered as the best music school in USA so much so that it's synonymous with excellence in music! All that hard work of applying will come to nothing for most people. Overview The Bachelor of Music in Music Production consists of course work in the major area, core music classes, USC's general education and writing, as well as electives to take advantage of the offerings of the Thornton School and of the entire university. An internship and capstone project is required for the BS. Graduate degrees offered are Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Artist Diploma, and Doctor of Music. Joint Bachelor of Arts/Master of Music courses of study are also offered to current Yale College students, showing outstanding ability in music performance or composition. Some of the best conductors, musicians, and composers in the world have worked with the symphony, including Henryk Grecki, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Tilson Thomas, James Conlon, John Williams, and Joan Tower. The group was founded by James Tyler in 1986, and it is currently run by Adam Knight Gilbert, who also serves as the early music program director, and Rotem Gilbert. Horne has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the San Fransisco Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and many more. Founded in the context of the French Revolution in 1795, the Conservatoire has sought to be a center of innovation in music education, aiming to provide musical education for the greatest number possible. The programs goal is to educate vocalists, opera coaches, and keyboard musicians. With three percussionists, horns, and singers, the band has expanded into a large group. The Chamber Opera of USC is a student-run organization that promotes interaction between graduate and undergraduate students in order to produce both newly composed chamber operas and more traditional types of chamber opera. Frosts Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship program (M.A.D.E.) Applicants to Music Production must submit prescreen audition materials for review by the faculty. Note: the school does not list personal and book expenses, but they typically cost around $800 for books and $2000 for personal expenses per year. The band is led by Bob Mintzer, a member of the jazz studies faculty who has a long history with the Yellowjackets and is a GRAMMY Award-winning big band leader, composer, and arranger. His scores for productions of Shakespeare works have earned him Best Original Music awards from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and the Bay Area Drama Critics Circle. Does USC have a music program? By clicking on each link above, you can find in-depth information about your chosen field of study. (Visit https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/programs/songwriting. One program in particular that is extremely desirable for admission, the Popular Music program, has an acceptance rate of less than 5%, according to my personal sources. He also studied guitar and composition at Berklee College of Music, and served for 26 years as editor of Berklee today magazine until his retirement in 2018. Although Thornton offers scholarship support, the cost of tuition and other fees is certainly on the high end. ), named for an iconic singer-songwriter and UM alumnus. The USC Thornton School of Music was founded in 1884 and has grown to become the main provider of higher education in music in the western part of the United States. No list of the worlds top music schools will be complete without mentioning Yale School of Music! With a campus located in one of the worlds great citiesanother music industry huband proximity to many cultural happenings, NYU is an excellent destination for those serious about a range of music careers. Study jazz music from one of the best schools in the country - USC! The Juilliard School, located in New York City, is renowned for its exceptional music programs. By that metric, Thorntons popular music program is one of the best, as it has a has an incredibly low 5% (or so) acceptance rate. For that reason, it shouldnt be surprising that the overwhelming majority of Thornton students have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Although larger than many of the other schools present in this list with a 606 faculty and almost 4200 students, and accepting a higher percentage of applicants than most of the other finest music schools (35% acceptance rate), this seems to have in no way diminished Berklees prestige and its draw. In addition, all entering freshmen are expected to complete a General Education Seminar during their first year at USC. Required fields are marked *. Currently, under the direction of Dean Robert A. Cutietta, the Thornton School of Music has launched the most ambitious fundraising initiative in its history and aims to raise $75 million to support students, faculty, programs and infrastructure. General education, writing, music industry courses, musicianship courses, and foundational business courses make up the four-year, 128-unit BS in music industry program. Acceptance Rate. Those with a passion for strings, brass, and other time-honored instruments can earn a classical performance degree at Thornton. For example, teachers can only take on a certain number of students for a given instrument each year. The classical faculty is also one of the best, drawing . Admission to Eastman is highly competitive with about 13% of its yearly 2000 applicants accepted. Yo Yo Ma and Bernard Herrmann are two examples of a long list of illustrious alumni. Berklee grants undergraduate degrees in 12 majors and 30 