Conservatoires

[8426]

I am wondering what conservatoire I should go to when I get there.

Is the Paris Conservatoire good?

Is Julliard good?

Would Yale be a good place to study?

By good I mean the experience you had in being taught there, or if you went to a different place say why you like it.

[dan101]

Many years ago, the school where I achieved my Master's degree was the Peabody Institute (Baltimore). It's a wonderful school and one of three that I had to choose between. In the end, it came down to teacher preference.

[ramseytheii]

Yale is not a conservatory. 

Walter Ramsey

[gyzzzmo]

Dont be bothered that much by 'quality' of a conservatory, as long as you dont go to a bad one. Most improvement comes out of yourself, plus some stimulation and explanation of your teacher, but thats of lesser importance. However though if you want a future in teaching, connections start getting important. Maybe you should concider going to a conservatory that is in the city you might want to live in for a major part of your life. Connections are way more important in the music world than your conservatory history, if you want to do other things than a piano performance future.

Gyzzzmo

[rachelj]

Actually, Yale does have a school of music which is where I did my graduate work. It is, essentially, a conservatory.

My honest advice is to apply to and audition at many. There are no guarantees about getting accepted to the top conservatories. Your best bet is to try to establish contact with a teacher at each school, try to get some lessons before audition time. That way, you have an ally already. The schools you mention are very competitive, so don't focus on any particular one. See where you get in, and what kind of financial help each one offers.

That said, I can very highly recommend the two schools I went to: New England Conservatory and Yale. I had a very positive experience at both places. I have friends who did not have a good time at Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard. But, that's just personal opinion.

Good luck with whatever you do!

[ramseytheii]

I know this is picky, but Yale is a University, and universities are not conservatories.  A conservatory is an institution, not just a degree within an institution.  So for instance, an undergraduate at Yale can get a degree in German literature and music theory (but not in performance), but an undergraduate at Juilliard can only get music (or other performance field)-related degrees.

A graduate student at Yale can get a performance degree, but it is still issued by Yale University, so they are in the right to call themselves the School for Music.

I think it is important to qualify, just because the original poster didn't say what kind of education they were looking for.  If you want the time to be devoted totally to your instrument, you should go to a conservatory instead of a university with a music program.

Walter Ramsey

[rachelj]

Mr. Ramsey, I just want it to be clear... as a graduate of the Yale School of Music, I can attest that while, yes, it is under the umbrella of the university in name, it operates (just as the other so-called "professional schools") as a completely separate entity. Obviously I know it is not a conservatory in name, but when you are a student there, you are studying only music. You can spend your entire degree not setting foot in any Yale College building. It is absolutely just as immersive as New England Conservatory, for example.

The big difference is that all the students at Yale School of Music are pursuing graduate degrees. You must already have earned a Bachelor's elsewhere. Obviously getting an undergraduate degree at Yale is a totally different thing. Then, you would not be in the professional school and would have to pursue a more rounded education. But, the graduate program in the school of music is identical in every way to a conservatory.

Anyway, I was just trying to clarify.

[ara9100]

The Royal Collage of Music is really good. (in London)

[loonbohol]

Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku is really really good.
When it comes to composition and Production.
It is in Japan.

Jimei conservatory (China) is already fair enough.

[avguste]

It all depends on your age, your  current location and your goals.
If you are looking to become a performer, I would recommend to go to an European conservatory and escape universities as much humanly possible.
Why?simply because in my personal opinion, universities dont care about building performers, but care only about academics. If you go to an university, be it for bachelor or master, you will have to deal with paperwork non stop: music history papers, theory assignments and other not useful items.
With all due respect to rachelj, do not go to a university.

As far as which conservatory, I recommend the conservatory in Bordeaux, France. My teacher there was Professor Herve N'Kaoua and he is one of the best. I still keep in touch with him, so if you decide to check the conservatoire, I would be more than happy to listen to 1 or more of your recordings, give you a recommendation and/or at least speak to Professor N'Kaoua about you.
https://www.bordeaux.fr/ebx/portals/ebx.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pgSomRub11&classofcontent=sommaire&id=1194

[richard black]

Probably a bit late for the OP, but for the benefit of anyone else who's reading I'll recommend Tbilisi Conservatoire. I've walked around the place the odd time and heard some mighty fine piano playing coming for all sides.

