This Week’s College: Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA
Curtis Institute of Music is a place where the most exceptional musicians are turned into world famous musicians. It’s more selective than Stanford. And there is no tuition to attend. Students learn by doing and as a result of this real-world environment they become the extraordinary musicians who go on to be the composers, community leaders, conductors, performers, and more who make the music world what it is.
Founded in 1924 from the Curtis fortune, amassed by the Saturday Evening Post and the Ladies Home Journal, the Curtis Institute of Music was the brainchild of Mary Louise Curtis Bok. Bok had worked with the very poor in Philadelphia’s Settlement Music School and found that many of the students there, though culturally and financially deprived, were very musically talented. Based on her experiences there, she assembled a highly talented staff and by 1928 had made the school tuition free. Today it continues this tradition, accepting students based solely on merit only, and providing them with the financial freedom to attend Curtis and have a future in music.
Curtis is not like most colleges. Instead of lecture halls full of Bio 101 students, you’ll work one on one with with master artists to hone your craft while taking classes in musical studies. Performance courses are at the heart of the education you will receive here. You will have a minimum of one lesson a week with a master musician. For younger students it can be two hours and for other disciplines like vocal and guitar it’s also more, up to six hours.
Then there are the other performance based classes students participate in. These range from the Contemporary Music Ensemble to the Orchestra to sectional studies like the woodwinds, percussion, or brass. Guitar and piano have their own performance sections as does organ. Opera, voice, and acting enjoy their own studies, as does harpsichord. The bulk of your time will be spent playing, practicing, and working on your craft.
That said, there are also classes in musical studies that students must take to complete their curriculum as well. All students take a Core Studies sequence of four classes meant to cover the concepts of Counterpoint, Harmony, and Analysis. There are also other classes that students can take in this realm as well including classes on the history of music, music theory, solfège (sight reading), and more.
Curtis also has a liberal arts component to their curriculum. But it’s not what we usually think of when we think of liberal arts. There is not really any scientific or quantitative aspect to it. It’s mostly a background in the humanities that they include. Students are required to take some English classes and some art and philosophy. In addition there are chances to take some classes in French, Spanish, Russian drama and poetry, film, and environmental and social sciences.
In addition, Curtis also offers some career pathways for students who want to have some credentialing to go with their talents. Artistry in Pedagogy pairs a student with a young person in the community and develops the student as a teacher and mentor to someone younger. Music and Technology is a chance for students to learn the many ways that technology can be used to compose, record, create, and learn by using technology. Community Artists Programs is an independent study for 5-7 students who are interested in advocacy and bringing the arts to communities. Finally, the Social Entrepreneur path is a chance for students to find innovative solutions to problems in the arts. It comes with a small grant students can apply for as well.
Field Concert Hall seats 240 people and has pretty amazing acoustics as you might expect. Concerts and recitals perform there weekly and it’s also where alumni come back and give master classes and their own performances. It is also fully equipped for digital recording with state of the art video and audio capabilities.
Students at Curtis are busy. They spend a lot of time on their music and performance. But they also live in an amazing place. Most of the camps is in the historic mansion district of Philadelphia, right off Rittenhouse Square. Lenfest Hall is home to the Gould Rehearsal Hall and also to about half of the student body (talk about rolling out of bed and into class!). It also has the Orchestra Library in it and a dining hall. You don’t get a lot more convenient than that, friends.
Living on campus is pretty sweet as well. Or is it suite? Most of the rooms are suite style with 4-6 students enjoying a single suite with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a common area. Lenfest has a garden terrace on the 5th floor, a kitchenette, and 32 practice rooms for lessons, rehearsals, classes, and practices.
Curtis is a very diverse community. Though small and elite, many students come from around the world to attend. There are a series of traditions that have continued since its inception, including the Wednesday afternoon teas where faculty, staff, students, and guests gather weekly to enjoy refreshments and each other, and the winter holiday party where students perform, show videos, and put on skits. With a student body of only 175, activities for students include trips to New York, around Philly, and through the Tri-State area, as well as opportunities to enjoy the cultures of the diverse student body.
Student Wellness is also a priority at Curtis. Without their own fitness center, Curtis defrays the cost of membership at various other gyms nearby. They also work specifically with musicians on injury recovery unique to their craft. A dedicated program for mindfulness and also for LGBTQ+ students is part of their programming. In addition, they work closely with students who have learning needs and honor 504 plans from high schools.
Applying to Curtis is not the same as applying to a Common App school. Students need to have a resume that includes a list of composers you consider part of your repertoire, at least one concert or recital program in which your name is highlighted. In addition, you need to include two essays, a list of scholarships and awards, and two private teachers’ names and addresses. There is also an audition which is conducted at Curtis and has a variety of requirements (see their website for more details). There are a series of screening materials that also must be considered and there are some fees associated with the applications as well. SATs are required as well. The deadline for applications is mid December, so if you’re interested you have to move pretty quickly on this.
Why choose Curtis? Its small atmosphere could be a pressure cooker but most of its alumni say it’s not. In fact they say it’s the opposite. Students are supportive of one another, because as one alumna points out, these people will be your colleagues for life. Instead, students motivate each other, challenge each other to perform at their very best, reach for the heights, and outdo what they did yesterday. If you are looking to do this in your life in music, Curtis is definitely for you.