principal instruments ranging from electric guitar, bass, and drums to orchestral instruments, banjo, electronic digital instruments, and more. While there are over 2,000 four-year colleges and universities in America, only about a dozen grant degrees in popular music studies. The school is also on the larger side with close to 19,000 students total; so those looking for a smaller campus experience might want to look elsewhere. </p> Thornton became closely associated with Los Angeles cultural renaissance after World War II, and many of its faculty and alumni joined the newly established Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Royal Academy offers instruction from childhood through the doctoral level in both performance and research tracks. Optional supporting material may include, but is not limited to the following: Note: Undergraduate applicants to the Thornton School are only permitted to select one Thornton major through the Common Application and it must be selected as the first-choice major. The USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra (TJO), the programs premier ensemble, concentrates on playing in the tradition of big bands during performances. Thanks to these connections, teachers can give their students unprecedented access and experience with some of the worlds best performers. The 10 Best Music Production & Audio Engineering Schools The reason for this requirement is simple. Music Industry | USC Thornton School of Music The goal of the USC music program is to educate musicians who will broaden the influence and impact of classical music both now and in the future. These students remain devoted to their craft and their commitment to excellence. The USC Thornton Symphony and the USC Thornton Opera program frequently collaborate. As with all applications to music school, keep in mind sometimes the numbers just dont work to your advantage. The oldest continually operating cultural institution in Los Angeles, USC Thornton is widely regarded as one of the nation's top music schools. PDF First-Year Student Profile and Admission Information 2021 - 2022 That can certainly be frightening, but Thorntons acceptance rates are the standard for schools of its quality. Founded by Christopher Sampson in 2009, it is chaired by composer, keyboardist, and four-time Grammy nominee Patrice Rushen. If you need financial help to pay for Thornton, we recommend you apply for support through FAFSA to maximize your chances for funding your education. Dean told me everyone in my son's class that was offered accepted. Collaborations with notable musicians like Witold Lutosawski, Bruno Walter, and Leopold Stokowski, among others, have long established the symphonys reputation as one with an extraordinary breadth of talent and capability. For undergraduates, the cost of tuition is $51,442 per academic year and, for graduate students, the cost of tuition is $27,728 per year. Lan56, USC-Bing Theatre, CC BY-SA 3.0 Each year, the music technology program at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California accepts a very small number of students. Music students are exposed to a wide range of disciplines and inspirations, thanks partly to the fact that its dance, drama and music departments are all in one building. The Thornton School of Music offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees and is comprised of three main departments Classical Performance and Composition, which offers the following programs: Choral and Sacred Music, Classical Guitar, Composition, Keyboard Collaborative Arts, Keyboard Studies, Organ Studies, Strings, Vocal Arts (Classical Voice/Opera), and Winds and Percussion; there is also the Contemporary Music Department, which offers programs in Jazz Studies, Music Industry, Music Technology, Popular Music, Screen Scoring, and Studio/Jazz Guitar; finally, there is Scholarly and Professional Studies, which offers Arts Leadership, Early Music Performance, Music Teaching and Learning, Musicology, Community Engagement, and the Polish Music Center. University of Southern California - Profile, Rankings and Data | US For those looking to live off campus, LA isnt cheap, but it is not nearly as expensive as say a New York City either.. How to Get Into USC: 5 Expert Admissions Tips - PrepScholar The grand space connects performers to the schools history, even as they play music of the future. Thethree-semester Master of Science in Music Industryprogram aims to produce the next generation of music industry leaders via a comprehensive yet student-tailored education. You can find a complete list of Thornton faculty here. Applicants will be asked to provide the following materials in the SlideRoom portfolio: Note: This information applies only to Music Production applicants. The USC Thornton School of Music Opera Program is one of the top training facilities in the country for singing actors, opera coaches, and collaborative keyboard artists. The USC Thornton Baroque Sinfonia is an ensemble that uses real historical instruments and voices to perform music from the late 16th century to the middle of the 18th century. Remember that the fairly high Berklee school of music acceptance rate doesnt detract from its outstanding use of technology in music composition. Graduate courses of study include Contemporary Performance in Jazz; Global Entertainment and Music Business; Music Production, Technology & Innovation; Music Therapy; Scoring for Film, Television and Video Games. The best film music composition program, comparable to those at NYU and Berklee, is located in Thornton. It is one of the finest places to study music in England.