If you’re a high school student looking to deepen your understanding of music, online music programs can be a great way to build your skills and explore new areas of the field. These programs offer structured courses in music theory, performance, composition, and production, all taught by experienced instructors.
You can develop skills like sight-reading, digital audio editing, and music arrangement through these programs. Some courses focus on mastering software like Logic Pro or Ableton, while others emphasize live performance techniques or songwriting. You’ll also learn how to analyze musical pieces, understand different genres, and experiment with your sound.
Whether you’re an instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, or someone interested in digital music production, there’s a program that can help you grow. Here’s our list of 10 online music programs for high school students.
11 Online Music Programs for High School Students
1. Electronic Music Production Specialization, Coursera and Berklee
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/Duration: Approximately 18 weeks, with 10 hours per week (Flexible start date)
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Cost: Free
Eligibility: Basic knowledge of musical concepts required, but no prior electronic music experience needed.
The Electronic Music Production Specialization, offered by Berklee College of Music in partnership with Coursera, introduces you to sound design, digital audio workstations, and professional mixing techniques. You’ll develop technical skills in recording, editing, and producing music while understanding the science behind sound and its digital manipulation.
The curriculum includes hands-on learning with industry-standard software like Ableton Live. You’ll gain experience in MIDI sequencing, audio synthesis, and vocal production. You’ll also learn how to apply effects like equalization and compression, integrate synthesized sounds, and mix tracks to create professional-quality compositions.
2. Getting Started With Music Theory | Coursera and Michigan State University
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/Duration: 1 month, 10 hours per week (Flexible start date)
Application Deadline: Flexible
Cost: Free
Eligibility: All high school students can apply!
Getting Started With Music Theory is an online course offered by Michigan State University through Coursera. It’s designed for those with little or no prior experience in music theory, providing a clear introduction to essential concepts like pitch, rhythm, meter, scales, keys, harmony, and chord structures.
In this course, you’ll learn how to read and write music in treble and bass clefs, notate rhythms accurately, and analyze harmonic progressions. The lessons cover tonality, notation, and diatonic and chromatic intervals, followed by rhythm, meter, and syncopation. The course concludes with a focus on chords, triads, and harmonic structures.
3. Ukulele for Beginners | Interlochen Center for the Arts
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/Duration: March 24 – April 20
Application Deadline: Not specified; please contact the organizers for confirmation
Cost: $299
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–12
Interlochen Center for the Arts offers this online course as a structured introduction to ukulele playing, focusing on essential techniques like finger positioning, hand coordination, and rhythm. You will learn to hold and tune the ukulele, play common chord progressions, and develop strumming and fingerpicking skills.
The course also covers reading TAB notation, helping you play a range of songs. Through familiar and original compositions, you will build technical skills and explore musical creativity, gaining the tools to expand your playing ability and develop your style.
4. Classical Piano: How to Play Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor | Interlochen Online
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/Duration: April 28 – May 25
Application Deadline: Based on previous programs, applications may close 1-2 weeks before the start date; please confirm with the provider.
Cost: $299
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-12 who have completed “Piano Basics 1” or equivalent; access to a minimum 61-key keyboard/piano required.
This four-week online course by Interlochen Center for the Arts focuses on mastering Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor, enhancing both technical fluency and expressive interpretation. You will analyze chord progressions, identify patterns, and develop efficient practice strategies. The course breaks down right-hand passages and trains the left hand to navigate chord progressions with ease.
In addition to technique, the course explores the historical and cultural context of Chopin’s work, emphasizing the Romantic Period’s focus on emotional depth. By the end, you will be able to perform the prelude with precision and expression and apply the skills learned to a broader piano repertoire.
5. Flute Methods 1 | Interlochen Online
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/Duration: March 24 – April 20
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: Free
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-12 who can read and play all the notes on the flute in treble clef and read/play basic rhythms
Offered by the Interlochen Center for the Arts, this four-week online course helps refine your flute performance. You will focus on tone development, technical exercises, intonation, and creative improvisation. The course covers scales and arpeggios, aiming for consistency and precision while addressing vibrato control and intonation challenges.
