Welcome to the Northwestern Music Academy!

Part of the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern, the Music Academy provides music instruction to children and adult students in Evanston and the greater Chicago area.

2022-2023 Academic Year

If you’re interested in studying a musical instrument, see individual pages for Piano and Strings, answer the Interest Form questions, or contact us by email at musicacademy@northwestern.edu. Please wait to register until you have a teacher assignment and confirmed lesson time. We’d love to have you join us, but space is limited.

Please explore our offerings for Kindermusik classes. If you have questions, reach out to us at musicacademy@northwestern.edu.

All participants over the age of 2 are strongly encouraged to wear as well-fitting mask for in-person activities. Due to the ever-changing nature of COVID-19, it is possible that some instruction will shift temporarily to an online format.

Music Lessons for Children and Adults

For more than 90 years, Northwestern's Music Academy in Evanston has provided music instruction to children and adult students from surrounding communities and the greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana area.

Most Academy instructors also teach in the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music and hold master's and doctoral degrees in music teaching and performance. The Academy often serves as a teaching laboratory for college students enrolled in pedagogy courses and is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts.

More than 500 community students gather on campus each week for Kindermusik classes and lessons in piano and strings. Students have many opportunities to perform in Bienen School recital halls. The Northwestern Strings travel to perform in Midwest locations and have completed trips to Paris and Italy!