Are you currently searching for music schools in Philadelphia? Do you have plans on becoming a musician or pursuing a career in the music industry?
We have listed 25 of the best music schools and colleges in Philadelphia for you to choose from. These music schools in Philadelphia can teach you anything from stage setting to playing instruments.
If you want to study music in Philadelphia, it’s important to choose the right school or college. Read on to find some of the best places to explore.
The Following are Music Schools in Philadelphia
The following are the best music schools in Philadelphia for you to choose from. Learn more about their perks below:
New Groove Music Studio
Tuition fee: Not Available. Schedule a free consultation to get your tuition fee.
Courses Available
- Voice Lessons
- Ukulele Lessons
- Drum Lessons
- Guitar Lessons
- Windwood Instrument Lessons (flute, clarinet, and saxophone)
- Piano Lessons
- Music Theory and Songwriting Lessons
New Groove Music Studio is a music school in Philadelphia that offers lessons for all ages and skill levels. Students can rent instruments or take private lessons within their studio, or they can choose to rent an instrument outside of the store if they wish to practice at home.
They have an incredible selection of instruments available, including guitars, drums, pianos, and keyboards. When you’re ready for your next step as a musician (which may be recording), New Groove has a recording studio on site with all the equipment needed
Settlement Music School
Tuition fee: $41.50 to $249. See the full tuition page for specifications.
Courses Available
- Music, Dance, and Creative Arts Therapy lessons for children.
Settlement Music School is a nonprofit organization that offers classical music lessons to children in the Philadelphia area.
It was founded by the German-American Settlement League of Philadelphia and the Settlement Association of Philadelphia.
The school is located on South Broad Street in Center City’s Washington Square West neighborhood.
School of Rock
Tuition fee: $275 – $450 per month.
Courses Available
- Drum Lessons
- Guitar Lessons
- Singing Lessons
- Bass Guitar Lessons
- Keyboard + Piano Lessons
School of Rock is a music school in Philadelphia that offers lessons for all ages. Students can choose from guitar, bass, drums, piano, and vocals. This school’s classes are taught by professional musicians who have been playing their instruments for years.
It is also recognized as one of the most revolutionary music schools in Philadelphia due to its impact on the music education industry.
Gibson School of Music & Arts
Tuition fee: $26 per lesson (half an hour).
Gibson School of Music & Arts is a music school in Philadelphia. It was founded in 1883 as a private non-profit institution, and it offers music lessons and education for all ages. Gibson is perhaps best known for its innovative approach to music instruction.
It has a wide range of instruments and styles to learn, including singing, voice training, piano lessons, viola instruction, and more.
South Philly Music Academy
Tuition fee: $40 – $80 per lesson.
Courses Available
- Bass Lessons
- Music Theatre
- Voice Lessons
- Guitar Lessons
- Drum Lessons
- String Lessons – violin and cello.
- Fretted Instruments Lessons – ukulele
- Woodwinds Lessons – flute, clarinet, saxophone.
Located in the heart of South Philly, this school offers guitar lessons, bass lessons, drum lessons, and ukulele lessons. For piano players they offer a little something extra: they sell sheet music and other supplies as well as offering private lessons.
They also host workshops on-site so you can learn more about music theory or how to play an instrument by watching others play it firsthand.
Girard Academic Music Program
Tuition fee: N/A.
Courses Available
- Music Theory
- Drum Lessons
- Guitar Lessons
Girard Academic Music Program is a non-profit organization that provides music education to children and adults in the Philadelphia area. The organization’s mission is to create opportunities for lifelong learning through music education, performance, and community engagement.
In addition to providing adult education programs for adults interested in studying classical music, this school offers an extensive array of classes for kids ranging from preschoolers all the way up through high school students.
The curriculum covers topics such as how to read music notation, how to play more complex instruments such as pianos or saxophones, and even basic choreography techniques.
