BY: STEVE LIPMAN
What style of music comes to mind when you think of Texas? Most likely, you answered Country Western. However, the arts scene in Texas is far more diverse, leading to new and exciting opportunities, especially for aspiring music students. There’s no shortage of schools in the U.S. with excellent music programs, and the state of Texas is no exception. With so many choices, how do you know where to start? Let’s explore how we chose these four schools on our list of music colleges in Texas, and the opportunities that each school offers.
How We Assessed Music Colleges in Texas
There are lots of ways to assess music colleges. To help students (and parents) get a good understanding of the landscape of music colleges in Texas, we took a look at three major components: the music degrees and programs they offer, any notable aspects about their music programs, and opportunities for music scholarships.
Music Degrees and Program Opportunities
The prestigious Texas music schools listed in this blog offer a wealth of opportunities and broad degree and program options. They also offer a variety of sizes, from several hundred students to well over 30,000! Degree options range from undergraduate offerings such as Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts to many graduate degrees, including MA, MM, DMA, and PhD. With traditional performance and composition majors, music production, and more contemporary and collaborative programs, as well as specialized centers of study, these schools are worth considering.
Unique and Notable Opportunities
To prepare students for success in the competitive music industry, Texas colleges continue to level up experiences and opportunities for their elite students to expand their skills, connections, and networks. From a 5-year dual BM/MM program and access to industry professionals in a collaborative NYC experience to centers for specialized study in opera, Texas music schools provide students with a wide range of options.
Music Scholarships
For schools across the country, including Texas schools, merit-based scholarships come in several forms. In general terms, merit could be academic achievement or, in the case of music students, musical talent. Academic awards are usually the domain of colleges and universities, not conservatories. In most cases, applicants to music schools or music departments will automatically be considered for music merit awards during their live audition. You must apply for admission and meet all stated deadlines and requirements. However, some schools may have a separate application and process for scholarship consideration.
University of North Texas (UNT) College of Music
Widely known for its jazz program, UNT College of Music, located in Denton, TX, is the largest public university music program in the United States with over 1,500 students. UNT, with a total undergraduate enrollment of about 33,000, was arguably the first university to offer a jazz degree.
Programs & Degrees
Composition, conducting, music education, music business, music history, commercial music, and performance.
In addition to the programs offered, the college houses four centers and institutes: the Center for Chamber Music Studies, the Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia, the Center for Schenkerian Studies, and the Initiative for Advanced Research in Technology and the Arts.
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts, Master of Music, Master of Music Education, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees, Graduate Certificates in Performance, and specialized studies in Opera, Early Music Performance, and Music and Medicine.
Notable Features
Students perform in more than 70 ensembles and the school presents almost 1,000 musical events yearly. The College of Music recently launched a non-auditioned Bachelor of Arts degree in Critical Studies in Music and Society. This provides a unique opportunity for students with diverse musical interests to learn how to communicate about music across various audiences.
Scholarships
UNT has College of Music Scholarships and Academic Scholarships. For additional information about the College of Music, visit: https://music.unt.edu.
Rice University Shepherd School of Music
Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston prides itself on combining a conservatory experience with the educational opportunities of a leading research university. Student enrollment is capped at 275 music students to maintain individualized instruction from their world-class faculty. A private college, Rice University has a total undergraduate enrollment of about 4,500.
Programs & Degrees
Due to its conservatory nature, The Shepherd School has mainly performance-oriented degrees – Bachelor of Music (BM), Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts, and Artist Diploma. However, they also offer a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in music.
The undergraduate BM provides a core liberal arts foundation like all other degrees at Rice University (30 credit hours in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering).
Notable Features
The unique 5-year Bachelor of Music/Master of Music honors program allows students with exceptional musical and academic abilities to receive both degrees upon completion.
Scholarships
Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music offers merit-based scholarships to recognize music accomplishment and potential. For additional admission information, visit: https://music.rice.edu.
