New England Conservatory of Music facts for kids
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| Type | Private music school |
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| Established | February 18, 1867 |
| Endowment | $89.6 million |
| President | Andrea Kalyn |
| Students | 750 |
| Location |
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United States
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| Campus | Urban |
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New England Conservatory of Music
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Jordan Hall
NEC's principal performance space |
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 290 Huntington Ave. Boston, Massachusetts |
| Area | 1 acre (0.4 ha) |
| Built | 1903 |
| Architect | Wheelwright & Haven |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000672 |
| Added to NRHP | May 14, 1980 |
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It's located on Huntington Avenue in an area known as the Avenue of the Arts, close to Boston Symphony Hall. About 750 students study here for their first college degrees or advanced degrees. Another 1,500 students attend its Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education.
NEC offers many types of music degrees. You can study classical music performance (playing instruments or singing), contemporary musical arts, composition, jazz studies, music history, and music theory. For advanced students, there are degrees in collaborative piano, conducting, and musicology. NEC also works with Harvard University and Tufts University to offer special five-year programs where students can earn two degrees. Many NEC teachers and graduates are part of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They have also won many important awards in music around the world.
Contents
History of the Conservatory
How NEC Was Founded (1867)
In 1853, a young music teacher named Eben Tourjée from Rhode Island wanted to start a music school in Boston. He met with important music leaders in the city. They talked about creating a school like the famous ones in Europe. However, his idea was turned down because of the political and economic problems leading up to the American Civil War.
After the Civil War ended, Tourjée tried again in December 1866. He met with Boston's top musicians and supporters. By this time, Tourjée had successfully started three music schools in Rhode Island. He convinced everyone that a music conservatory was still needed. The New England Conservatory officially opened on February 18, 1867. It started with just seven rented rooms above the Boston Music Hall. This original building is now the Orpheum Theater.
Early Years of Growth (1868–1900)
Eben Tourjée became a well-known figure in Boston's music community. He organized the first national meeting for music teachers in 1869. He also helped plan the National Peace Jubilee in Boston, which celebrated the end of the Civil War. For this event, he put together a choir of over 10,000 singers. Three years later, for the World's Peace Jubilee, his choir was even bigger.
NEC quickly became a leading school. It was the first school in the U.S. to offer a course for public school music teachers. One of its teachers, Luther Whiting Mason, was the first to bring music education to Boston Public Schools. He even traveled to Japan to teach Western music education there.
By 1868, the conservatory had grown to 25 rooms and had 1,212 students. Tourjée also worked with Boston University to offer more complete college education for musicians. He became a Dean at the university until he passed away in 1891.
By 1882, NEC needed more space. It moved to the St. James Hotel in Boston's South End. This large building served as both a school and a place for female students to live. The school still needed a concert hall. So, in 1884, NEC bought land next to the hotel. They quickly started building a new hall. With help from generous supporters, Sleeper Hall opened on January 13, 1886. It was used a lot, with many concerts and student performances in its first year.
As NEC grew, its connections to Boston's music scene also became stronger. When the Boston Symphony Orchestra started in 1881, 19 NEC teachers became leaders in the orchestra. These strong ties continue to this day.
The 20th Century at NEC
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Around 1900, George Whitefield Chadwick, a famous composer and teacher, became the head of NEC. During his time, NEC became the school we know today. Chadwick realized the school needed a new building. He chose a spot on Huntington Avenue, which was becoming a cultural hub near the new Symphony Hall. With more donations, especially from Eben Dryer Jordan Jr., construction began in 1901. The Jordan Hall building opened for students in 1902. The concert hall officially opened on October 20, 1903, with a big performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Chadwick also created NEC's first full orchestra and started its first opera program. He changed NEC's focus from casual music lessons to helping students earn college degrees. By 1926, students could earn bachelor's degrees.
Like many schools, NEC saw fewer students during the Great Depression and World War II. But by 1946, enrollment doubled to over 2,300 students. Many of these were soldiers returning from WWII, using the G.I. Bill to get their college degrees.
In the 1950s, under President Harrison Keller, the school changed again. He encouraged students to get degrees, which now included master's degrees. Keller also started an academic studies department and a four-year music theory program. He created the Artist Diploma program for very talented performers. Keller also started the Department of Music for Young People, which is now NEC's Preparatory School. A new student dormitory opened in 1960.
