Music Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 61 music programs for high school students. Of these, 14 are free to participate in and 12 offer virtual participation. Examples include ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards, ASCAP Foundation Leiber & Stoller Scholarship for Songwriters, and Aspen Music Festival and School - High School Division.
- 61
- listed
- 14
- free
- 12
- virtual
- 53
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are music programs for high school students?
- Music Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in music. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- When are the application deadlines?
- 53 of the 61 programs listed here have a specific deadline month noted. Deadlines vary by program, so check each listing for exact dates.
- Are any of these programs free?
- Yes — 14 of the 61 programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 12 of the 61 programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are music programs good for a college application?
- Yes — music programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in music on college applications.
Related Categories
61 activities found·Browse by category
ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards
Juried national competition recognizing emerging jazz composers ages 13-30 with cash awards, judged on an original score and recording submission.
ASCAP Foundation Leiber & Stoller Scholarship for Songwriters
A national songwriting scholarship for college-bound high school seniors who submit their best original song, awarding $2,500 renewable annually for up to four years of college.
Aspen Music Festival and School - High School Division
One of the most selective summer classical music programs in the country, giving roughly 40-50 accepted high schoolers five weeks of private lessons, chamber coaching, and orchestral performance in Aspen, Colorado.
Bands of America Grand National Championships
America's premier national marching band championship, presented by Music for All at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Open to all high school marching bands, scored 60% music and 40% visual.
Bay Area Music Project
Nonprofit music program offering ensemble-based instruction and performance opportunities for youth, focusing on orchestral and collaborative music in the Bay Area.
Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival (BAYOF)
Annual festival bringing together top regional youth orchestras (including SFSYO, Young People's Symphony Orchestra, etc.) for a combined concert at Davies Symphony Hall.
Berklee Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive
A five-week pre-college summer performance program at Berklee College of Music in Boston for musicians 15 and older, with private lessons, ensemble playing, and elective tracks in production, songwriting, and music business.
BMI Student Composer Awards
A prestigious annual classical music composition competition run by the BMI Foundation, open to student composers under 28, with $20,000 in total awards and a ceremony in New York City.
Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)
An elite summer classical music training program in Lenox, Massachusetts, offering two-week workshops and longer sessions for instrumentalists, singers, and composers ages 14-20 near the Tanglewood Music Festival.
Brevard Music Center High School Programs
Residential summer training at Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, with multi-week tracks for high schoolers in orchestral studies, musical theater, and classical voice alongside guest artists from major orchestras.
California Alliance for Jazz – BAM Scholarship
Scholarship for young Black American jazz musicians residing in California, supporting private lessons or music programs; awards range from $500-$1,000.
California Youth Symphony
Auditioned Bay Area youth orchestra program; members rehearse weekly across multiple ensembles (Senior Orchestra, Wind Symphony, etc.) and attend required summer camp.
CASMEC / California All-State Honor Ensembles
Top student musicians statewide, selected via regional auditions, rehearse 3 days under nationally recognized conductors and perform in All-State Band, Orchestra, or Choir.
Cazadero Performing Arts Camp
Residential summer music camp in the redwoods of Sonoma County with concert band, orchestra, jazz, and chamber music for ages 10-18.
Colorado All-State Choir (CMEA)
Audition-based statewide honor choir organized by the Colorado Music Educators Association. Selected high school singers rehearse and perform with renowned guest conductors. 2026 event held February 5-7 with auditions at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Students must be enrolled in a high school choral program and sponsored by a CMEA-member director.
Colorado All-State Jazz Choir (CMEA)
Statewide jazz vocal honor ensemble for 11th and 12th graders, with three groups (Treble SSAA, Mixed SATB, and Tenor-Bass) of 16 students each selected via a three-step audition. Selected singers rehearse and perform in January at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs during the CMEA Conference, working with nationally and internationally recognized vocal jazz artists.
Colorado Youth Symphony (CYSO)
Audition-based youth symphony in the Denver metro area with three orchestras (Philharmonia, Sinfonia, Symphony Orchestra) and a Wind Ensemble for school-age musicians. Rehearsals are Monday evenings beginning mid-September at Colorado's Finest High School of Choice in Englewood. Auditions are submitted as 2-3 minute videos. Payment plans and financial aid available.
