The Juilliard School

What is the history of The Juilliard School?

The Juilliard School began in New York City in 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art, established to provide professional music training in the United States. Its present-day identity grew from the combination of that institute and the Juilliard Graduate School, founded in 1924 with support from the estate of textile merchant Augustus D. Juilliard.

The two schools merged in 1926, and the institution adopted the Juilliard School name in 1946. Juilliard subsequently expanded beyond music: its Dance Division opened in 1951, and its Drama Division followed in 1968. The school moved to its current Lincoln Center location in 1969. Those developments explain why a school founded for musicians now trains dancers and actors alongside them.

What are the faculties and departments at The Juilliard School?

Juilliard organizes its principal degree-granting training around three divisions: Dance, Drama, and Music. It is a specialized performing-arts conservatory, not a university with a broad selection of unrelated majors.

Music students pursue fields such as instrumental performance, voice, composition, and conducting, with instruction organized around their disciplines and ensembles. Dance combines technique, choreography, and performance. Drama centers on actor training and production. Depending on the program, Juilliard awards undergraduate and graduate degrees; it also offers certain nondegree credentials. Applicants should check the credential and curriculum for their particular discipline rather than assume every division offers the same degree options.

Performance is built into academic life through concerts, recitals, productions, and rehearsals. That structure can be a good fit for students seeking intensive artistic training, but it leaves less room for the range of majors available at a comprehensive university.

What is the location of The Juilliard School?

Juilliard is at Lincoln Center on Manhattan's Upper West Side in New York City. Its urban setting places classrooms, rehearsal facilities, and performance spaces near other arts organizations, while making city transportation and living expenses part of the practical enrollment decision.

The campus is accessible by New York City subway and bus, and students may commute from elsewhere in the city or surrounding region. Public transportation is generally more practical than keeping a car near campus; first-year students are not permitted to register or park a car on campus. For air travel, LaGuardia is one nearby airport, though the most convenient airport depends on a traveler's route and ground transportation.

What is the mission and vision of The Juilliard School?

Juilliard states that its mission is to educate and train performing artists in music, dance, and drama, supporting their development as artists and engaged members of society. Its educational approach places sustained practice, close instruction, collaboration, and public performance alongside classroom study.

That stated purpose is more specific than a general liberal-arts mission. Prospective students should expect an education organized substantially around their artistic discipline. The mission describes Juilliard's priorities; it is not, by itself, evidence that every student will have the same educational or career experience.