You will also explore improvisation techniques to expand your musical creativity. By the end of the course, you will have structured practice routines that improve your performance and overall musicianship.
6. Intimacy of Creativity: Entering the Minds of Composers | Coursera and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/Duration: 5 hours to complete – 3 weeks at 1 hour per week
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: $49 per year
Eligibility: All high school students can apply!
“Intimacy of Creativity: Entering the Minds of Composers,” offered by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on Coursera, takes you through the creative process behind music composition. You will analyze Brahms’s Intermezzo, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, and Bright Sheng’s Four Movements for Piano Trio, gaining insight into melody, harmony, and formal structure.
The course explores how composers develop and refine musical ideas, offering a structured approach to understanding composition. It is designed for beginners and provides a deeper appreciation of music from a composer’s perspective.
7. The Technology of Music Production | Coursera and Berklee
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/Duration: Flexible schedule – Approx. 17 hours
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: Free
Eligibility: All high school students can apply!
The Technology of Music Production, offered by Berklee on Coursera, provides a foundational understanding of sound and music production tools. You will learn about the nature of sound, its properties, and how it travels, followed by an introduction to digital audio workstations (DAWs). The course covers key audio editing techniques such as trimming, fades, and merging, and teaches you how to use mixing boards to control volume, pan, mute, solo, and effects routing.
You’ll also explore sound processing techniques like equalization, delay, and dynamic effects, and understand synthesis and the role of filters in shaping sound. By the end of the course, you’ll have practical knowledge for recording, editing, and processing audio for music production.
8. How to Play Guitar Specialization [4 courses] Berklee and Coursera
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/Duration: 4 weeks, 10 hours per week
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: Free
Eligibility: All high school students can apply!
How to Play Guitar, offered by Berklee on Coursera, provides a structured approach to building fundamental guitar skills. You will learn to read music notation, tablature, and chord diagrams while practicing techniques like picking, fingerpicking, and strumming. The course covers major and minor triads, open and barre chords, and moveable scales, helping you develop rhythm and melody skills.
As you progress, you’ll explore chord voicings, arpeggios, and ensemble playing, and learn to construct triads, seventh chords, and chord progressions up the neck. By the end of the program, you’ll have a strong foundation in guitar techniques and the ability to interpret and perform music using lead sheets and various accompaniment styles.
9. Piano Techniques for Modern Music | Coursera and Berklee
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/ Duration: 11 hours to complete, or 3 weeks at 3.5 hours per week
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: Free
Eligibility: All high school students can apply!
Piano Techniques for Modern Music, offered by Berklee on Coursera, focuses on developing solid piano techniques tailored for contemporary music. You will begin with foundational skills such as posture, finger placement, and breathing techniques to build strength and flexibility. The course emphasizes finger independence, hand coordination, and dynamic control, allowing for more precise and expressive playing.
Exercises using popular music examples will help you apply these techniques in real-world settings. As you progress, you will explore common chord progressions, hand movement strategies, and pedaling techniques, while practicing improvisation and ensemble playing. By the end of the course, you will be equipped with the skills needed to perform with confidence, both solo and in group settings.
10. Fundamentals of Music Theory Coursera – University of Edinburgh
Location: Virtual
Program Dates/ Duration: Approximately 65 hours to complete, or 3 weeks at 21 hours per week
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: Free
Eligibility: Beginner level, some experience is recommended.
Offered by the University of Edinburgh in partnership with Coursera, Fundamentals of Music Theory provides a comprehensive foundation in Western music notation. The course covers key aspects of music theory, including pitches, scales, intervals, rhythm, harmony, and musical forms. You will learn how to read and write music, analyze musical structures, and understand the principles of rhythm and harmony, progressing from basic to more advanced topics such as harmonic analysis and chord inversions.
11. Lumiere Research Scholar Program – Music/Art/History track
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can find more details about the application here.
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like music, writing, and media, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source – Berklee College of Music logo
