The world’s top 7 music colleges: Here are the new QS rankings

The world’s top 7 music colleges: Here are the new QS rankings

News

norman lebrecht

April 06, 2022

The annual results, released this morning, show the following rankings under the performing arts section:

1 Royal College of Music, London
2 University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna
3 Juilliard, New York
4 Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMD de Paris)
5 Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
6 Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London
7 Royal Academy of Music, London

Comments

  • Anthony Sayer says:

    The list doesn’t correspond to the website info.

  • Rudiger says:

    Absolutely inconsequential.

  • Elizabeth says:

    There’ll always be an England! But, none of these UK schools can compare to the really high-level US conservatories (Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Curtis).

  • Mick the Knife says:

    I doubt there is a musician in the US that wouldn’t say this list is worthy of the compost heap.

  • Bacon says:

    Who has paid for this list? Are Moscow, Vienna or Paris academies really worse than Royal Conservatoire of Scotland?

  • Hugo Preuß says:

    Why are only the British schools listed? There are a handful (or two, or three) of non-UK readers here…

  • Gerry Feinsteen says:

    Specialized instrumental study does not conform to a measurement that scales quality to any sort of polling data. Medical, Business, and Law schools are more appropriate for these lists, but the criteria are often full of nonsense factors.

    The top wind players in the CNSMD Paris can likely outshine any at Juilliard or the Curtis. Even an average
    Curtis piano major can probably outplay the best at Guildhall.

    The top cello students at Hanns Eisler in Berlin can probably outplay the top at the Curtis.

    One thing makes Juilliard stand out is that it has three performing arts divisions. Does that make it better? Well, we can be sure that Juilliard’s dance program is better than Curtis’.
    I always like to see where Berklee lines up on this list.

    • Lewis Sutherland says:

      RCS does music, musical theatre, dance and film production

    • SunnyEd says:

      The top wind players in Paris are NOT better than any wind player at either Curtis or Julliard. The best of the very best in the world study at those schools. The fact that Curtis is left off that list is an egregious oversight.

  • Maria says:

    RCM is No 1? 4/7 are British? Who is kidding who? As a Brit, I just don’t believe in that list. And then RNCM missing completely? Is it really that bad? Why does London need all those music colleges anyhow, so often full to bursting by those from far-flung abroad on the highest possible fees?

  • fflambeau says:

    What about Curtis? This rankings are euro-centric.

  • Simon Scott says:

    I wouldn’t give a rating to any of them. Music factories pure and simple

  • Cornelia Beilke says:

    Those rankings are really nonsense! Smart students follow the teacher they want, never mind the school! Where did this come from?

  • Cornelia Beilke says:

    Do they mean top tuition?

  • Dr. Doctor says:

    Top on the world for what, scandalous behavior by faculty?

  • Dumb question says:

    QS Rankings are published by Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd, a company headquartered in London.
    4 of the 7 institutions on the list are in UK.
    Parochial ? Surprise ?

  • Frankie says:

    A.It is for Performing Arts not just music.
    B. It includes academic rating, employer rating, research status. And these days most of these ratings include student satisfaction, pastoral care etc.
    Not just teaching people to play that piano.

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