Chestnut Hill Music Academy
Tuition fee: $135 for 30-minute weekly lessons; $240 for 60-minute weekly lessons.
Courses Available
- Drum Lessons
- Guitar Lessons
- String Instrument Lessons
- Piano Lessons
- Woodwinds Lessons
- Harp Lessons
Chestnut Hill Music Academy is a music school that offers private lessons, group classes, and other opportunities for students to learn their favorite instruments. Students can choose from piano, guitar, drums, and voice.
The school also has programs geared towards adults who want to perfect their skills or learn how to play an instrument for the first time.
The academy is open to students of all ages and levels so that everyone has equal access to learning new skills.
Since the instructors tailor each lesson based on what the student desires at that moment in time, it’s important for them to be able to adapt quickly as well as provide individualized attention when needed.
With an array of instruments available at CHMA’s School Store (including pianos), you’ll have no problem finding exactly what you’re looking for when enrolling.
North Ridge Music School
Tuition fee: $280 – $480 (private lessons). Learn more about their policies.
Courses Available
- Piano Lessons
- Guitar Lessons
- Ensemble Group Lessons
- Bass Guitar Lessons
North Ridge Music School is a music school in Philadelphia that offers a variety of musical instrument lessons with a specific focus on children and teens. Students can choose from piano, voice, drums, and guitar instruction to name a few.
The school has many locations throughout the city of Philadelphia. North Ridge Music School offers lessons for all ages and skill levels so you can find what works best for your child.
Cedar Park Music School
Tuition fee: N/A.
Courses Available
- Ear Training
- Reading sheet music
- Rhythmic techniques
- Melodic techniques
- Music Theory
- Guitar Lessons
- Banjo Lessons
- Ukulele Lessons
- Bass Guitar Lessons
Cedar Park Music School is a music school located in Philadelphia. The school offers private lessons in piano, guitar, drums, violin, viola, and cello; group classes for all ages are also available.
Students can learn to play an instrument from local teachers who have years of experience teaching beginners through advanced students.
Classes run throughout the week at various times so it’s easy for you to find one that fits your schedule.
Academy of Vocal Arts
Tuition fee: $2,160 monthly fee.
Courses Available
- Music Theory
- Voice and Opera
The Academy of Vocal Arts is a music school in Philadelphia. It’s a private, non-profit institution founded in 1928 and located in the University City section of the city.
The school has three main areas of focus: opera, musical theater, and classical concert performance. It offers bachelor’s degrees as well as graduate degrees for both singers and pianists who want to become teachers themselves.
Mister John’s Music
Tuition fee: N/A.
Courses Available
- Music Theory and mastering instruments.
Mister John’s Music is a music school in Philadelphia that offers lessons for all ages and instruments. They have a large selection of instruments and a great selection of music books, so you can find what you’re looking for here. If you prefer private lessons, they also offer group classes at reasonable prices.
Meridee Winters School of Music
Tuition fee: $25 – $75 per lesson (depending on the class duration).
Courses Available
- Guitar and Bass Lessons
- Ukulele Lessons
- Drum Lessons
- Voice Lessons
- Violin Lessons
- Digital Music and Recording
- Music Theory
Meridee Winters School of Music is a music school located in Philadelphia. The school provides lessons, classes, and workshops for children and adults who want to learn piano, voice, or other instruments.
The Meridee Winters School of Music offers several programs for children ranging from kindergarten through high school age. The goal of these programs is to provide a fun way for kids to experience music while learning real skills that will benefit them later in life.
These programs include:
- Piano Adventures – This program teaches students how to read music by using colored stickers placed on the keys of the piano, which makes it easier for young children to understand what they are doing when playing an instrument.
- Klavier Kindergarten – This class focuses on basic keyboard skills including reading rhythmic patterns (such as quarter notes), sight-reading simple melodies, and learning songs with lyrics.
Philadelphia Uke Studio
Tuition fee: $40 – $140.
