BY: KAREN KERR
Nestled in a cozy, collegiate, and green enclave in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) attracts some of the best talent to its classrooms, rehearsal and recital halls. Access to world-renowned faculty, opportunities with New York City’s most sought-after performance groups, and a chance to tap into the rich cultural wealth of the storied Big Apple brings students from all over the country and the world to MSM’s halls.
The Big Apple – A Prime Locale for Music Industry Networking
Just blocks away from Columbia University and Barnard College, students who attend MSM will find themselves in a very comfortable pocket of one of the largest music capitals in the world with world-class faculty, an environment of healthy competition, and a wealth of networking opportunities that Director of Admissions Emma Davis says is the hallmark of a Manhattan School of Music education.
“To be able to have students work with faculty who are not just teachers but who have a name in their industry creates an invaluable education,” Davis said.
Davis sees the school’s location in New York as one of the most important aspects of MSM’s value for students wanting to change the world with their music. She says that students who want to perform at the top of their game would be wise to think of the city as a prime destination.
“One of the main benefits of being in New York City is that we are located where all the top professionals live,” Davis said. “We are giving our students access to the best of the best because we are in New York City.”
A Collaborative Community
Being laser-focused on a chosen instrument or discipline can feel like an insular path to take, but at Manhattan School of Music, collaboration is not only encouraged but truly part of the fabric of the school’s educational approach.
“I think the community of students is what really makes us foster a comfortable environment to experiment and cross-collaborate,” says Kameron Ghanavati, Assistant Director of Admissions at the school.
Ghanavati emphasized how an MSM student’s work will frequently cross genres and disciplines. Classical and jazz performance students will often provide the musical accompaniment for theatrical productions at the school and in theatres across the city.
Unique Opportunities at Manhattan School of Music
By proxy of its location in New York, Davis and Ghanavati agree that one major point of value for any student is the school’s location in a globally-renowned cultural hub. The Apollo Theatre is less than a mile from the school, and along with Broadway and myriad other theatres and performing arts spaces within the city limits, students have innumerable ways to get real-life experience.
Another standout benefit for musical theatre students is their MT Lab Series, which brings students producing new musicals in collaboration with industry professionals in acting, singing, production, and more to develop their ideas, grow their network and prepare their shows for professional runs.
Additionally, over 700 concerts are performed on the MSM campus alone in one of their nine performing arts spaces, including the recently-renovated Neidorff-Karpati Hall.
Top Programs at MSM
Manhattan School of Music is a private conservatory school that boasts valuable classical, jazz, and musical theatre performance programs.
Classical Performance at MSM
The Manhattan School of Music began as a classical conservatory at the turn of the 20th century. To that end, it has provided a bedrock for the classical music scene in New York City, and its alumni have gone on to incredible musical careers in the city and around the world.
Well-known alumni of MSM in the classical world include: composer David Amram, Met Opera star Kate Aldrich, Pulitzer Prize composer John Corigliano, opera soprano Dawn Upshaw, Third Stream composer Gunther Schuller, N.Y. Philharmonic violinists Kerry McDermott and Kuan-Cheng Lu just to name a few. Alumni are present in virtually every major orchestra in the U.S. and Europe.
Among the most popular majors in classical music at MSM is classical piano and classical voice. Yet, Davis says that across the school’s classical programs, students have access to some of the best players, performers, and composers in the world through an illustrious faculty.
Just a small sampling of the professional faculty in the classical department includes the preeminent Cuban violin and viola instructor, Ilmar Gavilán, whose career brought him around the world and to the stage performing for President Barack Obama and with major music superstars such as Chick Corea and Itzhak Perlman.
Another classical faculty whose students have performed at the likes of the Metropolitan Opera is Cynthia Hoffman. Also a faculty member at Juilliard and the Curtis Institute of Music, Hoffman has become an authority in education and performance and is a major proponent of the Alexander Technique. Her decades-long career has brought her all over the world to teach and perform.
Jazz Performance at MSM
Jazz at the Manhattan School of Music has a history beginning in the early 1970s, with the school developing a faculty and curriculum by the 1978 academic year. Since then, students from MSM have become an integral part of the jazz tradition of New York City, performing at venues both large and small.
