Music school recommendations?

I don't know much about how things work over at Vanguard...
But I'd bet the curriculum is pretty much the same across any standard music school...
Usually, you're looking at four hours a week—split down the middle between two hours of actual playing and two hours of theory...
If luck is on your side, you might be able to coordinate your schedule so that ear training falls on the same day as your instrument lessons...but honestly, that really just comes down to what you hash out with your instructor...
Being 15 isn't a dealbreaker at all. If you're already pretty advanced—say, you've been killing it on the guitar for a while—there might be an accelerated track available. It’s like a fast-pass where you can basically pack two years of coursework into one...
At the Juilliard School, which is fully accredited, the tuition runs about $40 a month...though I believe the rest of the funding is covered by the city...😍
The best move is for a parent to give them a call to get the full scoop. They'll need to head into the school anyway to sign the paperwork and handle the registration fees...👍

Betty Kelly3 said:Could someone give me some insight into what attending music school is actually like? I’m curious about the curriculum and how everything flows...
To be honest, my family is fully behind me enrolling, but I do wish they had asked if I even wanted to play anything when I was younger. Because of that, I'll probably be the oldest person in a class full of ten-year-olds, but at least I'm doing this because I actually want to, not because I'm being forced.
A few specific questions: 1. Roughly how much are the monthly tuition fees? 2. How many times a week are classes held, and are there any other little details you think I should know before diving in?
I’m looking at applying to the Juilliard School, so if anyone here has experience there, please drop some advice! I would truly appreciate it since enrollment starts in just nine days, and I really want to go in knowing what to expect. Thanks in advance 👍

Look, at 15, you can't just jump straight into the first year of a standard music conservatory program, but you can enroll in the two-year preparatory track, which basically serves as a bridge to the four-year high school level program. During that prep stage, you're dealing with things like ear training, choir, and your primary instrument. You could even specialize in ear training itself—that's the theory department—and you'll get piano as part of that. If you go the instrumental route, you've got options like percussion, double bass, harp, clarinet, trumpet, sax, horn, trombone, bassoon, or even solo vocals. Just a heads up, in those prep classes you can't pick flute, piano, violin, viola, cello, or guitar.

The enrollment timing works just like regular high schools here—it happens toward the end of June, though applications and freshman admissions usually kick off in early June (with auditions happening around June 9th).

Christian Lee13 said:Look, at 15, you can't just jump straight into the first year of a standard music conservatory program, but you can enroll in the two-year preparatory track, which basically serves as a bridge to the four-year high school level program. During that prep stage, you're dealing with things like ear training, choir, and your primary instrument. You could even specialize in ear training itself—that's the theory department—and you'll get piano as part of that. If you go the instrumental route, you've got options like percussion, double bass, harp, clarinet, trumpet, sax, horn, trombone, bassoon, or even solo vocals. Just a heads up, in those prep classes you can't pick flute, piano, violin, viola, cello, or guitar.

The enrollment timing works just like regular high schools here—it happens toward the end of June, though applications and freshman admissions usually kick off in early June (with auditions happening around June 9th).

Man, 😢... why won't they let me do guitar? It makes zero sense for me to spend my time learning something like the clarinet if I have no intention of playing it down the road.
Fine then, I'll just go with the theory track. Tell me, will I get more ear training hours that way? 😕
I'm fine with the actual playing part since I've been taking private lessons for two years already; I really want to focus on the academic side of music and get serious about it, because that's where my interest lies. Thanks for any advice.

If you decide to enroll in the theory track at a preparatory program, say something like a specialized music academy prep course, you’ll be looking at ear training sessions twice a week along with piano twice a week. The heavy lifting is really all in the ear training; the piano is more of a secondary tool to help you get there. Once you move on to the high school level theory track, don't expect to be Mozart—your piano skills will basically be stuck at a fourth-grade level, and your ear training will sit somewhere around sixth grade.
When you transition into high school, you're essentially entering on equal footing with students who’ve already finished their standard middle school music programs. The only difference is that you'll be taking a much lighter version of the piano curriculum, what some might call a "Level B" track. It's just common sense, really; trying to cram six years of technical piano proficiency into a tiny window of time is a losing battle.

All those other instruments they offer in the prep program? They're actually much easier to pick up than the piano.
As for guitar, you're out of luck. There's such an overwhelming wave of little kids signing up for it in first grade that there's practically zero room left for anyone older.

