Learning about music goes way beyond picking up an instrument or learning how to sing. There are many different elements to the field such as music theory, music business, music technology, and musical history. Music also intersects with several other fields like psychology or game design. If you’re a high schooler interested in pursuing music, you should consider applying for a music program for high school students.
By participating in a structured music program, you get the opportunity to explore these different areas and elements of music. You will also gain in-depth knowledge about music and leave the program with enhanced skills, which could go a long way when the time for college applications rolls around.
These programs are entirely free of cost and come with a flexible schedule, allowing you to learn and grow your knowledge at your own pace. Here are 8 free online music programs for high school students!
1. Berklee’s Massive Open Online Courses
Cost: Free
Program dates: Self-paced
Application deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Open to everyone
Berklee College of Music’s Massive Open Online Courses are a set of over 40 free, online music courses available on platforms like Coursera, edX, and Kadenze. The courses involve video demonstrations and cover topics in the fields of music technology, music theory, ear training, music business, music therapy, performance, and songwriting. Through these lessons, you will have the opportunity to learn from Berklee’s faculty and professionals like music producers, songwriters, entertainment lawyers, and more.
2. Ableton’s Learning Music
Cost: Free
Program dates: Self-paced
Application deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Open to everyone
Ableton, a German music software company, offers this music learning module for free on its website. The module is meant for beginners in the field and will teach you how to develop a song electronically. There are 10 chapters, each of which covers a fundamental topic in music composition, such as beats, basslines, chords, melodies, song structure, and scales. It also includes a playground section where you can put everything you’ve learned into practice and create and download your own song.
3. Horizon’s Academic Research Program (HARP)
Cost: $5950; However, full financial aid is available
Program dates:
- Summer seminar – June 24 – September 2
- Fall seminar – October 23 – February 19
- Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance.
Application deadline: February 16 for the spring cohort
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
The Horizon Academic Research Program offers high school students the opportunity to develop an independent research project. As a participant, you will conduct in-depth research in a specialized field, under 1-on-1 guidance from a mentor.
There are a number of research areas available, and you can choose a music-related topic to study. At the end of the program, you will have a 20-page, university-level research paper and a comprehensive understanding of the field as well. You can apply for the program here!
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Cost: Full financial aid is available
Program dates: The summer cohort runs from June to August, the Fall cohort from September to December, the Winter cohort from December to February, Spring from March to June
Application deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Eligibility:
- You must be currently enrolled in high school
- Students must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement. (Note: students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
- No previous knowledge of your field of interest is required!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program for high school students who want to work on an independent research project. The program gives you the opportunity to work 1-on-1 with a PhD mentor and gain in-depth knowledge in your choice of research area.
There are several topics availabl,e and you can choose a music-adjacent topic for your project. This is a good option to explore fields like music theory, music, cognition, music technology, or music therapy. Here are some more details about the application.
5. Stanford’s Online Courses
Cost: Free
Program dates: Self-paced
Application deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Anyone can access this module
Stanford University offers a set of free, online courses to promote learning and knowledge to the general public. The vast catalog has several music courses to choose from. However, instead of covering the basics of the field, these courses cover highly specific topics like “Online Jamming and Concert Technology”, “Physics-Based Sound Synthesis for Games”, “The New World of Arnold Schönberg’s Piano Music”, “Defining the String Quartet II: Beethoven”, and more.
These are virtual, self-paced courses that offer the opportunity to learn from Stanford instructors and industry experts.
6. Harvard University’s Online Courses
Cost: Free
Program dates: Courses range from 3-week to 7-week courses
Application deadline: Differs from course to course
Eligibility: Anyone can sign up
Harvard University’s Professional and Lifelong Learning website offers in-person, blended, and online courses that provide flexible learning opportunities. The catalog does have a few music-related courses such as “18th-Century Opera: Handel & Mozart” which explores Baroque and classical opera like Handel’s “Giulio Cesare” and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”.
Another option is “19th-Century Opera: Meyerbeer, Wagner, and Verdi,” which studies three operas from the 1800s: Les Huguenots, Das Rheingold, and Otello. In these courses, you will learn from Harvard faculty and spend about 3-5 hours per week completing them.
7. Yale University’s Online Course – Introduction to Classical Music
Cost: Free
Program dates: Self-paced
Application deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Anyone can sign up
Yale University’s online Introduction to Classical Music is an online, self-paced course taught by Craig Wright, a Yale University professor. The course is designed to introduce beginner students to classical music, covering the historical eras of music from baroque, classical, and romantic to the modern era.
You will also explore how music works, studying its components and looking at how culture or physics can affect it. The course consists of 9 modules, and you will learn about them through videos, readings, and assignments. You will spend approximately 65 hours, on your own time and schedule, completing the course.
8. California Institute of the Arts’ Online Course – Approaching Music Theory
Cost: Free
Program dates: Self-paced
Application deadline: Open enrolment
Eligibility: Anyone can sign up
“Approaching Music Theory: Melodic Forms and Simple Harmony” is a free, online course offered by the California Institute of the Arts. It explores the relationship between music’s technical and aesthetic details and is aimed at students with a basic understanding of music theory.
You will study melody, harmonic function, and how music is influenced by culture, psychology, physics, and a sense of play. You will then practice these concepts by writing your own music and exploring different music styles. This course has 5 modules and should take about 22 hours to complete.
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