Southern Methodist University (SMU) Meadows School of the Arts (Division of Music)
Located in the heart of Dallas, The Division of Music in Meadows School of the Arts is part of Southern Methodist University. SMU is a private college with an undergraduate enrollment of about 7,000.
Housed in the Dallas Metroplex, the Division of Music connects students to a variety of premier ensembles like the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Symphony, Dallas Chamber Symphony, and state-of-the-art venues: Meyerson Symphony Center, Winspear Opera House (Housed in the AT&T Performing Arts Center), and the American Airlines Arena.
Programs & Degrees
The Division of Music has about 300 total students across its programs and offers undergraduate degrees in Performance, Composition, Music Therapy, Music Education (Teacher Certification), Dual Degree (Performance/Education), Bachelor of Arts in Music, and minors in Music, Songwriting, and Industry Practices.
Additionally, Master’s degrees in Composition, Conducting, Music Education, Musicology, Performance, Sacred Music, Theory Pedagogy, and a Performer’s Diploma and Artist Diploma are offered.
The Meadows School of the Arts will also launch a Musical Theatre program in Fall 2025 (one of the only available in Texas), with the goal of becoming one of the top programs in the Southwest.
Notable Features
The Meadows Symphony Orchestra recently had the opportunity to perform with Steward Copeland at the Meyerson Symphony Center for a sold-out crowd. During his visit, Copeland also provided masterclasses in performance and the music industry to Meadows students.
Scholarships
The Division of Music offers artistic and academic scholarships to students to assist with the cost of tuition. Additional information about the music programs can be found at https://www.smu.edu/meadows/areasofstudy/music.
University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music (College of Fine Arts)
Ten minutes from downtown Austin, the “live music capital of the world,” the Butler School of Music is part of the University of Texas at Austin and its 41,300 strong student body. Dallas and Houston—two other large cities with multiple performing arts opportunities—are also within three hours.
Programs & Degrees
The Butler School of Music is home to about 700 music majors (350 undergraduate and 250 graduate) across multiple disciplines.
Programs of study include Performance, Music & Human Learning, Bachelor of Arts in Music, Composition, Jazz Studies, Chamber & Collaborative performance, Conducting, Musicology & Ethnomusicology, and Theory.
Butler offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, Ph.D.’s, Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, and Artist Diplomas.
It also offers three centers – The Sarah and Ernest Butler Opera Center, Center for Music Learning, and Center for American Music – each providing unique educational experiences for its students.
Notable Features
The College of Fine Arts offers a unique program called UT in New York (UTNY), allowing students to spend a semester learning from industry professionals while exploring arts opportunities in New York City.
Scholarships
University-wide and specific College of Fine Arts scholarships are available. Additional scholarship opportunities can be found at Texas Exes, the alumni association, at https://music.utexas.edu.
Choosing the Best Music College in Texas for You
The four schools mentioned above are just some music colleges to consider in Texas. Aspiring music majors should also consider the following:
- Baylor University’s School of Music (Waco)
- University of Houston Moores School of Music
- Texas Christian University’s School of Music (Fort Worth)
- Texas State University School of Music (San Marcos)
- The School of Music at Texas Tech University (Lubbock)
It can be confusing and overwhelming to determine which school will lead to the best opportunities for any student. At Inside Music Schools, we understand how time consuming it is to research music schools and make the right selections and decisions throughout the admissions process. That’s why we’ve helped hundreds of parents and students navigate the undergraduate college and graduate music school admissions process and get accepted into a top school of their choice.
Contact us to get started finding your perfect music school match.
Founder & President at Inside Music Schools | Insidemusicschools.com
Head of admissions and faculty member at Berklee College of Music for 40 years, Steve Lipman and our team at Inside Music Schools speak music as their primary language. We approach each client contact with open eyes, ears, and minds. As the country’s premier music school consultant, he has advised students from the United States, Canada, the U.K., India, Singapore, Dubai, China, Australia, Turkey, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Israel, Italy, Russia and elsewhere.