The jazz department at Manhattan School of Music is headed by Dean Ingrid Jensen, a trumpeter and educator whose prodigious career has made her a highly sought-after teacher and performer. Along with her education and ensemble credits, she is also a trumpet player for the jazz supergroup Artemis.
Davis says of studying jazz at MSM that there is a strong focus on students testing their boundaries and exploring not only the heights of their skill but the limits of their creativity.
“What it is today is a really beautiful, inclusive community that encourages people to think outside the box, compose, collaborate, and also do it in an environment where they have access to the highest level of talent available,” Davis said.
Jazz artists who studied at MSM are a veritable Who’s Who in the jazz world: just some of them include: trumpeter Benny Banack, bassists John Benitez and Ron Carter, pianist Emmet Cohen, arranger/educator Rich DeRosa, drummer and former Chair of the Jazz Dept. Justin DiCioccio, saxophonist Jimmy Greene, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, Remy and Pascal Le Boeuf, vocalist Jane Monheit, saxophonists Jallel Shaw and Walter Smith, MacArthur awardee Miguel Zenon, and many, many more.
Musical Theatre at MSM
As the only conservatory theatre program in New York City, the Musical Theatre department at MSM is stacked with faculty who harbor Broadway pedigrees. Liza Gennaro, Dean of MSM’s Musical Theatre Program, is a renowned choreographer, educator, and theatre writer who worked extensively on Broadway and countless shows for prestigious stages.
While only nine years old, Davis says the musical theatre program at MSM is proving itself to be a producer of world-class talent who are now reaching the heights of accomplishment in musical theatre.
“Our graduates are really starting to make a splash on the Broadway and whole New York City scene,” Davis said. Grads can currently be found on virtually every Broadway theater stage.
Need tips on selecting audition material? Check out our blog “4 Tips for Choosing College Music theatre Audition Material”.
Competitiveness & Acceptance at MSM
Manhattan School of Music is an in-demand conservatory school with upwards of 3,500 applicants per year. Over the past few years, Davis said, the application pool has grown “substantially”, showing that interest in the school is growing quickly.
Davis said this year the school welcomed just over 400 students, and while not as competitive as The Juilliard School or the Curtis Institute of Music, it’s fair to say that it’s higher-caliber students that have a better chance of attending MSM.
One of the best ways to increase the chances of acceptance is understanding that first impressions matter. Manhattan School of Music’s prescreening process helps the admissions department determine if your skill level will be a good fit for their student body.
For tips on developing your prescreening skills, read our blog “Why Every Music Major Needs a Video Guide to Prescreening”
Tuition and Financial Aid
According to the tuition section of their website, annual tuition for the 2024/2025 academic year was $55,750, which does not include housing, health insurance, and other student fees.
Davis says that financing one’s education is a serious conversation any student should have with their parents or guardians. She underlined that nearly 80 percent of all students receive some kind of student aid based on what she called a balance between merit and need.
“We look at students equally on merit and demonstrated financial need,” Davis said. “We really look at it holistically, and try to make it possible for the student to invest in our education.”
Looking Ahead at MSM
As a central part of New York City’s musical life, it’s easy to see that there’s much to gain from a Manhattan School of Music education. With deep connections to some of the world’s greatest musical institutions, the school’s faculty provide real-world advice and masterful instruction to talented students from all over the globe.
If you’re interested in Manhattan School of Music for your musical journey, know that Inside Music Schools is here to help. With decades of experience in music school admissions, we’ve helped hundreds of students get accepted not only to MSM but many other music schools around the country. Reach out today to find out which schools are right for you!
Karen Kerr
An accomplished professional with over 28 years of experience in higher education, admissions, and recruitment, Karen has always made her goal finding the best-fit school for student musicians. Most recently, she served as the Director of Admission and Recruitment at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where she was responsible for recruitment, auditions/interviews, and admissions of all undergraduate and graduate applicants. Prior to joining the Frost School, she was part of the admissions staff at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance where she reviewed applications at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.