Going to The Yale School of Music? Here’s some good news: the Associated Press reports that, thanks to an anonymous $100 million donation, advanced music studies will be tuition-free. (via) The 200-student school was already an elite institution; now you can expect it to be more so. Yale isn’t the only institution to have free tuition; most Juilliard students receive significant aid or full rides, and Curtis is free. Last month, Indiana University followed Yale with $40 million in new money for students.
But what about the rest of American music schools? Thanks to rising costs and dwindling funding, American students in all disciplines are saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in debt. That’s no problem if you’re becoming a brain surgeon, but what about musicians? Reuters reports some are simply giving up. Yet despite these costs, more students are getting higher degrees. Bottom line: amplified financial hardships await America’s musical community, thanks to record debts. (And I expect that applies to more than a few readers here — hello, fellow grad students!) Oh, yeah; I’m still glad I went to CUNY.