So, what instrument are you taking lessons on privately? If your ear training is solid, you might even be able to challenge them with private proficiency exams.
Honestly, your best bet is to just swing by the administration office after 10:00 AM and have a straight conversation with the registrar or the principal.

Christian Lee13 said:If you decide to enroll in the theory track at a preparatory program, say something like a specialized music academy prep course, you’ll be looking at ear training sessions twice a week along with piano twice a week. The heavy lifting is really all in the ear training; the piano is more of a secondary tool to help you get there. Once you move on to the high school level theory track, don't expect to be Mozart—your piano skills will basically be stuck at a fourth-grade level, and your ear training will sit somewhere around sixth grade.
When you transition into high school, you're essentially entering on equal footing with students who’ve already finished their standard middle school music programs. The only difference is that you'll be taking a much lighter version of the piano curriculum, what some might call a "Level B" track. It's just common sense, really; trying to cram six years of technical piano proficiency into a tiny window of time is a losing battle.

All those other instruments they offer in the prep program? They're actually much easier to pick up than the piano.
As for guitar, you're out of luck. There's such an overwhelming wave of little kids signing up for it in first grade that there's practically zero room left for anyone older.

So, what instrument are you taking lessons on privately? If your ear training is solid, you might even be able to challenge them with private proficiency exams.
Honestly, your best bet is to just swing by the administration office after 10:00 AM and have a straight conversation with the registrar or the principal.

I’ve been taking private guitar lessons since the start of seventh grade. My teacher focuses more on performance than theory, so I could probably pass the practical parts without an issue since I practice about four hours a day at home... I did ask him about theory, and he explained some concepts, but I know it's going to be tough trying to master six years of material in just two. Theory itself is incredibly vast and complex.
Also, once I finish the prep stage and get into high school, do I get to choose my instrument, or am I stuck with just the piano?
Thanks again for all the advice! 👍

I was wondering if anyone here has any actual experience with those music-focused preschool programs? 😍
I’ve been looking into them lately... they seem to offer sessions twice a week for about 45 minutes each, $93 which comes out to a certain amount per month.. it doesn't even feel like much given the cost 😍
...

I started out in music preschool when I was little 🙂
If memory serves, I was totally hooked 😍
We’d learn songs while the teacher played piano or guitar—we just sat there in a circle singing along... we did choreography, learned basic notation, and practiced rhythm through games. It was all pretty laid back and fun

Later, once I actually started formal music school, I could play most tunes by ear—at least until I finally figured out how to read sheet music. I was on the piano back then

Lisa Rivera said:I was wondering if anyone here has any actual experience with those music-focused preschool programs? 😍
I’ve been looking into them lately... they seem to offer sessions twice a week for about 45 minutes each, $93 which comes out to a certain amount per month.. it doesn't even feel like much given the cost 😍
...

Are you talking about that one over in downtown Chicago? I’d love to sign my kid up, but only if some mom on here can chime in and vouch for it—and not the owner, obviously. 😬

edit: Just realized this specific place only takes kids starting at age 4. Which one were you looking at that actually accepts the tiny little rascals?

Roger Sullivan66 said:I started out in music preschool when I was little 🙂
If memory serves, I was totally hooked 😍
We’d learn songs while the teacher played piano or guitar—we just sat there in a circle singing along... we did choreography, learned basic notation, and practiced rhythm through games. It was all pretty laid back and fun

Later, once I actually started formal music school, I could play most tunes by ear—at least until I finally figured out how to read sheet music. I was on the piano back then

That sounds absolutely lovely.😍

Anthony Booth9 said:Are you talking about that one over in downtown Chicago? I’d love to sign my kid up, but only if some mom on here can chime in and vouch for it—and not the owner, obviously. 😬

edit: Just realized this specific place only takes kids starting at age 4. Which one were you looking at that actually accepts the tiny little rascals?

http://www.newworlds.com/
It seems quite promising...🙂
As soon as he turns three, I think I'll go try to talk them into letting him join... and then maybe get him on the guitar by the time he's five or six.🤣

Lisa Rivera said:That sounds absolutely lovely.😍

http://www.newworlds.com/
It seems quite promising...🙂
As soon as he turns three, I think I'll go try to talk them into letting him join... and then maybe get him on the guitar by the time he's five or six.🤣

Totally.🤣

Bummer, I honestly thought they had stuff for even younger kiddos too...

Anthony Booth9 said:Totally.🤣

Bummer, I honestly thought they had stuff for even younger kiddos too...