DownBeat Student Music Awards
A national jazz-education honor from DownBeat magazine open to junior high, high school, and college entries. Students submit instrumental/vocal recordings across performance, composition, arranging, and engineering categories.
Essentially Ellington
National high school big-band jazz competition/festival from Jazz at Lincoln Center. Directors submit recordings of transcribed Ellington and jazz arrangements, and top bands are invited to New York to compete at Frederick P. Rose Hall each May.
From the Top
Nonprofit known for its NPR/PBS programs showcasing pre-collegiate classical musicians ages 8-18, including instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers, who perform and share their stories to a national radio audience along with scholarships.
Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Scholarship
National competition for high school seniors and first-year college students intending to make music central in their future; awards up to $3,000.
GRAMMY Camp
A week-long, non-residential music industry intensive run by the GRAMMY Museum in multiple U.S. cities, letting high schoolers train with Grammy-winning professionals in tracks like music production, performance, and music business.
GRAMMY Camp – Los Angeles
A seven-day, non-residential music industry intensive run by the GRAMMY Museum Foundation at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. High schoolers with existing skills apply to a Music Production track (plus Songwriting, Performance, or Music Business) and work with industry professionals on real recording projects.
GRAMMY Museum Songwriting Sessions
A free five-day non-residential songwriting workshop for currently enrolled high schoolers, hosted by the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. Students build foundational songwriting, production, and music-business skills through hands-on sessions led by music industry professionals.
iD Tech – Digital Music and Beats
A live, virtual private-lesson course from iD Tech where teens (ages 10-19) learn beat-making and digital music production software one-on-one with an instructor from home, a flexible remote option for students who can't attend an in-person studio program.
Idyllwild Arts Summer Program
A summer arts program on a mountain campus in Southern California offering 120+ workshops and intensives for teens ages 13-18 in visual arts, music, theatre, dance, film, and creative writing.
Interlochen Arts Camp - High School Programs
A renowned residential summer arts camp in Michigan where high schoolers train intensively in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film, or creative writing alongside a community of thousands of young artists.
Interlochen Arts Camp – Music Production & Engineering
A three-week residential program at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan where high schoolers (grades 9-12) record, mix, and produce music in professional studios using Pro Tools and Logic Pro, working on live recording sessions with expert faculty.
Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award
Prestigious national award for pre-college classical musicians, providing up to $10,000 for music education and a chance to appear on From the Top.
Jazzschool Youth Programs – California Jazz Conservatory
Year-round youth ensembles, teen vocal performance, and summer camps at the California Jazz Conservatory for middle and high school students.
Juilliard Pre-College
A Saturday conservatory-style program at the Juilliard School for musicians ages 8-18, combining private lessons, chamber music, theory, and large ensembles with faculty who also teach in Juilliard's college division.
Kinhaven Music School Senior Session
A six-week residential summer chamber music program in Vermont for about 90 elite high-school-aged musicians, emphasizing collaborative, non-competitive orchestral and chamber playing plus optional composition study.
Manhattan School of Music Precollege
A Saturday pre-conservatory program in New York City for musicians ages 8-18 offering classical or jazz tracks with weekly private lessons, theory, ear training, and ensembles, admission by audition.
Meadowmount School of Music
A seven-week summer intensive for young violinists, violists, and cellists in the Adirondacks, founded by legendary teacher Ivan Galamian, combining rigorous private practice with weekly lessons and chamber coaching.
MTNA Student Competitions
Among the most prestigious student music competitions in the U.S., with three-tiered state, division, and national finals Performance Competitions (piano, strings, brass, woodwind, voice) plus Composition and Chamber Music competitions, Senior division ages 15-18.
Music Center Spotlight Awards
Large Southern California performing arts competition and training program with $100,000+ in scholarships across categories, including music.
Music Production Boot Camp (Music for All)
A hands-on residential music production camp at Ball State University where high schoolers learn Pro Tools, Ableton, professional recording sessions, and game-audio design in a 10,000-square-foot studio facility, run by the nonprofit Music for All.
NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles
The top national honor ensembles for high school musicians, run by the National Association for Music Education, including concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed choir, jazz ensemble, guitar ensemble, and modern band, culminating in performances at the NAfME National Convention.
NAfME Music Scholarships & Grants
Curated list of current music scholarships and competitions with regularly updated info for high school and college students.
National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festivals
Annual noncompetitive performance festivals run by the National Federation of Music Clubs, where student musicians perform memorized pieces for a judge and earn ratings and recognition toward national awards.
