Music Lessons & Music Lesson Awards

Music Lessons

The Department of Music maintains a growing roster of experienced private instructors available to teach University of Chicago students on campus. Our affiliated private instructors hold advanced degrees from such prestigious conservatories as Indiana University, the Juilliard School, the Ryan Opera Center, the Manhattan School of Music, Paris Conservatoire, San Francisco Conservatory, and more. Many of the Performance Program faculty members and all of the Artists-in-Residence affiliated with the Department of Music teach private lessons, in addition to leading the various ensembles and programs.

Student musicians who are active members of the Chamber Music Program, Piano Program, or Vocal Studies Program should be sure to take advantage of the free coaching sessions that are available through their program participation. Guidelines for signing up for these free coachings, as well as quarterly limits for the number of free coachings allowed for each student musician, vary slightly for each program. Consult the program directors for more information.

Some University of Chicago students choose to study with other acclaimed musicians in the Chicago area. If you are interested in finding an appropriate private instructor, you should first ask your ensemble or program director for recommendations. For additional suggestions, please send an inquiry to musiclessons@uchicago.edu. At this time, we are not able to provide private instructor recommendations for beginners.

Music Lesson Awards

Music Department Lesson Awards are grants presented to registered University of Chicago students who are active participants in the Performance Program to help defray the cost of private lessons in applied music. The grants are awarded on the basis of competitive auditions and may be used to cover up to 75% of the total cost of a student's private lessons in the 2023-24 academic year.

Auditions for 2023–24 Music Lesson Awards will be conducted in two stages:

  • Vocal Auditions: Sunday afternoon, October 8
  • Instrumental Auditions (including Piano): Saturday, November 4
    The deadline to register for an Instrumental Lesson Award Audition time is Friday, November 3 at noon. Instrumentalists who wish to perform an audition with the staff accompanist will need to sign up to perform with the staff accompanist by Thursday, November 2 at noon. Please note that there will be no exceptions.

Before scheduling your Music Lesson Award audition, please read the complete details, including important notes about what to include in your application: Music Lessons and Music Lesson Awards information sheet.