[njalli]

Actually im aiming for julliard.

It is considered to be the best place right now to study piano playing.

I have started recently practising from 3-6 hours a day to be able to get a chance, just remember that those who try to get to julliard are simply the best, and simply the best of the best get into it, it only accepts about 6,45% into the school of those who try to get into it.

[jehangircama]

out of curiosity, would any of these places have 1 year performance courses? and can one apply to something like the Yale graduate programme after an undergraduate education in a non-music field?

[tsaij]

...because in my personal opinion, universities dont care about building performers, but care only about academics. If you go to an university, be it for bachelor or master, you will have to deal with paperwork non stop: music history papers, theory assignments and other not useful items.
With all due respect to rachelj, do not go to a university.

haha, yes. if you would prefer not to develop your intellectual faculties at all, go to a conservatory! intellect is such a waste of time anyway. totally useless.

[birba]

That WAS a sarcastic and ironic remark, I'm hoping...

[pianisten1989]

Don't care that much about the acuall conservatory. I've heard Paris is great, but I recently had a teacher from Paris, and he really wasn't my type.
The point is: Try to get some lessons with teachers at some interesting schools. That way, you'll hopefully find out the teacher that is the best for you, and hopefully you'll have it a bit easier at the audition if you know some teachers there.

[8426]

It all depends on your age, your  current location and your goals.
If you are looking to become a performer, I would recommend to go to an European conservatory and escape universities as much humanly possible.
Why?simply because in my personal opinion, universities dont care about building performers, but care only about academics. If you go to an university, be it for bachelor or master, you will have to deal with paperwork non stop: music history papers, theory assignments and other not useful items.
With all due respect to rachelj, do not go to a university.

As far as which conservatory, I recommend the conservatory in Bordeaux, France. My teacher there was Professor Herve N'Kaoua and he is one of the best. I still keep in touch with him, so if you decide to check the conservatoire, I would be more than happy to listen to 1 or more of your recordings, give you a recommendation and/or at least speak to Professor N'Kaoua about you.
https://www.bordeaux.fr/ebx/portals/ebx.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pgSomRub11&classofcontent=sommaire&id=1194

Very kind of you. I'm merely trying to orient my goals, to understand what I want to do, and where would be the place to do it.

I recently read this after I had posted it some time ago. Very interesting suggestions.
I will keep them in mind.

Thank you

[prongated]

I recently read this after I had posted it some time ago. Very interesting suggestions.
I will keep them in mind.

Don't just keep them in mind...do it! Avoid universities like a plague indeed if you want to at all be good at your instrument! I earned my bachelors by writing papers and doing exams, and the only time I could really practise was during the holidays...

By the way, where are you based? Actually my suggestion regarding institutions is, don't go to an institution just because of the name/reputation. You want to study with someone you can work with. So if you really are serious about music, I recommend you attend piano festivals/masterclasses in the summers. It's also a good leg in to the teacher's studio, if you decide to study with him/her.

[avguste]

haha, yes. if you would prefer not to develop your intellectual faculties at all, go to a conservatory! intellect is such a waste of time anyway. totally useless.

No disrespect, but universities dont teach anything intellectual. Their goal is to meet their quotas of graduates so that they can get further fundings.
Two other points:

1. It is up to each musician to educate himself concerning his art. For that, one doesnt need academics.

2. This whole thing is a black eye on the high school education system in the USA. My point is that no music student should even apply for a music program unless that student knows music theory(up to theory 4).
Music history can be learned by reading. There are many books written by some of the best about music history.
One doesnt need to waste 4+ years on academics, when that same time could be spent practicing, becoming better at the instrument/voice and thriving to become the best performer.
And at the end of the day, academics help no one become a performer.

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To 8426

Where are you from?

But obviously, your first step should be to decide what you want to do