When people think about going to school to study music, they picture sitting in stately concert halls, playing Rachmaninoff concertos or complex jazz standards.
However, those who aspire to work on the next hit or chart-topper in their country should also consider attending music school.
Many of the best schools in the country recognize that music is a living, evolving art form, one that is as interested in the present as it is in the past.
These institutions choose as teachers legends who have lived their lives on the road and have cut business deals for artists who have become household names, legends ready to pass their wisdom on to the next generation.
No two schools on this list teach contemporary music in the same way.
Some follow traditional music school models, just with performance focuses based on tracks you’d hear on radio and in movies.
Others put the business first, supplementing instrumental and vocal courses with classes on contract negotiation and marketing.
It can be a lot to cover, but that’s why we’re here. This list identifies the best schools for whatever type of contemporary and popular music education you want.
And if your interests lie more with contemporary jazz, we can help there too — check out this article.
However, for those who want to help craft, produce, or promote the next hit song, read on!
Berklee College of Music
Many great artists have studied at the Berklee College of Music, including alternative mainstay Annie Clark, folk musician Gillian Welch, and even metal mainstay Dream Theater.
So what makes Berklee so special as an institution for contemporary music?
One could point to the school’s 37 recording & production studios on campus, which are 36 more than most music schools in the USA.
Alternatively, they could point to the numerous majors that specialize in contemporary music, such as performance, Contemporary Writing and Production (CWP), and film scoring.
However, the best way to describe Berklee is that it is a microcosm of the music industry. A formative musical ecosystem exists here, from future hit songwriters to the producer of the next Billboard top-40 album and everyone in between.
Berklee’s commitment to excellence and progressive spirit ensures that its students continue to follow their creative spirits long after graduation.
University of Southern California Thornton School of Music
Pop might be the most accessible form of music, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Case in point: the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, one of the most selective institutions in the world.
Each year, they admit only a handful of the hundreds of applicants they receive, sometimes accepting as few as four guitarists or six songwriters.
Likewise, Thornton’s music production program admits just a tiny fraction of its applicants, making it incredibly difficult to join.
Those numbers are daunting, to be sure.
However, it’s easy to see why many musicians still apply nonetheless. Thornton’s popular music and music production programs are among the best in the world.
This is thanks, in part, to the excellent faculty who teach there, such as guitarist Dr. Molly Miller, who has opened for acts like songwriting icon Jason Mraz and been featured on NPR.
University of Miami Frost School of Music
All of the institutions on this list boast state-of-the-art technologies and cutting-edge programs.
However, few can match the offerings of the Modern Artistry, Development, and Entrepreneurship (MADE) program offered by the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.
Through MADE, students can study all aspects of music creation and performance, whether through the school’s unique music business program or through its Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music (CAM) minor, which offers a minor in songwriting.
MADE is a particularly interesting program at Miami, as it encompasses performance, songwriting, and music business all rolled into one major. Each student who graduates from MADE leaves not just with top-notch technical skills, but also with a portfolio and electronic press kit to help market themselves.
Those interested in taking their work into movies or video games can get a degree in media scoring in production. One of the faculty members in that major, Carlos Rivera, even scored the music for the hit Netflix TV series The Queen’s Gambit.
Belmont University Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business
In most cases, students who attend music schools can expect to take classes centered on performance, focusing on theory and ear training.
However, the education at the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University extends far beyond this. Curb trains its students for the industry, with degree programs in Music Business, Audio Engineering technologies, and Songwriting.
This makes sense, given that Belmont is located in Nashville, Tennessee, also known as Music City USA. This close relationship to the hub of American popular music gives Curb students unprecedented access to professionals.
Faculty members include Grammy and Songwriter of the Year-nominated guitarist Thomm Jutz, whose songs have been recorded by the likes of Nanci Griffith and Del McCoury.
Before coming to Curb, another professor, Erin Duvall, held top executive positions at YouTube Music and Warner Bros. Music.
Belmont University School of Music
Indeed, the offerings at Belmont’s Mike Curb College do not comprise their sole music program.
Students can also enroll in the Belmont University School of Music, which teaches contemporary music through a traditional music school model.
That hybrid approach is most prominent in Belmont’s commercial music program.
As with Curb, Belmont Music’s commercial music degree includes emphases on songwriting and music technology. However, it also includes a strong performance focus, ensuring that students continue to hone their instrument skills, even while learning the ropes of the industry.
