Frequently Asked Questions

Mannes Prep accepts students from ages 4 to 18 (pre-K through high school).

Yes, Techniques of Music courses are required. Courses combine theory and ear training in the lower grades, and a separate ear training course is required of students in the Senior Program.

Classes meet weekdays between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. and all day Saturday. Ensembles, including orchestras, Senior Chorus, and chamber music meet only on Saturday. All Techniques of Music classes are offered on Saturday, but not every class is offered during the week. The class schedule changes from year to year. Private instruction is scheduled according to faculty and student availability.

Financial aid is available and is based on demonstrated need. Additionally, scholarships are available for students who show proficiency on such under-represented instruments as bassoon, double bass, French horn, harp, oboe, and viola. Students who receive financial aid must re-apply each year.

While many of our students do go on to pursue a career in music, the desire to do so is not a requirement for entering the Prep Division. All of our students find that their Mannes experience helps them in whatever discipline they pursue. Those students wishing to pursue a career in music are invited to audition for the Mannes  Honors Program.

Each year, Mannes Prep graduates enroll in the world's premier music conservatories and leading universities, including Mannes School of Music, the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Harvard University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University.