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Update my information Admissions officers are waiting to hear from you if you are interested in attending Yale University.
School of Music / School of Music is situated in an urban area in New Haven, Connecticut.
Requirements and Admissions Tips
As noted, undergraduates need to apply to Yale University and then declare their music major in their junior year. You can find the application, instructions, and everything else you need to know about the undergraduate application process here.
Musicians must understand that Yale University is primarily an academic institution for undergraduate admission. Your high school transcript, teacher evaluations, and test results are the three most important components of your application in that order.
For graduates, the Yale School of Music offers the following degrees & programs: Master of Music, Master of Musical Arts, Doctor of Musical Arts, Artist Diploma, Certificate in Performance, B.A./M.M., and String Quartet Fellowship. You can learn more about each degree and program here. Areas of study at the Yale School of Music include: Strings, Winds & Brass, Percussion, Harp, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Voice, Composition, and Conducting.
All applicants to the Yale School of Music must submit pre-screening recordings. Music School Central ensures that your pre-screening recording has excellent audio quality and that you perform at the highest competitive level because the quality of your pre-screening material is essential to your application.
I would advise you to schedule a lesson with a faculty member from the Yale School of Music department you are interested in enrolling into before your audition if you are accepted to audition there. If you want to know if a school is a good fit for you, you must understand how a particular teacher interacts with you. Additionally, if they like you and the music you play in class, your chances of being admitted might be higher. Keep in mind that this is only a suggestion and not always true.
In our college consulting program, Steve Lipman, a former dean of admissions at Berklee College of Music, and I can assist in setting up a meeting between you and a member of the Yale School of Music faculty, or virtually any other program in the world.
In the world of classical music, Yale could be the leader today; ten years ago, I would have said Juilliard had the highest percentage of active alumni in the professional music world; today, Yale has students in nearly every professional music position available to a musician around the world.
Alumni include the conductor Gisele Ben-Dor, who made her debut with the Israel Philharmonic in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (televised by PBS), the American composer David Lang, who founded the music collective Bang on a Can and won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Music for The Little Match Girl Passion, which went on to win a Grammy in 2010; Marco Beltrami, a film and television composer known for his work scoring the horror films Mimic, The Faculty, and Resident Evil
The faculty at the Yale School of Music is dedicated to educating musicians and developing tomorrow’s leaders by fusing their passion for music with an advanced academic tradition at an international research university.
Among the faculty members are pianist Peter Frankl, a former student of Maria Curcio (Arthur Schnabel’s favorite and last student and one of the most revered pianists of the 20th century), composer Martin Bresnick, known for his musical philosophy of concise and direct expression, and Armenian classical violinist Ani Kavafian, who made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1969 and frequently performs with her pianist husband.
Similar Schools & Ranking
A university with a graduate program that is renowned or, for undergraduates, a school that focuses on academics with a music major
The Juilliard School, University of Michigan School of Music, and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music are among the US institutions I recommend as being comparable to Yale School of Music’s graduate program. These are all important classical music institutions with some of the best graduate-level faculty and significant funding.
Yale School of Music would undoubtedly rank as one of the nation’s top graduate music schools, if not the very best, if we were to do so.
Please remember that, as with all of our rankings, the right school for you will depend on your unique needs, and that each rankings list is only the first step in helping you find the music school that is best for you.
As mentioned, the Yale School of Music offers full fellowships and awards to all incoming graduate students. Yale University offers numerous opportunities for undergraduates, including the Yale Scholarship (a need-based grant), merit-based scholarships from outside Yale, such as private companies, employers, and nonprofit organizations, as well as federal entitlement grants.
Any student applying to the undergraduate program at Yale University should also apply for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) in order to maximize opportunities for receiving financial aid. Grants and loans from FAFSA can help pay for an acceptance to Yale University.
Is the Yale School of Music / Yale University Right for Me?
The Yale School of Music is a very alluring option for graduate students thanks to its alumni, faculty, and free tuition (which includes a fellowship); however, undergraduates must take their needs and long-term career goals into account.
Undergraduates looking for a Bachelor of Music should look elsewhere. However, a Yale degree will undoubtedly open doors if you want to pursue a career in academia, and for some, pursuing your musical aspirations with an Ivy League degree as a safety net is undoubtedly a wise decision.
Furthermore, the Yale School of Music’s Bachelor/Master of Music track offers another fantastic option to consider if you are certain that you want to pursue graduate-level study.
Other factors to take into account include Yale’s close proximity to New York City, its robust networking opportunities, its historic and stunning campus, and, of course, the prestige of a Yale degree on a global scale.
The Yale School of Music only offers the following areas of study, so the program itself may not be the best fit for all musicians.
The application procedure for many schools, including the Yale School of Music, can be perplexing and challenging to navigate. Understanding how to truly and successfully succeed in the audition process involves many different aspects.
Check out Music School Central’s College Counseling Program if you’re thinking about going to college for music and would like to get expert advice on how to prepare for auditions, interviews, and college applications for the Yale School of Music or any other music school.
Why Music? An Overture to the Yale School of Music
FAQ
How hard is it to get into Yale music school?
Aspiring musicians at the undergraduate level must apply to Yale University like everyone else because Yale University offers a music major there. The acceptance rate for Yale University is around 8%.
What GPA do you need for Yale School of Music?
There is no minimum GPA requirement to apply. To ensure that admitted applicants can successfully complete graduate level coursework, we thoroughly review all academic transcripts. I am a high school senior interested in the B. A. /M. M. program.
Which Ivy League has the best music program?
The only institution in the Ivy League dedicated to music is Yale School of Music. The Yale Department of Music was established in 1889, and the School of Music received a dean of the School of Music in 1904.
Is it easier to get into an Ivy League as a music major?
Taking up an instrument might be what gives you an advantage over other applicants. According to IVY Coach, the committee gives applicants with exceptional musical talent special consideration. ‘A musician with the highest category of promise’ is covered by the ‘MUSD’ category.