In 1967, composer and conductor Gunther Schuller became President as NEC celebrated its 100th birthday. Schuller made big changes, like Chadwick. In 1969, he started the first fully recognized jazz degree program in the U.S. A few years later, he introduced "Third Stream" studies. This term, created by Schuller, described combining jazz and classical music. This became its own department, now called Contemporary Musical Arts (CMA). The CMA department includes many global music traditions and improvisation. Schuller also helped bring back interest in ragtime music. He formed the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble in 1971. Other changes included a new program for early music and improvements to the music education department. Schuller also started the Community Services department, which now helps connect NEC with the local community.
From 1983 to 1996, famous cellist Laurence Lesser led NEC. During his time, the campus grew with two new buildings for classrooms and offices. Lesser also helped raise money for the big restoration of Jordan Hall in 1994–95. He started the Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) degree and many other advanced degree programs.
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NEC in the 21st Century
Daniel Steiner was NEC's president from 1999 to 2006. He was the only president who was not a musician. His goal was to make NEC a top school like MIT and Harvard. He started a joint-degree program with Harvard and a chamber music program. He also increased financial aid and hired great teachers to attract more students. NEC grew in size and reputation, and Steiner raised $72 million in his last three years.
In 2007, Tony Woodcock became president until 2015. He started programs for Sistema Fellows and Entrepreneurial Musicianship. He also oversaw the start of construction for the Student Life and Performance Center (SLPC). This was the school's first new building since 1960.
In January 2019, Andrea Kalyn became NEC's 17th president and the first woman to hold the position. She immediately focused on increasing diversity. She created the Center for Cultural Equity and Belonging (CEB). This center works to improve fairness, diversity, inclusion, and belonging at the school.
NEC Campus Buildings
Today, the NEC campus has four main buildings. They are located on both sides of Gainsborough Street, between St. Botolph Street and Huntington Avenue.
The main building is often called "the Jordan Hall Building." It holds Jordan Hall and three smaller performance spaces: Williams Hall, Brown Hall, and the Keller Room. It also has the Performance Library, teacher offices, studios, and student practice rooms. At 33 Gainsborough Street is "33 G," which used to be a residence hall. Now it has administrative offices, a mail center, a store called Music Espresso, and more practice rooms. The "St. Botolph Building" at 241 St. Botolph Street has Pierce Hall. It also contains most of the school's classrooms and administrative offices. NEC's newest building, the Student Life and Performance Center (SLPC), opened in 2017. It is now the NEC Residence Hall for students. It also has the Green Room Café, the Blumenthal Family Library, rehearsal spaces, and the Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theater for opera performances.
Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall is NEC's most famous and central performance space. It officially opened in 1903. It was a gift from Eben D. Jordan Jr., whose father co-founded the Jordan Marsh stores. Eben D. Jordan Jr. was also an amateur musician.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed at the dedication concert of Jordan Hall on October 20, 1903. Newspapers at the time called the hall "unequaled the world over." The Boston Globe said it was "a place of entertainment that European musicians who were present that evening say excels in beauty anything of the kind they ever saw." The hall had a major renovation in 1995.
Academics at NEC
Getting into NEC is competitive. Students first submit a recorded video audition, then a live audition. The conservatory offers degrees in many areas. These include orchestral instruments, conducting, piano, jazz studies, contemporary musical arts, opera and vocal performance, composition, music history, and music theory. NEC also offers minors in Liberal Arts and Music Theory, and a focus on Music Technology.
Artist Diploma Program
The Artist Diploma (AD) is the highest performance degree offered at NEC. This program is very selective, with only a few students accepted each year. It usually lasts two years. Students in this program receive a full scholarship for tuition and money for living expenses. They often perform in special concerts and events.
Doctoral Programs
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree (DMA) is a challenging program for performers and scholars. It is for musicians who are excellent in their main area and also good at research and academic work. This degree helps professional musicians gain the knowledge and skills needed for leadership in music and culture.
The DMA degree is offered in many areas. These include solo performance, composition, collaborative piano, chamber music for piano, conducting, jazz performance and composition, contemporary musical arts, and music theory. NEC accepts a small class of 8–12 students each year. This ensures that each student gets a lot of personal attention.
