Juilliard's Evening Division

An Overview

The Juilliard School was founded in 1905 as The Institute of Musical Art by Frank Damrosch, the head of music education for the New York City Public Schools and son of Leopold Damrosch, founder of the New York Philharmonic. His purpose was to establish a conservatory in the United States with the finest professional music education programs that, for the first time, would rival those in Europe. He succeeded, enrolling five times the number of students he expected. In 1928 the Institute of Musical Art combined with the Juilliard Graduate School. Since that time The Juilliard School has set the standard for music education on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Today, professional artists and music-lovers alike can enjoy access to the music education Juilliard provides through the Evening Division

Created in 1933, during Damrosch's final year as dean, the first "Extension Courses at the Institute of Musical Art at Juilliard" were offered for teachers and professional musicians, with a promise that "courses are being arranged for beginners." During the Juilliard presidency of William Schuman (1945-62), the Extension Division became a formalized scholastic division of the school. The majority of its courses were still directed at professionals or providing professional-level instruction, with college credit available. In 1989, Juilliard expanded what is now known as the Evening Division, and today non-matriculation courses are offered in an array of subject areas appropriate to each student's level. In recent years, the Evening Division has offered "short-courses" (meeting from two to six times) as well as event-specific seminars that are scheduled in conjunction with Juilliard and Lincoln Center performances. Enrollment currently approaches 700 each semester. Danielle La Senna is Director of the Evening Division.

Each semester, Juilliard offers a roster of credit courses in music theory, ear-training, composition, and performance workshops, as well as various non-credit courses in history and appreciation. New courses being offered in 2009-10 include: Understanding Dance; Opera, Politics, and Religion; At the Piano With Women Composers; Introduction to Ear Training; and Jazz Improvisation.

Some classes require an audition for placement. Registration for non-credit history courses can be completed online at www.juilliard.edu/evening. You may also register by fax or by mail. For exact course and tuition information, please call, write, or visit: The Juilliard School, Evening Division, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY, 10023, 212-799-5040, juilliardatnight@juilliard.edu.