Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Music Performance (Instrumental)

Instrumental music performance is the degree route for students who want to play an instrument professionally. Programmes are built around one principal instrument, usually an orchestral or band instrument (strings, woodwind, brass, percussion, harp) or the classical guitar, and train the student as a soloist, chamber musician and ensemble player. Piano and organ are normally grouped separately as keyboard performance.

What students learn

The centre of the course is the weekly individual lesson on the principal instrument, supported by studio classes and public recitals. Around it come chamber music, orchestra or band, music theory and analysis, ear training, music history and repertoire studies. The Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid (RCSMM), for example, states that its orchestral instrument route includes broad training in chamber music and practice in large ensembles such as the symphony orchestra, the symphonic band and the classical orchestra. At the Frost School of Music of the University of Miami, the Bachelor of Music curriculum includes principal instrument lessons with a studio class and recital, chamber music and repertoire and pedagogy courses, and one stated objective is that students can sight-read and prepare performances without assistance.

Qualifications and levels

  • Spain. Performance is studied at a conservatorio superior, within the higher artistic education system rather than at a university. The national rules set four academic years of 60 credits each, 240 credits in total, for every music specialisation. At the RCSMM the Interpretación specialisation for orchestral and band instruments and percussion lasts four years and has 240 ECTS credits, 162 of them practical. Separate routes exist for accordion, guitar, plucked instruments and piano, and for early music instruments.
  • United States. The usual degree is the Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in performance. The University of Miami offers it, and a performer's certificate, in 17 instruments from flute to harp; its bulletin lists 126 to 134 credit hours for the B.M. in Instrumental Performance. Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees follow.
  • Latin America. The Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín lists an eight-semester, on-campus undergraduate programme in Música.

Admission by audition

Entry depends on an audition as well as on school qualifications. In Spain the specific entrance test for Interpretación is taken on the candidate's principal instrument. At the RCSMM it has a written music analysis exercise and an instrumental exercise in which the candidate plays at least three works of different styles, up to 30 minutes in total, and sight-reads a piece; the analysis counts for 20% of the mark and the instrumental exercise for 80%. In the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), applicants are typically required to submit recordings or to audition in person, and sometimes both. Check each school's repertoire list and deadlines well in advance.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 13 active schools for instrumental performance: seven in the United States, two in Colombia and one each in Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia and Argentina. In the United States they include the University of Miami, Temple University in Philadelphia, Butler University in Indianapolis, Florida State University and Stetson University. Temple's Department of Instrumental Studies describes the instrument as the student's primary source for understanding the art of music and communicating it to others. In Colombia the list has the Universidad de Antioquia and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia; in Spain, the RCSMM; in Argentina, the Universidad Nacional de La Plata; in Australia, the University of Melbourne; and in the United Kingdom, London Metropolitan University.

Teaching is in the language of the country, but the audition matters more than a language certificate at many schools. International applicants should ask whether a recorded audition is accepted.

Careers

Graduates work as orchestral and band musicians, chamber musicians, soloists, session and theatre players, and instrumental teachers. Many combine several of these. The BLS notes that musicians audition for positions in orchestras, bands and other groups, and that teaching music in schools typically requires a bachelor's degree and a teaching licence. It counted 170,400 jobs for musicians and singers in the United States in 2025 and projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035, so competition for permanent posts is strong.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an instrumental performance degree take?

Four years in most systems. In Spain the higher music studies have 240 credits over four academic years; the University of Miami lists 126 to 134 credit hours for its Bachelor of Music.

Do I need to pass an audition?

Yes. At the RCSMM candidates play at least three works of different styles and sight-read; US schools typically ask for recordings, a live audition or both.

Which instruments can I study?

It depends on the school. The University of Miami offers 17 instruments, among them flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, percussion, violin, violoncello, guitar and harp.

Is a conservatoire the same as a university music department?

Not in Spain, where performance is taught at conservatorios superiores under the higher artistic education rules. In the United States and Latin America it is usually taught in university schools of music.