Artists — filmmakers, musicians, storytellers — need nurturing. And nurseries. While there is no direct path to finding one’s voice, the right guidance and care can gently shape a mind or sharpen an instinct.
In the world of formal training, music schools are sanctuaries where such growth can happen. To help aspiring musicians and creatives navigate their next step, The Hollywood Reporter India has assembled this directory of music schools in India. While not a ranking in any form or intent, the institutes in this directory offer admissions and accept applications from students looking to find their first footing.
METHODOLOGY
Drawing inspiration from leading university ranking systems such as the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, research firm Past Perfect developed a set of criteria to assess Indian institutions offering programmes in music. The method provided a consistent framework for compiling a comprehensive list of schools for consideration.
Their initial research identified more than 100 institutions across India, which were compared and evaluated. Their assessment considered a range of factors, including the school’s reputation within the industry, the calibre of notable alumni who had studied there, the breadth and frequency of guest lecturers bringing fresh perspectives and industry expertise, the quality of facilities available to students, and, ultimately, the employment prospects and professional opportunities available to graduates.
Following rigorous research and careful consideration of factors, the firm identified the universities that offer the strongest overall opportunities for prospective music students in India.
Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal
Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal (ABGMVM) is an institution dedicated to the promotion and propagation of Indian classical music and dance, with its main Sangeet Vidyalaya in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. It has nearly 1,200 affiliated institutions and around 800 examination centres across the country.
The institution offers courses in vocal and Instrumental music, tabla and pakhawaj, Indian classical dances including Kathak, Bharatanatyam and Odissi, and sangeet sanskar. Its vocal programmes cover ragas, vocal techniques, breath control, improvisation and expression, while tabla and pakhawaj training focuses on technical skills, traditional rhythms and their application in Indian classical music.
Its alumni include Hindustani classical vocalists Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Pandit Madhup Mudgal, Anukriti Sengupta and Pandit Ramrao Nayak.
Angel’s Music Academy
Angel’s Music Academy is a private, career-focused music college in Jaipur, self-described as India’s first AI–VR powered music institute and Rajasthan’s first dedicated centre for opera singing and sound engineering. Rather than hobby-based lessons, it positions itself around structured, industry-aligned training for performers, producers and audio engineers, using AI-enabled learning tools and immersive VR environments alongside conventional studio work. Courses span music technology (production, sound engineering, live sound, immersive audio), singing (Western and Hindustani vocals, playback singing, opera) and instruments.
The campus houses three professional recording studios and a Dolby Atmos lab, VR learning zones, and dedicated jam pads and rehearsal rooms, with small cohort sizes and one-on-one mentorship as core selling points. Signature Open Mic sessions give students regular performance exposure outside the classroom. The academy reports a 100 per cent placement record.
Anurag Dixit’s Musicology
Founded in 2003 by musician Anurag Dixit and educator Manisha Dixit, Musicology has grown from a Noida-based institute into one of India’s more visible music education brands, with both in-person classes at its Sector 62 campus and a large online cohort. The curriculum spans vocals, piano, guitar, drums, music production, songwriting, and composition, structured as certificate courses across skill levels.
Dixit, who also performs and produces under the Musicology banner, leads several of the masterclass tracks himself. Its client roster includes actors Mahima Chaudhry and Delnaaz Irani, alongside families from the UAE, Sweden, and the U.S. learning via its online format. The school has extended its reach through partnerships with schools across India, running in-house training and certification programs, and hosts MITA, an annual talent contest positioned as a discovery platform for young musicians.
Artium Academy
Founded in 2021 by Ashish Joshi, Vivek Raicha and Nithya Sudhir, Artium Academy is an online-first music education platform headquartered in Mumbai, with offline centres in Chennai. Its courses include Hindustani Classical Vocal, film music, ghazal, devotional music, Western vocals, guitar, piano, keyboard and tabla. Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam serves as the academy’s Patron-in-Chief.
Its academic board and faculty heads include musicians and educators such as Shubha Mudgal, KS Chithra, Aruna Sairam, Louiz Banks, Raju Singh, Gino Banks, Aneesh Pradhan and Ananth Vaidyanathan. Students also have access to masterclasses and performance showcases, and can release original music through the academy’s label, Artium Originals.
Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya
In 1926, Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande established a music school in Lucknow. This institution was inaugurated by the then governor of Awadh Sir William Marris and was named after him: ‘Marris College of Music’.
In 2022, it was upgraded into a teaching and affiliating state university, and its name was changed to Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya. The university is now under the government of Uttar Pradesh.
The university offers a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma and doctoral programs in fine arts and related disciplines (music and dance), including vocals, harmonium, tabla, pakhwaj, sarod, guitar, flute, sitar, and the violin. Notable alumni include Naushad, Roshan, Talat Mahmood, Anup Jalota, Neeti Mohan, and Malini Awasthi.