Courses Available
- Ear training
- Music Composition
- Ukulele Lessons
- Melodic Lessons
- Rhythmic Lessons
Philadelphia Uke Studio is a ukulele school that offers beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons. They also offer group classes and private lessons, as well as workshops for adults and children. They even offer online lessons.
To top it all off, they sell ukuleles to help you practice at home.
Music Colleges in Philadelphia
If you’re looking to pursue a degree in music, the city of Philadelphia is home to several institutions that offer top-notch programs.
What are music colleges in Philadelphia?
Music colleges are higher education institutes that have departments that teach music. Most of these universities are more expensive, but they go in-depth to explain the theory of music better than vocational schools.
Whichever you choose, these schools will give you better exposure to music, stage setting, and production.
These include:
- Curtis Institute of Music
- Temple University
- University of the Arts (UArts)
- Caim University
In addition to these four schools, there are also private institutions such as Eastern University and St. Joseph’s University that can be considered as well.
Curtis Institute of Music
Tuition fee: $26,555.
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory of music located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The institute offers a five-year curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Music degree, and it also grants Master’s degrees through its Graduate School.
The school’s college building has been designated a National Historic Landmark in recognition of its significance as an early example of neoclassical architecture.
Boyer College of Music and Dance, Temple University
Tuition fee: $9,084 – $15,720 per year.
Courses Available
- Dance
- Instrumental Studies
- Jazz Studies
- Choral Conducting
- Keyboard Studies
- Music
- Music Composition
- Music Education
- Music History
- Music Technology
- Music Theory
- Music Therapy
- Voice and Opera
Boyer College of Music and Dance is a music conservatory dedicated to offering students music, dance, and theatre programs. The Boyer School offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its conservatory.
There are many departments that offer different types of studies for students at Boyer College of Music and Dance. For example, the Department of Piano Studies offers courses like piano literature, harmony, sight reading, and even advanced improvisation.
Temple University also ranks among the top 10 music colleges in Philadelphia.
University of the Arts
Tuition fee: $50,950 per year.
The University of the Arts (commonly referred to as UArts) is a private university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1876 as the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. The school was renamed the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts in 1976.
The school has since expanded its campus and programs and now offers various programs that focus on music education, production, and performance.
It is an elite school; hence, it is very expensive. It will cost over $72,000 per year for a student with no scholarship backing.
Cairn University
Tuition fee: $31,255 per year.
Cairn University is a private Christian, non-profit, coeducational institution of higher education. The university has a provision for a music program that educates students on the theory, composition, and production of music. It offers bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees in music performance and music therapy.
Eastern University
Tuition fee: $35,864 per year.
Eastern University is a private, coeducational university located in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, United States. Eastern University is a Christian institution of higher learning with more than 4,000 students.
It offers undergraduate programs in arts and sciences as well as professional studies and master’s degrees through its School of Graduate & Professional Studies (SGPS).
St. Joseph’s University
Tuition fee: $49,410 per year.
St. Joseph’s University is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The school offers a music program that prepares you for a rewarding career in theater performance and entertainment marketing.
FAQs and Answers
Some commonly asked questions about music schools in Philadelphia are as follows:
What are the benefits of attending a music college in Philadelphia?
If you have an interest in pursuing a music career, then it is advisable to enroll in a music school. It gives you exposure to formal education from teachers who have had the experience that you want to get.
In addition, it exposes you to friends and colleagues who you might end up working with in the future.
How much does it cost to study at a music school in Philadelphia?
The prices vary; please see the tuition costs for the schools outlined in this list. We provided information for schools we could find.
Are there any financial aid programs for students who need help paying for college?
Yes, some schools provide financial aid programs. You can check the website of your desired music school to find out if they offer these aid programs.
Wrapping It Up
That’s all for now! We hope that you found this article helpful and informative. If not, feel free to leave any questions or comments in the section below. We would love to hear from you.