The world needs music now more than ever. At Longy, we prepare students to become exceptional musicians who can engage new audiences; teach anyone, anywhere; and use artistry to change lives in communities around the world. Longy is a degree-granting conservatory in Cambridge, MA with an additional campus in Los Angeles, CA. We offer a full spectrum of performance, composition, and teaching programs, including a new Master of Music in Music Education (Cambridge) and a Master of Arts in Teaching (Los Angeles), the nation’s first one-year, El Sistema-inspired degree programs. We’ve turned graduate education on its head with our innovative Catalyst Curriculum, which pairs musical excellence with the skills needed to become a professional musician in a rapidly changing musical landscape. At Longy, you will discover many paths to make a meaningful life in music. Join us and become the musician the world needs you to be. |
Undergraduate | |
Bachelor of Music (through Emerson College) | Through an arrangement with Emerson College, students enrolled in Longy’s Undergraduate Diploma program may simultaneously pursue the Bachelor of Music degree at Emerson College in Boston. In addition to completing all requirements for the Undergraduate Diploma at Longy, students complete Emerson’s general education curriculum. Students who enroll in the program will be able to utilize resources (e.g. library, alumni network, career services) provided by both institutions. |
Undergraduate Diploma | The Undergraduate Diploma is a three-year course of musical study, providing thorough, rigorous, and comprehensive training for talented performers and composers. Undergraduates often work alongside graduate students in ensembles and performance and repertory courses. |
Graduate. | |
Master of Music | Students in the two-year Master of Music program develop broad musical expertise while pursuing an intensive curriculum in their major area of study. Master’s candidates take part in the Teaching Artist Program, Portfolio Project, and must take a course in improvisation (to be selected from a list of classes that satisfy this requirement). Master’s candidates must also demonstrate proficiency in music theory, music history, and piano skills, passing proficiency examinations or review courses in each of these areas before graduation. With the exception of the Composition, Dalcroze, and Opera departments, the first year of study concludes with a recital, at which students must demonstrate satisfactory progress in the major instrument; the second year culminates in a final degree recital. Composition students undergo a portfolio review at the end of both the first and second year of study. |
Graduate Diploma in Composition | This program allows graduate-level composers to focus intensively on composition. Each of four semesters includes individual instruction and appropriate performance opportunities. The first year concludes with a portfolio review. |
Graduate Performance Diploma | This program allows graduate-level pianists, singers, and instrumentalists to focus intensively on performance. Each of four semesters includes individual instruction and appropriate performance opportunities. The single school-wide requirement for Graduate Performance Diploma candidates is the Teaching Artist Program. For students in all departments except Opera, the first year concludes with a recital, at which students must demonstrate satisfactory progress in the major instrument; the second year culminates in a final diploma recital. |
Artist Diploma | The Artist Diploma is Longy’s highest performance credential. Offering full-tuition remission, admission is offered to exceptionally gifted performers who show outstanding promise for a professional career in music. |
Certified Music Practitioner | Are you a musician with a compassionate heart ready to learn how to use your gifts as a form of palliative and therapeutic comfort care? This summer, Longy is delighted to collaborate with the Music for Healing and Transition ProgramTM, Inc. to offer an intensive, scientifically-based summer institute, through which musicians can become Certified Music Practitioners® (CMPs)TM. Students gain in-person experience with teachers and medical professionals in the historic, cosmopolitan, and intellectually stimulating City of Cambridge—right across the river from Boston |
Dalcroze Certificate and License | These internationally recognized credentials are offered by special arrangement with the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze of Geneva, Switzerland. They are awarded by examination after intensive study of eurhythmics, solfège, improvisation, and Dalcroze pedagogy. |
Master the Art of Teaching | |
Master of Music in Music Education (MM/ME) | Practicums include working with at-risk and underserved youth in Longy’s Sistema Side- by-Side program, Greater-Boston area public schools, and numerous El Sistema-inspired sites across the state. |
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) | Practicums include community nonprofits |
such as Street Symphony, Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA), the L.A. Unified School District, or Chula Vista School District in Greater San Diego. |
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International students