Calcutta School of Music
Established in 1915 by French violinist and conductor Philippe Sandré, the Calcutta School of Music (CSM) is among India’s oldest music institutions, and one of the first to offer Western classical training. Its current curriculum spans Western and Indian classical music, contemporary music, dance, drama and speech. The school is home to the Calcutta Chamber Orchestra and has hosted performances by musicians including Pandit Ravi Shankar, Yehudi Menuhin, Zubin Mehta, Isaac Stern and Mstislav Rostropovich.
Their courses include piano, violin, viola, cello, guitar, flute, saxophone, drum kit, keyboard, Western vocals, choir, contemporary dance, speech and drama, communication skills and junior music classes.
The Indian Music department, inaugurated by Pandit Ravi Shankar in 1975, offers Indian classical vocals at the institution. Students can prepare further for ABRSM (the exam board of the Royal Colleges of Music) and Trinity College London at CSM.
Delhi School of Music
Established in 1966, the Delhi School of Music, established by the Delhi Music Society, teaches Western classical music. It enrols around 1,300 students annually, and provides musical tuitions in instrumental (piano, guitar, violin, cello, clarinet, flute, recorder, saxophone, keyboard, drums) vocal and dance sections.
The school also functions as an examination centre for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, UK, and for Trinity College of Music, London. Several students from the school have gone on for higher musical studies to Moscow, London, New York, Vienna, Prague and Rome.
Global Music Institute
Founded in 2011 with the mission of bringing a distinctive and modern approach to music education to India, Global Music Institute offers innovative programmes that enable young musicians to shape their future in the global music industry.
It promotes cross-cultural musical dialogue and exchange, especially between contemporary and more traditional styles of music through its diverse international faculty and degree pathway programmes with Berklee College of Music in the U.S.A and JMC Academy, Australia. Dhruv Goel and Kamakshi Khanna are notable alumni.
Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya
Established in 1956, Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya (IKSV) is Asia’s first university fully dedicated to various forms of music, dance, fine arts and theatre.
It offers courses (Bachelors/Masters/PhD/short-term) in vocal music (Hindustani/Carnatic), violin (Hindustani/Carnatic), sitar, sarod, tabla, harmonium, flute, guitar, folk music, physics of sound (sound recording and reproduction), light, music and theatre.
The university has three auditoriums, a sound studio and a library with a rich collection of more than 45,000 books, 2,400 plus back volumes of research journals, more than 430 thesis and 40 plus subscribed journals. The library also has a special section for visually challenged users. A notable alumnus of the university is Shekhar Sen, renowned singer, composer, lyricist, actor, and chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Lorraine Music Academy
Founded in October 2009 by Lorraine Fiona Aloysius and Aubrey Aloysius, Lorraine Music Academy has trained over 2,000 students, ranging from children aged four and up to adults, and operates as a fully online music school. Its course offerings span piano, guitar, electronic keyboard, violin, drums, singing (vocal/solo), singing (choral/choir), musical theatre, elocution & public speaking, speech and drama, band performance, and ensemble performance.
Students are assessed through periodic internal exams and are also prepared for international graded examinations conducted by globally accredited bodies, including Trinity College London, the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), UK, RockSchool, UK, and the London College of Music, UK. The academy also runs masterclasses, held both at various venues and online, giving students exposure beyond regular coursework.
KM Music Conservatory
Founded by Oscar-winner and veteran composer A.R. Rahman in 2008, KM Music Conservatory is a music school located in Chennai, offering training in Western and Indian music and audio technology. The institution provides programmes to suit all ages and abilities, ranging from full-time and part-time courses, including foundation, certificate and diploma programmes. KMMCs foundation and diploma programmes are validated by Middlesex University, London. Students who successfully complete the two-year diploma in higher education in music can gain direct entry into the final year of Middlesex University’s BA (Hons) music degree programme.
Pathways from this course also exist to Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and Queensland University of Technology. Their alumni include popular singers Abhay Jodhpurkar, Nikhita Gandhi and Shaswat Singh; and composers Nakul Abhyankar, Siddarth Pandit and Pawan Ch.
Mehli Mehta Music Foundation
Established in 1995, the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation honours conductor-violinist Mehli Mehta, who founded the Bombay Symphony Orchestra and Bombay String Quartet before he relocated abroad, where his son Zubin Mehta went on to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Israel Philharmonic. The foundation carries forward his ambition to build a home for Western classical music training in the city, running programmes from early childhood rhythm classes through structured instrumental and choral instruction, including its Discover Music and Singing Tree initiatives. Outreach is central to its model: it engages over 1,200 students, including more than 900 children from under-resourced communities, through partnerships with local charitable trusts and schools, alongside music therapy programmes for children and adults with special needs.
Beyond teaching, MMMF has brought international names — including Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman and Lang Lang — to perform in Mumbai, anchored by Zubin Mehta’s continued involvement.