Pros:
Cons:
Curtis Institute of Music is a place where the most exceptional musicians are turned into world famous musicians. It’s more selective than Stanford. And there is no tuition to attend. Students learn by doing and as a result of this real-world environment they become the extraordinary musicians who go on to be the composers, community leaders, conductors, performers, and more who make the music world what it is.
Founded in 1924 from the Curtis fortune, amassed by the Saturday Evening Post and the Ladies Home Journal, the Curtis Institute of Music was the brainchild of Mary Louise Curtis Bok. Bok had worked with the very poor in Philadelphia’s Settlement Music School and found that many of the students there, though culturally and financially deprived, were very musically talented. Based on her experiences there, she assembled a highly talented staff and by 1928 had made the school tuition free. Today it continues this tradition, accepting students based solely on merit only, and providing them with the financial freedom to attend Curtis and have a future in music.
Curtis is not like most colleges. Instead of lecture halls full of Bio 101 students, you’ll work one on one with with master artists to hone your craft while taking classes in musical studies. Performance courses are at the heart of the education you will receive here. You will have a minimum of one lesson a week with a master musician. For younger students it can be two hours and for other disciplines like vocal and guitar it’s also more, up to six hours.
Then there are the other performance based classes students participate in. These range from the Contemporary Music Ensemble to the Orchestra to sectional studies like the woodwinds, percussion, or brass. Guitar and piano have their own performance sections as does organ. Opera, voice, and acting enjoy their own studies, as does harpsichord. The bulk of your time will be spent playing, practicing, and working on your craft.
That said, there are also classes in musical studies that students must take to complete their curriculum as well. All students take a Core Studies sequence of four classes meant to cover the concepts of Counterpoint, Harmony, and Analysis. There are also other classes that students can take in this realm as well including classes on the history of music, music theory, solfège (sight reading), and more.
Curtis also has a liberal arts component to their curriculum. But it’s not what we usually think of when we think of liberal arts. There is not really any scientific or quantitative aspect to it. It’s mostly a background in the humanities that they include. Students are required to take some English classes and some art and philosophy. In addition there are chances to take some classes in French, Spanish, Russian drama and poetry, film, and environmental and social sciences.
In addition, Curtis also offers some career pathways for students who want to have some credentialing to go with their talents. Artistry in Pedagogy pairs a student with a young person in the community and develops the student as a teacher and mentor to someone younger. Music and Technology is a chance for students to learn the many ways that technology can be used to compose, record, create, and learn by using technology. Community Artists Programs is an independent study for 5-7 students who are interested in advocacy and bringing the arts to communities. Finally, the Social Entrepreneur path is a chance for students to find innovative solutions to problems in the arts. It comes with a small grant students can apply for as well.
Field Concert Hall seats 240 people and has pretty amazing acoustics as you might expect. Concerts and recitals perform there weekly and it’s also where alumni come back and give master classes and their own performances. It is also fully equipped for digital recording with state of the art video and audio capabilities.
Students at Curtis are busy. They spend a lot of time on their music and performance. But they also live in an amazing place. Most of the camps is in the historic mansion district of Philadelphia, right off Rittenhouse Square. Lenfest Hall is home to the Gould Rehearsal Hall and also to about half of the student body (talk about rolling out of bed and into class!). It also has the Orchestra Library in it and a dining hall. You don’t get a lot more convenient than that, friends.
Living on campus is pretty sweet as well. Or is it suite? Most of the rooms are suite style with 4-6 students enjoying a single suite with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a common area. Lenfest has a garden terrace on the 5th floor, a kitchenette, and 32 practice rooms for lessons, rehearsals, classes, and practices.
Curtis is a very diverse community. Though small and elite, many students come from around the world to attend. There are a series of traditions that have continued since its inception, including the Wednesday afternoon teas where faculty, staff, students, and guests gather weekly to enjoy refreshments and each other, and the winter holiday party where students perform, show videos, and put on skits. With a student body of only 175, activities for students include trips to New York, around Philly, and through the Tri-State area, as well as opportunities to enjoy the cultures of the diverse student body.
Student Wellness is also a priority at Curtis. Without their own fitness center, Curtis defrays the cost of membership at various other gyms nearby. They also work specifically with musicians on injury recovery unique to their craft. A dedicated program for mindfulness and also for LGBTQ+ students is part of their programming. In addition, they work closely with students who have learning needs and honor 504 plans from high schools.
Applying to Curtis is not the same as applying to a Common App school. Students need to have a resume that includes a list of composers you consider part of your repertoire, at least one concert or recital program in which your name is highlighted. In addition, you need to include two essays, a list of scholarships and awards, and two private teachers’ names and addresses. There is also an audition which is conducted at Curtis and has a variety of requirements (see their website for more details). There are a series of screening materials that also must be considered and there are some fees associated with the applications as well. SATs are required as well. The deadline for applications is mid December, so if you’re interested you have to move pretty quickly on this.
Why choose Curtis? Its small atmosphere could be a pressure cooker but most of its alumni say it’s not. In fact they say it’s the opposite. Students are supportive of one another, because as one alumna points out, these people will be your colleagues for life. Instead, students motivate each other, challenge each other to perform at their very best, reach for the heights, and outdo what they did yesterday. If you are looking to do this in your life in music, Curtis is definitely for you.
Pros:
- Small, close knit community
- Best music education available
- Completely free to attend
- As real-world as it comes
Cons:
- Not a regular college experience
- No sports
- No Greek Life
- No slacking off ever