Boasting some serious numbers on their website, the Frost School of Music claims 88% of its music graduates have full-time jobs or they’ve been accepted to their first choice graduate program.
But maybe the numbers reflect the unique approach of the Frost School of Music known as “The Frost Method: Learn, Real-Time Application, Improvise, Create.”
The method uses a no barriers approach that allows its students the freedom to perform and learn across departments and genres in an effort to become more than an external musician who interprets and reads music, but also a musician who understand music from the inside out.
In short, the school doesn’t just focus on music. While artistic endeavors are certainly central, Frost wants to make sure its musician receive the technological and entrepreneurial skills they need to survive in the real world. To do this, the Frost School emphasizes learning by doing and places its students in small ensemble classrooms rather than large theory and lecture halls.
The school first opened its doors in 1926 and currently has slightly over 700 students enrolled. Music Business majors should take note as Frost was the first music school to offer a degree in Music Business and Entertainment Industries.
The school also has a well-respected and hands-on music therapy program. For musicians looking for ample performance opportunities, Frost has more than 70 ensembles and encourages its musicians to perform in cross-genre ensembles.
A few ensembles (certainly not all!) included: The Frost Symphony Orchestra, Latin Jazz Big Band, Jazz Vocal, Funk/Fusion, Stamps Brass Quintet, and many many more.
You can find a full list of ensemble opportunities at Frost here.
With excellent faculty, an open-minded approach to learning, and ample performance ensembles, the Frost School of Music should be a serious contender on most aspiring music students’ list.
Acceptance Rate
The Hollywood Reporter’s Top 25 Music Schools 2016 remains a good source and The Frost School is definitely in good company at rank #15. According to Peterson’s, approximately 40% of undergraduates are offered spots at the Frost School for a given academic year.
Keep in mind sometimes the numbers just don’t work to your advantage. For example, teachers can only take on a certain number of students for a given instrument each year. 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.
Tuition & Fees
The cost to attended the University of Miami for undergraduates is $47,040 per academic year. The school estimates the cost of living on campus (including meals) at $13,666 and $16,926 for students that choose to live off campus. Other costs include: school fees ($1,444), books ($1,000), and personal expenses ($2,100).
You can find a helpful breakdown of the cost of attending the University of Miami here.
If you do need financial help to pay for additional costs at Frost, we recommend you apply for support through FAFSA, which can also be used to cover expenses above and beyond tuition costs.
Requirements and Admissions Tips
The Frost school of music offers the following Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree programs: Instrumental Performance (MIP), Keyboard Performance (MKP), Vocal Performance (MVP), Studio Jazz Instrumental (MSJI), Studio Jazz Vocal (MSJV), Music Education (MED), Music Therapy (MTY), Theory and Composition (MTC), Media Writing and Production (MWP), Music Business and Entertainment Industries (MBEI), Musicianship, Artistry Development, and Entrepreneurship (MADE), and B.M. in Professional Studies (MPRO). They also offer a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Music Engineering (MUE) and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Music (MUS).
A quick list of application requirements includes: applying to the University of Miami using the CommonApp; then applying to the Frost School of Music online through the arts supplement, uploading your pre-screening material if required, sending in your portfolio (required for Composition, Media Writing & Production, and Music Engineering Technology applicants), and performing an audition if invited.
You can find pre-screening and audition requirements here.
If you are accepted to audition at Frost, I would recommend you schedule a lesson with a faculty member in the department you are interested in enrolling into at Frost prior to your audition.
Knowing how a specific teacher works with you is critical for determining if a school is a good fit. Also, if they like you and your playing in your lesson together, your chance for getting in might be higher. Keep in mind this is only a recommendation and not a fact in every instance.
If you work with Music School Central in our college consulting program, we can help facilitate a meeting with you and a member of the faculty at Colburn, or nearly any other program in the world.
Notable Alumni
The Frost School of Music boasts a stellar list of former graduates including: Steve Morse, founder of Dixie Dregs and (since 1994) guitarist for Deep Purple; renowned Broadway, film, and television actress Anastasia Barzee with starring roles in Miss Saigon and Law & Order: SVU, as well as releasing a critically acclaimed solo album The Dimming of the Day; and Ben Folds, American singer-songwriter and front man of the alternative band Ben Folds Five.
You can find an article on the top 10 most famous Frost alumni here.
Faculty
While there are too many great faculty members at Frost to list in full here, a few include: Craig Morris, Professor of Trumpet who served as the Principal Trumpet for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Paul Posnak, Professor of Keyboard Performance, and Director of the Accompanying/Chamber Music Program, a pianist known for his repertoires mixing twentieth-century American music with European romantic classics; and Cuba American songwriter and singer Jon Secada, known for his work with Gloria Estefan and the no.#5 Pop hit with his single Just Another Day.
Unfortunately, the Frost School of Music doesn’t make finding a complete faculty list easy on its website, so we’ve had to forgo our typical link here.
Ranking
The Frost School of Music is known for requiring students to learn the music business with hand-on experience. Schools with a similar emphasis on the music industry would be Berklee College of Music and The Clive Davis Institute of New York University.
The school is also exceptionally diverse – jazz, classical, and contemporary popular music styles are all represented well in this school.
For students looking into contemporary music, music business, and music production I would rank the school among the top 10 in the country.