Prayag Sangeet Samiti
Prayag Sangeet Samiti, in Prayagraj, was established in 1926 with a view to popularise and teach Indian Classical music amongst the masses in India. The primary objective was to revive the prestige of the art of music comprising vocal music, instrumental music, dance and to organise systematic training in this art in India and also in foreign countries, besides reaching out to people at large. The Samiti played an important role in the revival and popularity of Indian Classical music by organising music competitions and conferences.
The school offers vocal and instrumental long-term diplomas including Sangit Prabhakar & Praveen Sangeetacharya. There are multiple examination centres for the courses in India and abroad (Nepal, UK, USA, Russia).
Among the popular alumni are Pandit Ashok Pandey (tabla), Pandit Channu Lal Mishra (vocal), Pandit Kishan Maharaj (tabla), Kamla Bose (vocal), Jagjit Singh (vocal), Malini Awasthi (vocal) and Ravindra Jain (music director).
Shankar Mahadevan Academy (Online)
Founded in 2010 by playback singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan and technology entrepreneur Sridhar Ranganathan, the Shankar Mahadevan Academy was among the first platforms to move Indian classical music training fully online. Its curriculum runs on a milestone-based structure spanning beginner to master levels, taught by faculty trained and certified in its own pedagogy, with more than half a million classes delivered over 15 years.
Courses cover Hindustani and Carnatic vocals, film and playback singing, guitar, piano, and keyboard, alongside dedicated children’s programmes. Students join from over 34 countries across 18 time zones, with classes scheduled around the clock to accommodate them. Beyond individual instruction, the academy runs performance touchpoints — Milan 360, Recitals, Sangam, and Prayag — where students showcase progress and interact with music legends, alongside newer peer community initiatives called SMA Chapters.
Spardha School Of Music (Online)
Spardha School of Music is an online music education platform founded by Saurabh and Amrita. The school has taught more than 40,000 online learners in more than 16 countries, with over 800 teachers.
Courses offered include piano, guitar, electronic keyboard, ukulele, violin, flute, and tabla; vocal training in Bollywood, Western, Hindustani, and Carnatic styles, as well as Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada film music singing; and dance instruction in Bharatanatyam, Bollywood, and Kathak. The school is equipped to train students for graded exam boards including Rock School, UK (RSL), Trinity Music London, the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, UK, alongside its own in-house certification, Spardha School of Music, India.
Spardha also conducts an online competition called ‘Spardha School Idol’ described as India’s biggest music and dance competition for school students from classes one to 10, with 18 categories across music and dance.
Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music
Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM) is a residential contemporary music school located in Chennai. The academy provides a style of training that blends traditional Indian gurukul-based classical music learning with Western music education models.
The academy offers diplomas, certifications and foundational courses in music performance, audio engineering, and music technology to prepare students for careers as performing or session musicians, arrangers, songwriters, composers, producers, engineers, and teachers. Courses offered include a diploma & advanced diploma in music performance, diploma in audio engineering & music technology, combined emphasis program, certificate in music performance, and foundation in music performance.
Since its inception in 2010, the academy has had around 80 musicians teach in the diploma programme. The academy’s faculty includes composers of Oscar-winning films, Grammy Award nominees, MacArthur Fellows and other renowned musicians. Alumni include playback singer Alyssa Mendonsa, saxophonist Ryan Sadri, drummer Manukrishnan, film editor and music composer Aalok Padhye, music producer, composer and drummer Jehangir Jehangir, guitarist Tanmay Bhattacherjee, and singer-songwriter and guitarist Takar Nabam.
The academy is affiliated with the Australian Institute of Music, Los Angeles College of Music, Singapore Raffles Music College, and Leeds Conservatoire for international credit transfers.
The Music Academy
The Music Academy is a landmark institution in the history of fine arts. It emerged as an offshoot of the All India Congress Session held in Madras in December 1927. A music conference was held along with it, and during the deliberations, the idea of an academy for music emerged. Inaugurated in 1928 at the YMCA Auditorium, Esplanade, it was conceived to be the institution that would set the standard for Carnatic music.
In 1929, it began the practice of hosting annual conferences on music, which in turn spawned the popular December music festival of Madras. Its Advanced School of Carnatic Music offers an Advanced Diploma in Carnatic Music (Vocal), a three-year course. The academy also provides part-time vocal and instrumental classes.
The Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University
The Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University was established by the chief minister of Tamil Nadu to preserve, foster, popularise, and promote the traditional systems of Indian music, performing arts, and fine arts practised in Tamil Nadu.
The university is said to be the first institution of its kind in India to bring together music, fine arts, performing arts, film, theatre, and sculpture under one university. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thiru C. Joseph Vijay serves as Chancellor, and Thiru Rajmohan, the Minister for School Education, Tamil Development, Information and Publicity, serves as Pro-Chancellor. The university offers postgraduate courses — M.A and M.F.A — in vocal, veena, violin, mridangam, nagaswaram, and Bharatanatyam, painting and visual communication design.