Dual-Degree Programs
NEC offers special five-year programs with Harvard University and Tufts University. These programs allow students who love both music and another subject to study at two top schools.
Tufts/NEC Program
The Tufts/NEC program lets students earn two degrees in five years. They get a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree from Tufts University. They also get a Bachelor of Music degree from NEC. Students in this program study liberal arts, music theory, and musicianship. They also have weekly music lessons and play in ensembles. Getting into this program is very competitive. Both Tufts and NEC first decide on admission separately. Then, NEC makes a second decision for the dual-degree program itself.
Harvard/NEC Program
Students in the Harvard/NEC dual-degree program earn a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard and a Master of Music from NEC over five years. For the first four years, students follow Harvard's Bachelor of Arts curriculum. They also take weekly music lessons at NEC. Students start their Master of Music coursework during their fourth year. They spend their entire fifth year at NEC. Students must be accepted by both Harvard and NEC on their own. After that, they receive a separate decision for admission to the dual-degree program.
Preparatory School
New England Conservatory's Preparatory School is for younger students, from ages 0 to 18. It has over 225 teachers and 1,300 students. NEC Prep offers private lessons, music theory and composition classes, and chamber music. It also has over 35 small and large groups for students to play in. These groups are for different skill levels. NEC Prep also offers classes, groups, and lessons in jazz and Baroque music styles. For very young students (ages 0-6), there is Early Childhood Music Education. This includes Eurhythmics and Suzuki Strings for violin, viola, and cello. These programs help young children learn about music early on and build basic skills for string instruments.
Students at NEC Prep can join the Certificate Program. This program helps students improve their performance skills. They also show what they know in music theory, music history, and solo pieces. There are different certificate levels for each instrument and voice area. Students can move up through these levels each year they attend.
The large music groups include four full orchestras, five string orchestras, three wind ensembles, a Youth Jazz Orchestra, a Youth Brass Ensemble, and three Choral groups. NEC Prep is home to the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (YPO), which is the most selective large ensemble. It also has the Youth Symphony (YS). All large ensembles perform at least twice a year in NEC's Jordan Hall. YPO, YS, and the Sr. Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble are touring groups. They have recently traveled to places like Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Italy, and Central Europe.
The Contemporary Music Festival happens in the spring. It encourages students to explore new music and learn how to perform it. Every year, a composer visits the festival. They work with students in classes and ensembles, and lead special workshops. Student compositions from NEC Prep are performed during the festival. Past visiting composers include Ralph Farris, Pulitzer Prize winner John Harbison, and British Composer Judith Weir. Valerie Coleman will be the visiting composer in February 2023.
NEC Prep also hosts the Summer Orchestra Institute (SOI). This is a two-week program for full symphony orchestra. It's for intermediate to advanced string, brass, wind, and percussion students aged 13 to 18. Activities include orchestra rehearsals, small group rehearsals, chamber music sessions, workshops, and mock auditions. Students also have time to practice on their own. The program ends with two concerts in Jordan Hall.
Notable People from NEC
- For a list of former students, see New England Conservatory alumni.
- For notable teachers, see New England Conservatory past and present teachers.
Diversity at NEC
NEC has always welcomed students of all races. The first African American to earn a diploma from NEC was Rachel M. Washington in 1872. Puerto-Rican pianist Jesus Maria Sanroma received his diploma in 1920. The first Black students to earn bachelor's degrees were Anna Bobbitt (Gardner) and Luther Fuller, both in 1932.
Some famous African American graduates of NEC include Florence Price, Coretta Scott King, J. Rosamond Johnson, Cecil Taylor, and Denyce Graves. Black teachers at NEC have included talented musicians like Jaki Byard, George Russell, and Geri Allen.
NEC has also given honorary degrees to many important artists. These include Roland Hayes (1961), Marian Anderson (1964), Coretta Scott King (1971), Seiji Ozawa (1982), Miles Davis (1986), John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie (1991), Ravi Shankar (1993), Aretha Franklin (1997), Quincy Jones (2010), and Herbie Hancock (2018).
Name of the Institution
Today, the school is known as New England Conservatory. However, in official historical records, like the National Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places, it is listed as "New England Conservatory of Music." These records recognize NEC's main building, which includes Jordan Hall, as a place of historical importance.
See also
- Amy Beach (President, Board of Councilors)
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Boston
- National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Boston, Massachusetts
