Ellie Park, Multimedia Managing Editor

Since 2017, Yale College and the School of Music have offered a five-year joint degree program that allows students to pair their standard four-year bachelor’s degree with a master’s in music.

The program accepts one student annually and requires no additional costs beyond Yale College tuition. Students must indicate on their Common Application that they are applying for Yale’s BA-MM program. To qualify for the program, students must successfully audition through the School of Music before matriculation or after their third year of study.

“Students are expected to play at a master’s level when auditioning, so the entrance bar is very high in terms of the expectations,” said Albert Gang ’24 MUS ’25, a fifth-year student in the program.

Instead of completing a two-year master’s program following their bachelor’s degree, students begin the intensive portion of their graduate studies during their senior year and study full-time at the School of Music during their fifth year.

Ani Kavafian, a violin professor who has taught several students in the program since its inception, highlighted the selectiveness of the admissions and audition process.

Most students who apply for a master’s degree at the School of Music have four years of elite conservatory training. Despite not having the same years of experience under their belt, BA-MM students are expected to perform at the same level — straight out of high school.

Kavafian explained that the program allows her to work with students who have both academic propensity and ability to perform music at the graduate level. 

“Very few people can be in that little circle, so it’s a very unique but wonderful program,” she said. “They’re the most organized of any of my students. And if you’re not organized, it’s an overwhelming program.”

The program is similar to other dual-degree offerings at competing schools, such as Harvard and Columbia, where students can earn their master’s at the New England Conservatory or the Juilliard School, respectively.

However, the program at Yale may offer a more convenient option for students due to the School of Music’s on-campus location.

At other dual-degree programs, students might only be able to make the trip to the conservatory once a week, said Gang. Gang’s conservatory was right across the street for his four college years.

“I would go to class in the morning, have a lesson, and then practice or do other activities for the rest of the day. It was really simple to integrate into my undergrad life,” he said.

Additionally, the program encourages students to be fully immersed in the undergraduate social scene. 

When Gang first arrived on campus as an 18-year-old during the pandemic, he noted that there wasn’t much of a community within the BA-MM program. Thus, he joined the Yale Symphony Orchestra and chamber music with other undergraduates for the first two years. 

Isabelle Ong ’28 MUS ’29 is also a member of YSO, which she finds to be “a lot of fun” and “very fulfilling.”

Like Gang, she shared that she spends more time with Yale College students than with students at the School of Music. However, Ong said that she has encountered only moments of kindness and inspiration since enrolling at the School of Music.

“When we were doing self-introductions, everyone would say that they graduated from Curtis or Juilliard, and I just graduated from high school,” she said.

According to Ong, the most immersive part of her college experience has been going to a studio class, where she learns firsthand from high-level peers and plays in front of an audience every other week.

For Kavafian, the BA-MM program offers a unique opportunity to witness her students’ growth throughout their college years, as she gets to teach her students for five years instead of just two.

“The growth that I experience with them is astounding, and I have more time to shape their musical ideas and then let them fly with their talent,” she said.

Gang also noted that the BA-MM program allowed him to study with Kavafian while at Yale College, which he wouldn’t have otherwise. While some faculty at the School of Music teach undergraduate students privately or offer lessons for credit programs, others only teach at the graduate level.

In addition to lessons, students in the BA-MM program are expected to fulfill the 72 credits required for their master’s degree, which includes theory and history, chamber music and playing in Yale Philharmonia.

Gang explained that he had already been involved in YSM courses starting his freshman year and was in Yale Philharmonia his senior year. His transition into the BA-MM program felt natural.

However, according to Gang, the biggest challenge of being a BA-MM student was seeing his undergraduate friends leave after graduation.

“The type of student who goes to the School of Music is also really different from the typical Yale College student, and there definitely was an adjustment period,” he said.

While the BA-MM program is a unique opportunity for students to experience the best collegiate education and conservatory training, there is still room for refinement within the program, said Gang.

As an international student from Singapore, Ong noted that she knew very little about the program based on online information. Further, she said that she was unable to learn about the program by word of mouth.

Gang recalled an experience where he was unable to perform in a masterclass for undergraduate students due to his enrollment in the program, despite being a junior at the time.

“There were certain opportunities that I wasn’t able to get at the undergrad level, but in summary, I had an extremely positive experience,” he said.

Other students choose not to audition for the program to experience as many years of a college education. Alex Nam ’25 is one of them; this February, he plans to audition for top master’s programs, including YSM.

Auditions for the School of Music take place from Feb. 17 to 23.