When a high school student says, “I want to study music in college,” that can mean a variety of things. They might want to become a professional classical violinist, write songs, compose film scores, produce records, teach high school band, study music history, work in the music industry, develop new audio technology, or study something completely different while continuing to perform at a high level.

Families often begin by asking whether a student should attend a conservatory or a university. Before deciding where to study music, students should think about how they want to study it and what role they want music to play in their undergraduate experience.