A traditional model also means that Belmont has ensembles that students can join, giving them hands-on experience with performance for audiences and working with others.
One such ensemble is the Phoenix Pop Rock group, which consists of eight vocalists and six band members, mounting crowd-pleasing concerts of hits, new and old.
New York University Steinhardt School
The Steinhardt School at New York University has numerous programs in contemporary music, including a contemporary voice major, a songwriting degree in the composition program, and even degrees in music business and music technology.
Students within the contemporary vocal performance program can specialize in contemporary performance as their area of emphasis.
There, they’ll take classes in music theory in the digital age, pop music transcription, and hip-hop dance. Musicians can choose between a bachelor of music and a bachelor of science degree, both of which focus on the modern music business, with only the former requiring an audition.
Even Steindhardt’s music technology program has a contemporary edge, as students work in the James Dolan Music Recording Studio, full of cutting-edge equipment for recording the next big hit.
New York University Tisch School of the Arts – Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
Like Belmont University, New York University has two great schools for music majors, each with its own unique approach.
Named after one of the industry’s well-known music personalities, Clive Davis prioritizes cross-disciplinary music studies.
From my experience helping students with this program, I would say the program emphasizes a “holistic” education in contemporary music. Students don’t graduate only doing one thing; rather, they participate in all aspects of the contemporary music industry, from recording to production to performance.
Obviously, it takes a special kind of student to meet such high expectations, which is why Clive Davis ranks among the most competitive schools on this list.
Letters of admission go to just 60 of the 500 people who apply each year, for an acceptance rate of only 12%. The application process itself is more extensive than most other contemporary music programs.
In other words, there’s some risk involved when applying to Clive Davis, but the risk is absolutely worth it.
Students will get to learn from the most outstanding musicians of their generation, alongside the brightest up-and-comers.
But for those who just want a taste before taking the plunge, the Clive Davis Summer Program offers a solid introduction to the program and the music industry to rising high school juniors & seniors.
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
It may take its name from the famed trumpeter, but Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA isn’t just about performance, at least not for those interested in contemporary music.
The music industry major trains its students for the hardest part of being a musician today: understanding the business.
Thus, the music industry major operates more like a business degree.
Students gain practice putting together and promoting shows, booking talent, and running UCLA’s label, Cherry Pop Records.
The degree doesn’t leave music-making completely behind, however, as students can record in Herb Alpert’s incredible recording studio, a 4,300 sq. ft. facility with all the latest equipment.
Thanks to that combination of recording opportunities and business training, the music industry major is a popular choice for musicians.
However, gaining admission isn’t easy, as UCLA’s music industry program has an acceptance rate of less than 20%.
University of North Texas College of Music
With alumni that include Eagles frontman Don Henley and rock opera great Meat Loaf, it’s no surprise that the University of North Texas would be a choice destination for aspiring contemporary musicians.
However, the next set of pop stars to come through the college can benefit from North Texas’s commercial music program, a program that just recently start at the University of North Texas.
In addition to a full-featured course of study that includes classes in the history of rock and cultures of hip-hop, students in the commercial music program can learn from composer Jeffrey Hepker, whose music can be heard in episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and in promotions for the Harry Potter franchise.
When not teaching in UNT’s jazz music program, vocalist Rosana Eckert guides commercial students through everything from performance to recording to signing contracts.
UNT’s commercial music program features several distinct tracks for students with varying interests, including “Commercial Music & Production,” “Business of Commercial Music,” and “Music for Media.”
Drexel University
Drexel University makes its home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a city with a proud tradition of soul and R&B.
No wonder that Drexel boasts one of the country’s best contemporary music programs. Students working toward a music industry degree from Drexel get first-hand experience in the business and recording aspects of contemporary music.
They get that experience through the MAD Dragon Music Group (MDMG), a unique umbrella corporation operated entirely by Drexel students and faculty.
In addition to the label MAD Dragon Media, students can book artists for Philadelphia-based concerts through MADKo Concerts and nationwide concerts with DraKo Booking.
MAD Dragon Publishing gets the artists’ work in film and television projects, an important — but oft-overlooked — aspect of modern music.
Drexel’s music industry degree is less of a performance program, but it is focused entirely on the modern music industry.
Helping students navigate these opportunities are professors such as Tony Dofat, who got his start with Bad Boy Entertainment and has been a fixture on the hip-hop scene since.
