Yale University School of Music
An ideal school only for the best
Top Classical, September 2021
Yale University School of Music is one of the 12 professional schools of Yale University in the United States. Founded in 1854, it is the only music school in the Ivy League that has been committed to cultivating world-class musicians for over 100 years. In addition to receiving professional training in music, students are encouraged to participate in the rich intellectual life of Yale University and to develop and pursue interests in areas outside of their majors.
In November 2005, an anonymous donation of $100 million which was later revealed to be from Yale alumnus Stephen Adams endowed full scholarships for all students accepted to the Yale School of Music.
The world-renowned Yale University has cultivated several generations of prominent American leaders and its music school also holds a key position in this field. For more than a century, the Yale School of Music has cultivated generations of world-renowned artists, composers, and prestigious music scholars. The school provides students with a stage to keep up with the times to showcase their talents.
Music schools don’t usually publish admissions statistics, but Yale School of Music is generally assumed to have less than a 1% admit rate. International students currently account for approximately 40% of the total number of students, of which Asian students account for approximately 18%.
In 2020 due to the pandemic situation, the school offered an outstanding support to their students. In a March 31st 2020 a letter to alumni by Dean Robert Blocker outlined an ambitious plan to provide aid, including “a one-time stipend of $500” to all students to assist with travel and expenses; full pay, despite social distancing, for all student employees through May 1st, 2020; and relocation of all international students who could not return home to University housing.
Alumni interviewed were deeply moved by the School’s actions on behalf of students:
“I am proud to know that my alma mater, the Yale School of Music, is taking proactive, compassionate steps to aid its students during the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. By putting its considerable resources to good use – such as housing students, disbursing emergency funds, or paying student employees for cancelled work – the YSM is taking a lead role among its peers in finding a helpful, humane response. This is a wildly scary time for many musicians around the world, and it is heartwarming to see a world-class educational institution stand up and support its artists.”
Students in Yale School of Music are very fortunate. Their admission proved they are the best of the best, and only brilliant performers come out from this historical prestigious institution.