National Piano Playing Auditions (Piano Guild)
Noncompetitive national piano evaluations run by the American College of Musicians at hundreds of audition centers nationwide, giving students of any level yearly performance goals, feedback, and recognition.
National YoungArts Foundation National Arts Competition
A prestigious national competition for artists ages 15-18 across ten disciplines including visual arts, design, film, jazz, photography, classical music, theater, dance, and voice, with cash awards and mentorship for winners.
National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYO-USA)
Carnegie Hall's free, highly selective summer orchestra program for musicians ages 16-19, who complete a multi-week residency with professional musicians and then perform on an international tour.
Next Generation Jazz Orchestra (Monterey Jazz Festival)
Top HS jazz musicians nationwide, chosen via blind audition, rehearse under a GRAMMY-nominated director and perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival mainstage.
NFMC Junior Festivals
National Federation of Music Clubs annual Junior Festivals give young musicians (18 and under) a yearly performance evaluation, plus competitions/awards in voice, instrumental, and composition, awarding over $750,000 annually.
North Carolina Governor's School
The nation's oldest statewide residential summer program for gifted and talented students, offering rising juniors and seniors intensive study across the arts alongside academic disciplines at no cost to families.
San Francisco Community Music Center – Summer Music Camps
Multiple week-long day camps (Latin jazz, chamber, vocal, musical theater, etc.) for youth ages 8-18 at CMC's Mission District campus in San Francisco.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music – Vocal Academy
Intensive summer vocal program for high school students at SFCM, with private lessons, masterclasses, diction, and performance opportunities.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Academy
Serious young musicians take private lessons, musicianship classes, and ensemble training on Saturdays year-round, building conservatory-level skills.
San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra
Bay Area HS musicians audition for a seat in this pre-professional training orchestra, rehearsing under professional conductors and performing at Davies Symphony Hall.
San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO)
Highly competitive full symphony orchestra for advanced young musicians (12-20) from the greater Bay Area, rehearsing and performing at Davies Symphony Hall.
School of Rock Berkeley – Performance & Summer Camps
Band-based rock/pop performance program and summer camps where students rehearse in groups and perform live shows.
SFJAZZ High School All-Stars
Audition-based jazz training program at SFJAZZ in San Francisco that selects 20-25 of the Bay Area's top young jazz musicians for the All-Stars Big Band and Combo each year. Members rehearse weekly with professional jazz educators and perform at SFJAZZ Center venues. Tuition is $500 per ensemble (with discount for both); need-based scholarships available. Audition video due in July.
South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Summer Programs
One- to five-week residential summer arts programs in South Carolina for students in grades 6-11, offering focused training tracks in music, visual arts, dance, theatre, and creative writing.
Sphinx Competition
Annual national competition in Detroit for young Black and Latinx classical string players. Finalists perform with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and compete for nearly $100,000 in prizes plus mentorship and instrument access.
Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts
A three-week tuition-free summer intensive for rising Tennessee juniors and seniors to develop pre-professional skills in music, ballet, theatre, filmmaking, or visual art.
UNCSA Summer Session
Summer intensives, camps, and workshops for high schoolers at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, spanning dance, drama, visual art, filmmaking/animation, and music with conservatory-level faculty.
Virginia Summer Residential Governor's Schools - Visual & Performing Arts
A tuition-free, weeks-long residential summer program on a Virginia college campus where junior and senior high schoolers pursue intensive study in visual and performing arts alongside seminars and performances.
Walnut Hill School for the Arts Summer Programs
One- to three-week residential summer intensives at Walnut Hill's arts boarding school near Boston, covering theater, music, dance, filmmaking/writing, fashion, and visual arts for students ages 11-19.
YoungArts National Arts Competition
Students submit work in one of 10 disciplines for national panel review; award winners receive cash prizes and top honorees are invited to National YoungArts Week for mentorship.
YoungArts National Arts Competition (Music)
Application-based national award for emerging musicians ages 15-18 in categories including Classical, Jazz, Voice, Popular Voice, and Singer-Songwriter. Winners receive up to $10,000, mentorship, and eligibility for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
ECFinder provides links to outside extracurricular opportunities for informational purposes only. Students and families should research each program before applying. ECFinder does not operate or control the listed organizations and is not responsible for their actions or policies.