Turn passion into purpose with an advanced performing arts education

If STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is said to be behind innovations and breakthroughs that push humanity to the future, then it’s the arts that colour it.

Humans have been involved in performing arts since the beginning of time. Music, plays, or dance – the arts occur within every piece of history recorded worldwide. And it’s STEM plus the arts – “STEAM” – that’s pegged as the better way to prepare today’s students to become future-proof employees with multiple areas of expertise. This is because STEAM investigates the same scientific concepts but through inquiry and problem-based learning methods used in the creative process. Pursuing performing arts on its own, especially through advanced degrees, can yield something great too. It’s as much a preparation for leadership roles in industry as it is to contribute original, significant and meaningful knowledge to society.

Whether it’s in professional performing, college-level teaching, live production, or music as a business, these four universities offer programmes that turn passion into purpose.

University of Northern Colorado

When you join the University of Northern Colorado’s College of Performing and Visual Arts, you become part of a vibrant community of performers, composers, artists, educators, and industry professionals from around the nation and the world who believe in the power of the arts to elevate minds, inviting people to think, to question and to reflect on what it means to be human.

At the UNC campus located in Greeley, a city of more than 105,000 residents and just an hour’s drive north of Denver, it’s all about transforming passion into professional skills.

UNC Arts offers a range of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate programmes in music. The college’s Doctor of Arts degree is unique and one of only a handful in the country. While other U.S. universities offer the more common Doctor of Musical Arts degree, UNC Arts offers a DA degree that combines high-level performance experience and rigorous intellectual exploration. Students can select from several concentrations to focus their education: collaborative piano, composition, conducting, jazz studies, music education, music history and literature, and music performance. The degree involves advanced studies in music theory, pedagogy, history, and research, blending high academic standards with exceptional professional opportunities.

UNC Arts’s diverse and expert faculty from around the world, most of whom are internationally known, support and nurture students’ talents. You’ll receive insights, expertise and guidance from them in an All-Steinway school with over 25 large ensembles of the highest calibre and in a school that embodies music as an identity. UNC Arts has won over 150 DownBeat Student Music Awards, and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

UNC Arts’s extensive and intensive education will prepare you for college-level teaching, professional performance, or any path you choose to take in the world of art. A strong alumni network – 9,847 total living graduates across all levels — further helps students get their foot in the door.

“We take immense pride in our diverse international student body, who not only achieve great success in performance and competitive arenas but also serve as outstanding cultural ambassadors both on and off campus,” says Professor of Piano Lei Weng.

Ready to turn your passion into a meaningful and satisfying profession in the arts? Discover more about UNC Arts music programmes.

Community engagement is a priority at Boyer College of Music and Dance, where aside from offering free performances, students often perform off-campus in schools, medical and rehabilitation facilities and in pop-up concerts around the city. Source: Boyer College of Music and Dance – Temple University.

Temple University

Because the world won’t change itself, Temple University offers opportunities to explore what drives you and experiences to help you succeed. For the musicians, the university’s Boyer College of Music and Dance has undergraduate and graduate degrees in choral activities, dance, instrumental studies, jazz studies, keyboard studies, composition, music (including education, history, theory, technology, and therapy), and voice and opera. 

These programmes have comprehensive curricula. The PhD in Music Education programme helps develop university-teaching skills and research experience and allows students to specialise in community music, digital and distance learning in music, or gender studies; the Music Therapy PhD is the first of its kind in the US, with a curriculum grounded in advanced music therapy courses complemented by studies of music, research and related health disciplines.The college is accredited by the NASM, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the American Music Therapy Association, and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Its people are world-class faculty members working in well-equipped facilities that enrich your learning and expertise in music. 

With over 300 music majors, Central Washington University provides plenty of opportunities to participate in one of its outstanding ensembles. Source: Central Washington University.

Central Washington University

Central Washington University’s Department of Music is where you’ll find a community of artists, scholars, and educators dedicated to achieving the highest standards of musical knowledge, performance and teaching. As one of the premier music programmes on the West Coast and accredited by the NASM, they offer bachelor’s and master’s programmes, minors, and certificates.

The highest level of music education available is the Master of Music programme. Students get an in-depth study of music in their specialised field, working to enhance their professional competency in teaching and performance through self-directed study. The fields of study include composition, conducting, performance, pedagogy, music education, and collaborative piano. 

Opportunities to join assistantships are available too, and while earning the position may be competitive, students gain valuable experience as a performer and a teacher whilst studying with the department’s inspirational faculty. Ensembles make up a big part of the department as well. There’s a large Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, a premier vocal group, the Chamber Choir, small Jazz combos, and brass quintets, providing an ensemble for everyone who joins their cohort. 

Toronto Metropolitan University’s BFA Professional Music programme prepares you for a more entrepreneur-based career in the music industry. Source: Toronto Metropolitan University.

Toronto Metropolitan University

Toronto Metropolitan University takes a different route with its music programme. Their BFA Professional Music focuses on equipping you with the skills to break new ground in the contemporary music industry. Within the programme, you’ll learn everything spanning performance, production, and business, leading you to careers in live entertainment, talent and venue management, audio recording, marketing and communications, and more. 

As the first programme of its kind in Canada, students enjoy the full extent of being part of the university’s The Creative School. This innovative ecosystem is connected, disruptive, global and future-driven, all you need to prepare for a progressive career in the music industry.

By studying in Toronto, you’ll be in the heart of the Canadian music industry. This opens the doors to countless networking opportunities with the country’s leading music and media organisations, including record labels, management and live events companies, technology startups and more. 

The region’s music community takes advantage of the university’s Music Den too, a space where students, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals come together and build great music companies. Beyond that, students actively join forces to form bands, release albums and initiate new ideas, creating a truly immersive and hands-on education. 

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International