Manhattan School of Music

Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private conservatory in New York City, founded in 1918 by pianist and educator Janet Daniels Schenck as the Neighborhood Music School. Located on West 122nd Street and Claremont Avenue in Morningside Heights since 1969, MSM is home to approximately 960 undergraduate and graduate students from over 50 countries and nearly all 50 states. The school offers Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts, and Professional Studies degrees.

Programs and Degrees

MSM offers programs across several divisions:

Classical Performance: Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in all orchestral instruments, piano, voice, and guitar. The Graduate Program in Orchestral Performance, inaugurated in 1991, was the first of its kind and features a faculty of leading New York City ensemble principals.

Jazz Arts: Bachelor and Master of Music in jazz performance. MSM launched its jazz degree program in 1984, one of the first at a major conservatory.

Composition: Undergraduate and graduate programs in classical and jazz composition, with entrance exams required during auditions.

Musical Theatre: MSM launched New York City's first conservatory-based degree program in Musical Theatre in 2016, under the leadership of president Dr. James Gandre.

Contemporary Performance: A graduate program established in 2007 for musicians focused on contemporary and new music.

Doctor of Musical Arts: Available in select performance and composition areas, established in 1974.

The school also offers a Precollege Division for approximately 475 younger students, and a dual degree program with Teachers College, Columbia University.

Admissions and Tuition

The MSM college application opens on September 1 and is due by December 1. Required materials include prescreening recordings (if applicable), academic history, personal background, resume, repertoire summary, essays, and recommender information. Supplemental materials (letters and unofficial transcripts) are due January 15.

Key admissions details:

• Application fee: Required for each application. You may apply to more than one major/division with separate fees.
• SAT/ACT/GRE: Not required
• Auditions: Held live on campus. Recorded auditions are possible in some cases. Doctoral, Classical Composition, and Jazz Composition applicants must take entrance exams during auditions.
• Transfer credits: Up to 60 credits may transfer for undergraduates (grade C or above in eligible courses). Graduate students may transfer up to 9 credits (grade B or above). No transfer credit for major lessons or ensembles.
• Enrollment: Fall semester only. No spring or mid-year enrollment.
• Deferral: Possible for one year, but you forfeit any scholarship awarded and must re-audition the following year.

Tuition for the 2025 to 2026 academic year is estimated at $58,000. The school offers scholarship funding based on audition performance and financial need.

Real-World Example

A cellist accepted into the BM program for fall 2026 pays approximately $58,000 in tuition. With MSM's on-campus Andersen Residence Hall, the student lives in the 19-story building that also houses the William R. and Irene D. Miller Recital Hall and the Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Performance Space. If the student receives a merit scholarship covering 40 percent of tuition ($23,200), net tuition drops to $34,800 per year. Over four years, the student pays $139,200 in tuition. The student studies with a faculty member from the Orchestral Performance program (which features principals from New York City ensembles), performs in Neidorff-Karpati Hall (renovated during the 2018 to 2019 centennial), and joins alumni who have won Grammy Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur Fellowships, and Metropolitan Opera competitions.

Notable alumni include countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (Metropolitan Opera), violinist Yoonshin Song (concertmaster, Detroit Symphony Orchestra), composer Anna Clyne (composer-in-residence, Chicago Symphony), flutist Yoobin Son (New York Philharmonic), and film composer Joseph Trapanese.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

MSM is a strong choice if you want conservatory training in New York City but find Juilliard's acceptance rate prohibitive. The faculty includes active performers from the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, and other major ensembles, and the Morningside Heights location puts you in one of the world's most concentrated music scenes.

The Orchestral Performance graduate program is specifically designed for musicians targeting orchestral careers. If your goal is to win an orchestra audition, the direct contact with NYC ensemble principals gives you practical insight into the audition process that is hard to find elsewhere.

The Musical Theatre program, launched in 2016, is worth considering if you want conservatory-level training for a Broadway career. It is the only program of its kind at a New York City conservatory.

If you are a transfer student, MSM accepts up to 60 credits from accredited institutions. This can significantly reduce your time to degree completion and your total tuition cost.

The deferral policy has a catch: if you defer, you lose your scholarship and must re-audition. Only defer if you are confident you can improve your audition results enough to earn a better scholarship the following year.

Visit the official MSM website for full audition requirements and program details.

Related Resources

• Music Schools Directory - Compare MSM with other music schools
• Streaming Royalty Calculator - Project streaming revenue while studying
• 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income - Income strategies for performing musicians
• Complete Guide to Making Money as a Musician in 2026 - Career planning for conservatory graduates