The United States is home to some of the world’s best piano performance degree programs.
In addition to focusing on technique, many conservatories and colleges emphasize career preparation, ensemble participation, and a strong background in the liberal arts.
Many of the best schools employ faculty who have played in ensembles and competed in major competitions worldwide.
Students fortunate enough to be accepted into these competitive and intimate departments often become soloists, members of chamber groups, and professors at top learning institutions.
Auditions for the top piano schools typically occur in two rounds: a prescreening and a final audition.
Auditions may be live or virtual, and hopeful candidates should be prepared to show off a diverse and complex repertoire that spans multiple eras and genres.
Here are our picks for 10 of the best piano performance schools in the US. Many schools beyond these ten could be on a list like this one.
Remember that these ten schools are a starting point, and the most important thing is to find the “right fit” college for you.
New England Conservatory of Music (Boston, MA)
Students attending the New England Conservatory can anticipate an exciting curriculum that offers multiple collaboration and performance opportunities.
By the end of their four years of study, undergraduates will have developed a broad repertoire. Over 150 different pianos are scattered throughout campus, and students will find many comfortable spaces to rehearse.
NEC students can also pursue a dual degree in Piano & Collaborative Piano (the first program of its kind in the U.S.).
Open to the most talented pianists at the NEC, the five-year program emphasizes solo and collaborative performance through a BM in Piano and an MM in Collaborative Piano.
Bruce Brubaker is an esteemed faculty member at the NEC. Before working there, he received the Edward Steuermann Prize (Juilliard’s highest award) and created an interdisciplinary class.
Vivian Weilerstein serves as the Director of the Professional Piano Training Program and Coordinator of Piano Chamber Music.
She has performed in various ensembles worldwide and given solo performances with the Kansas City Symphony and Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale di Torino.
Juilliard School
Nearly 25% of Juilliard’s students are enrolled in the Piano Department, the school’s second-largest program.
Within the first year of study, undergraduates enroll in courses like Ear Training, Diatonic Harmony, and Music History from Antiquity to 1700. T
hey will also complete two required courses: Discover Juilliard and Essentials of Entrepreneurship in Arts.
The Essentials of Entrepreneurship in Arts exposes students to guest artists, entrepreneurs, and music industry leaders.
Additionally, undergraduates learn how to plan music-related projects, manage budgets, apply for grants, and other vital skills.
Year two is spent developing techniques so students can participate effectively in performance ensembles in the third and fourth years of study.
Throughout the program, students are guided by exceptional pianists and teachers.
Emanuel Ax received Grammy Awards for his recordings of Brahms and Beethoven.
Julian Martin is a jury member for various international piano competitions.
Yoheved Kaplinsky is another acclaimed faculty member who has taught masterclasses, played in festivals, and won competitions all over the world. She also received the Presidential Scholars Teacher Recognition Award in 2003.
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
In the Jacobs School of Music Piano Program at Indiana University, undergraduates receive a minimum of one hour of private instruction every week.
A supportive network of international faculty members challenges them to participate in three concerto competitions each year.
Edward Auer is one of the distinguished faculty members at the school. Auer has performed as a soloist with the Detroit Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre National Paris, and other domestic and international ensembles.
Students can take advantage of the services offered by various institutions at Indiana University. The Latin American Music Center houses one of the world’s most extensive modern Latin American music archives. It schedules a series of free concerts, courses, and guest lectures.
Project Jumpstart offers lectures, workshops, panels, conferences, and networking opportunities for students interested in pursuing a career in the performing arts industry.
Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University
The Peabody Institute has matriculated some of the best pianists in the world. Its alumni have progressed to win international competitions in cities like Munich, Dublin, and San Jose.
Students in the Piano Program have ample opportunities to perform classical and contemporary music throughout the Peabody concert season, which features nearly 60 public performances.
Illustrious pianists like Richard Goode and Benjamin Pasternak are at the helm of the Piano faculty department. Goode is a fan favorite who has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and won a Grammy for his recording of the Brahms Sonatas.
Pasternack was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 13 and has won various international competitions, such as the World Music Masters Piano Competition, which bestowed a $30,000 grand prize and a tour through Portugal, Switzerland, France, the U.S., and Canada.
Auditions for the Piano Program at Johns Hopkins are highly competitive – students must upload a prescreening audition video that includes an entire classical sonata, a virtuosic etude, and a romantic work.
Those who proceed will perform a live audition where the repertoire requires baroque, classical, romantic, and etude pieces.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Many of SFCM’s students receive merit-based scholarships, making it one of the best value institutions for pursuing a degree in piano performance on our list.
Less than 50 students are enrolled in the piano program each year, so those admitted can expect to receive highly individualized instruction and attention.
The Conservatory just acquired Opus3 Artists, which will launch various programs to assist music undergraduates in transitioning to the performing arts industry.
