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.

Here is a performance from the MSM Musical Theatre Senior Showcase 2026, presented by graduating students in Neidorff-Karpati Hall:

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.

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 2026-2027 academic year is $60,800 (billed as $30,400 per semester). Additional direct costs include a $2,000 general student fee, $12,550 for housing (standard double room), and $6,700 for the Gold meal plan, bringing total on-campus direct costs to an estimated $82,050. Off-campus students pay $63,640 in direct costs. The application fee is $135. The school offers scholarship funding based on audition performance and financial need.

Audition Requirements

Prescreening videos are uploaded directly to the Digital Portfolio in the online application, due December 1. Each piece or movement must be uploaded as a separate, unedited video. MSM provides an accompanist at no cost for instruments that require one (voice, violin, viola, cello, etc.). Instruments not listed on the accompanist list perform unaccompanied.

Audition timeline for fall 2026 entry:

• Musical Theatre: On-campus auditions January 17 to 18 and 24 to 25 (coinciding with NYC Unifieds). Prescreen requires two one-minute musical theatre selections (one up-tempo, one ballad), a one-minute memorized monologue, and a one-minute dance video.
• Classical, Jazz, Orchestral, and Contemporary Performance: Audition week February 27 to March 6 on campus.
• Virtual auditions: Available for some programs. Recorded auditions are due February 1. Eligibility depends on the program of study.
• Entrance exams: Required for all Doctoral Program, Classical Composition, and Jazz Composition applicants during auditions.
• Admission decisions: Released no later than April 1, provided all required materials have been received.

Late applications are accepted on a case-by-case basis and may be assessed a $50 late fee.

Real-World Example

A cellist accepted into the BM program for fall 2026 pays $60,800 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 ($24,320), net tuition drops to $36,480 per year. Over four years, the student pays $145,920 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

MSM graduates have won Grammy Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur Fellowships, and Metropolitan Opera competitions. Here are some of the most recognized alumni:

• Anthony Roth Costanzo (BM '04): Grammy-winning countertenor who has performed leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, and Los Angeles Opera. He starred in the Met's production of Philip Glass's Akhnaten and has a solo recording on Decca Gold.
• Anna Clyne (MM '02): Grammy-nominated composer described by the New York Times as having "uncommon gifts and unusual methods." She served as composer-in-residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2010 to 2015. Her works have been performed at Carnegie Hall, the Barbican, and the Last Night of the Proms.
• Yoonshin Song (MM '04): Concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 2012. She has performed as soloist with the DSO and collaborated with artists including Gil Shaham, Joshua Bell, and Jamie Laredo.
• Joseph Trapanese (BM '04): Film composer known for his orchestration work on TRON: Legacy with Daft Punk, and scores for The Witcher, Oblivion, Straight Outta Compton, The Greatest Showman, and Shadow and Bone.
• Yoobin Son: Flutist with the New York Philharmonic.
• Shuler Hensley (BM '90): Tony Award-winning actor and singer who has performed on Broadway in productions including Oklahoma! and Young Frankenstein.
• Linda May Han Oh (BM '08): Jazz bassist and composer who has performed with Pat Metheny, Dave Douglas, and Joe Lovano.

Anthony Roth Costanzo in Philip Glass's Akhnaten at the Metropolitan Opera

This behind-the-scenes video follows Costanzo as he prepares to perform the lead role in Akhnaten at the Metropolitan Opera, one of the most demanding countertenor roles in the repertoire:

Anthony Roth Costanzo Performing Handel's "Rompo i Lacci"

Costanzo performs an aria from Handel's Flavio in this official music video released on Decca Gold:

Anna Clyne Discussing Her Cello Concerto "Dance"

Clyne discusses her cello concerto Dance, based on a poem by Rumi, commissioned for cellist Inbal Segev. The work has received hundreds of performances worldwide:

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