• Ragtime pianist Jelly Roll Morton, soul singer Roberta Flack and hardcore punk band Bad Brains have all called Washington, D.C., home. It's a city with not only a rich political history but a musical one as well. Washington offers the prospective music student a variety of music colleges to choose from.
  
  

Benjamin T. Rome School of Music

• The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of America was founded in 1965. It enrolls 300 students and offers 30 music degrees, including bachelor of music, master of music, master of arts, master of liturgical music, doctor of philosophy and doctor of musical arts.
  
  Bachelor of music programs include concentrations in composition, music history and literature, and music education, among others. Courses are taught by many of the world's most respected performers, according to the school, including Thomas Stewart, Misha Dichter and André Watts. The music library includes 25,000 volumes of scores, 15,000 LPs and subscriptions to 100 electronic and print music journals. Students take part in more than 200 concerts annually, including trips to the Vatican. Notable alumni include Grammy Award winner John Aler and Metropolitan Opera performer Harolyn Blackwell.
  
  The Catholic University of America
  Benjamin T. Rome School of Music
  620 Michigan Ave. N.E.
  Washington, D.C. 20064
  (202) 319-5414
  music.cua.edu
  
  

American University College of Arts & Sciences

• The American University College of Arts & Sciences offers a bachelor of arts degree in music with concentrations in performance, music history and literature, music theory, arts management and composition, as well as self-designed degree programs. Its Applied Music Program offers one-on-one instruction with faculty members. The Katzen Music Library offers a collection of more than 15,000 scores, 7,000 CDs and 15,000 LPs that represent a broad range of music, from classical to blues.
  
  Students have the opportunity to perform in a number of faculty- and student-led ensembles, such as the Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Singers and the Pep Band and Pit Orchestra, which have performed in venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
  
  The American University College of Arts & Sciences
  4400 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
  Washington, D.C. 20016
  (202) 885-3872
  american.edu/cas/performing-arts/music.cfm
  
  

Howard University Department of Music

• Part of a predominantly African-American university, the Department of Music at Howard University was founded in 1892. Its mission has been to "provide musical experience of exceptional quality to students of high artistic and academic potential, with particular emphasis on the provision of educational and cultural opportunities for individuals of African ancestry."
  
  The school offers bachelor of music degrees with concentrations in composition, performance, jazz studies, music education, music therapy, music history, music with elective studies in business, and jazz studies with music technology. It also offers a master of music in performance, jazz studies and music education. Students can participate in a number of ensembles, including the Howard University Jazztet, university choirs and a marching band. Notable alumni include R&B vocalist Leroy Hutson and gospel musician Richard Smallwood.
  
  Howard University
  College of Arts and Sciences
  Division of Fine Arts
  Department of Music
  2455 Sixth St. N.W.
  Washington, D.C. 20059
  (202) 806.7082
  coas.howard.edu/music