I stumbled upon the concept and honestly thought there was a preschool with a curriculum like that... it would have been ideal...
but I suppose this works too. 😁
Personally, I find it a missed opportunity that we can't introduce them to music through actual professionals at such an early age...
No matter. Dad will just have to teach him how to play the drums instead... 😍

Sounds like a solid plan to me!
You really can't go wrong with something like this—especially if the kid actually loves music and has a sense of rhythm to begin with.
I still have such great memories of stuff like this from when I was a kid—unlike those brutal ear training classes, anyway.

Roger Sullivan66 said:Sounds like a solid plan to me!
You really can't go wrong with something like this—especially if the kid actually loves music and has a sense of rhythm to begin with.
I still have such great memories of stuff like this from when I was a kid—unlike those brutal ear training classes, anyway.

👍
Everything through play and song... I sometimes wonder if anyone had ever bothered to throw a kid like me into a program like that back in the day...

Betty Kelly3 said:I’ve been taking private guitar lessons since the start of seventh grade. My teacher focuses more on performance than theory, so I could probably pass the practical parts without an issue since I practice about four hours a day at home... I did ask him about theory, and he explained some concepts, but I know it's going to be tough trying to master six years of material in just two. Theory itself is incredibly vast and complex.
Also, once I finish the prep stage and get into high school, do I get to choose my instrument, or am I stuck with just the piano?
Thanks again for all the advice! 👍

Look, if you move on to a music-focused high school after finishing the prep program, you're still pretty much tethered to the piano. You might get some symbolic instruction on a different instrument over those two years—maybe a thirty-minute session once a week—but usually, they only offer the "less popular" instruments that nobody else wants to touch. Don't hold your breath for guitar to be one of them.

Betty Kelly3 said:Could someone give me some insight into what attending music school is actually like? I’m curious about the curriculum and how everything flows...
To be honest, my family is fully behind me enrolling, but I do wish they had asked if I even wanted to play anything when I was younger. Because of that, I'll probably be the oldest person in a class full of ten-year-olds, but at least I'm doing this because I actually want to, not because I'm being forced.
A few specific questions: 1. Roughly how much are the monthly tuition fees? 2. How many times a week are classes held, and are there any other little details you think I should know before diving in?
I’m looking at applying to the Juilliard School, so if anyone here has experience there, please drop some advice! I would truly appreciate it since enrollment starts in just nine days, and I really want to go in knowing what to expect. Thanks in advance 👍

hey Juliet95!
I was in the exact same boat at your age! Look, I’ll tell you right now: go ahead and enroll in music school, but choose solo singing, and then just get private guitar lessons from one of the teachers there. Yeah, it means you'll be paying double, but I managed to pull it off while finishing business school, and now that I'm in college, I've been taking regular guitar lessons for six years and I sing and play in a band. Honestly, the worst part was when my mom took me to sign up for guitar when I was 15, and the principal told us the Department of Education wouldn't allow it. Man, I was so crushed... but I ended up taking her advice and went with singing instead.
Best,

yo, anyone got a kid enrolled at the Cleveland Orchestra music preschool?

Starting a new thread 🙂

I'm looking to get my kids into some music classes or a preschool program, ideally somewhere close to home. I’ve been scouring the web but haven't had much luck finding a convenient spot. If anyone knows of any good options around Brooklyn, Queens, Springfield, or Downtown near Grand Central—maybe a local music school attached to a school district or something similar 🤷

Any leads would be much appreciated 🙏

Just signed my little one up for music preschool in San Diego (public school system). We go twice a week, $500 paying it off over 10 installments... so it works out to about $42 a month (honestly not much) plus that yearly $50 participation fee... we just went for the first time and she’s obsessed... though she won't stop asking when she gets to touch the instruments because she's totally hooked on the violin...
Basically, they teach them songs through games and stuff at the preschool...

I’m looking at enrolling in high school next year, but I’m honestly feeling pretty lost about which path to take. My heart is set on a performing arts high school specializing in solo vocals, but there's a catch—I didn't attend a traditional middle school. Is that even an option?

mellowwalker42 said:I’m looking at enrolling in high school next year, but I’m honestly feeling pretty lost about which path to take. My heart is set on a performing arts high school specializing in solo vocals, but there's a catch—I didn't attend a traditional middle school. Is that even an option?

not really...
unless you've completed at least two years of specialized preparatory programs—assuming you don't have that music middle school background—it likely won't happen...