For example, the Technology and Applied Composition Program will support a primarily female demographic of students in gaining employment with companies like Sony and Dolby.
The Artist Apprentice Program will fund student mentorships.
At the same time, the UTE and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts will provide additional student housing, top-notch recital halls, a recording studio, a free community performance venue, and a restaurant featuring an adjacent performance space.
The Piano curriculum requires 32 credits in one-on-one instruction, 9-11 credits in historical performance emphasis for keyboard, and various piano jury and recital requirements.
By the end of their four years, undergraduates will have performed a public recital and concerto performance.
Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis students learn through immersion – pianist undergraduates will perform in the Student Recital Series and various other concerts.
Performance is truly the heart and soul of a degree at Curtis, which emphasizes musical studies, career preparation, and a broad liberal arts education.
In the first and second semesters of musical studies, students become familiar with keyboard geography and study contrapuntal works.
In the third and fourth semesters, they refine left-hand accompaniment patterns and prepare for jury repertoire, which includes scales, arpeggios, and cadences in all major and minor keys.
Students enroll in six semesters of liberal arts electives in one of three pathways.
Within the Culture, History & Philosophy track, students might take an exciting course like “The Age of Aquarius: A Survey of the Political, Literary, and Musical Landscape in the Age of Revolution between 1955-1975” or “Kitsch: The Aesthetic, Moral, and Political Dimensions of Bad Taste.”
The All School Project is an exciting interdepartmental program where piano students examine a specific musical theme.
For example, the 2021-2022 project is entitled “The Civil Rights Era and the Music of Change.” In this project, pianist undergraduates and other students collaborate with Drexel students to create an expansive project that asks and answers how we can be together as a people.
Eastman School of Music
Eastman undergraduates study work from the 18th to the 21st centuries and perform in several concerto performances, chamber recitals, studio classes, solo recitals, and masterclasses.
The Piano Department enrolls roughly 50 undergraduates, along with organ and harpsichord majors.
Pianist undergraduates will learn under the tutelage of renowned pianists like Alan Chow and Alexander Kobrin.
Chow has won various international competitions; as a Steinway artist, he has performed in concert venues across all 50 states of the U.S.
Professor Kobrin has performed with some of the best orchestras across the globe, including the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Russian National Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Pianists interested in teaching may apply for the Forte Program – a ninth semester of free enrollment geared toward a student teaching field placement.
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance
Michigan alumni play in ensembles and compete and judge in competitions worldwide! Their pursuits take them to exciting locations such as Seoul, South Korea, and teaching placements at USC, Eastman, and the University of Iowa.
The school’s Earl V. Moore Building was recently expanded to include cutting-edge recording studios and additional pianos.
Undergraduates receive career guidance through the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Career Empowerment and Leadership Department – the country’s top program for funding student entrepreneurial projects in the performing arts space.
Students can pursue a BM in Piano Performance or a BMA in Performance with a Piano focus. The former requires at least 125 credits – students take 75% of their coursework in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance and 25% within the liberal arts field.
The latter requires 120 credits, and coursework is split evenly between the two departments. Both options include ample performance opportunities within the school’s ensembles.
Colburn School
Colburn offers music and dance education to students of all ages and stages of development. The school grants over $9 million in scholarship funds to students annually, and 100% of its Conservatory undergraduates receive free tuition, room, and board!
More than half of the Conservatory’s students come from countries outside the U.S., making for a diverse learning environment.
Students pursuing a BM in Piano perform solo recitals during their third and fourth years of study.
Colburn’s location in Los Angeles places fortunate students near an influx of concert venues, professional ensembles, and job opportunities.
The Piano Department at Colburn’s Conservatory is led by globally recognized pianist Fabio Bidini, who gave his first public performance at age five and has won some of the world’s biggest piano competitions. Bidini is a Steinway artist, and his discography includes 14 CDs.
Mannes College of Music
Located in New York City, Mannes College of Music is committed to developing future artists. In addition to receiving intense training on their pianos, students benefit from myriad professional opportunities to build their careers in Manhattan.
Mannes even produces a year-long student music festival encouraging participation from pianists, chamber musicians, and vocalists all over New York City.
The four-year Piano BM program encompasses private lessons, small and large ensemble performances, liberal arts courses, a focus on music theory, and electives in topics like entrepreneurship, technology, and composition.
Pianist undergraduates will learn under the direction of exceptional piano players like Simone Dinnerstein, Ursula Oppens, and Jerome Rose.
Dinnerstein’s recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Classical Chart within its first week. She was also included in NPR’s 2011 100 Favorite Songs from All Genres.
Professor Ursula Oppens has premiered more new piano works than any other living artist, and her performances have garnered five Grammy Award nominations.
Jerome Rose is a distinguished artist. Having debuted with the San Francisco Symphony at age 15, he became a Fulbright Scholar in Vienna and worked at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, France.
