Manhattan School of Music

This school boast the 3^rd most prestigious music program in the United States. The private faculty are world-​class performers, and like Juilliard and Curtis, the name itself opens doors. The school has room for improvement in the realm of technology, and like all conservatories, it needs even more focus on post-​graduation career development. The completed dormitory is connected to the school, and provides a safe and convenient living space for domestic and foreign students. More focus on performing experience for the younger opera singers would be a welcome reform as well.

This review is on the MSM Summer Program where anyone can sign up to have music lessons with MSM Graduate Students. I signed up for the summer term and I had 10 weeks of classical guitar lessons with one of their students, Jason Balish. Jason was a great teacher and I had a great experience working with him. He was extremely knowledgeble and very patient. He’s very encouraging and he tailors the lessons to whatever you want to work on. I had some specific pieces I needed help with and wanted to learn and he helped me a lot. Elizabeth Young was the coordinator and she did a fantastic job. She was always around and accessible to help out and answer any questions and she really wanted to make sure that all students had a wonderful learning experience. The caliber of the students here is amazing and it’s great to be able to study with one of them and get insight into advice and tips and guidance from the likes of David Leisner and Mark Delpriora. The only drawback was that it’s a little bit of a trek if you aren’t already on the upper west side. The school is only a few blocks from the 1 train but it was still a bit of a commute at least for me. But otherwise I highly recommend it.