Upper West Side
$30
Bloomingdale School of Music
A neighborhood music school since 1964 offering early childhood classes, private lessons, group classes and ensembles, in person and online.
Music for kids in Manhattan
58 music programs for kids in Manhattan, 5 free. Early music, instruments, choirs. Includes Bloomingdale School of Music and Greenwich House Music School.
Other boroughs
By neighborhood
Upper West Side 10Lincoln Square 6Upper East Side 4Columbus Circle 4Greenwich Village 3Morningside Heights 3Harlem 3West Village 3Midtown 3Chelsea 2Tribeca 2Financial District 2East Village 2Hell's Kitchen 2East Harlem 2Carnegie Hill 1Flatiron 1Hamilton Heights 1Lenox Hill 1Union Square 1Inwood 1Kips Bay 1
West Village
Price on site
Greenwich House Music School
Greenwich House
The West Village's oldest community music school offers early-childhood music and art classes for kids up to six, private lessons on piano, guitar, strings, voice, drums and more from age four, and children's ballet. Students perform in the school's own concert hall.
Upper West Side
Price on site
Kaufman Music Center
A music hub near Lincoln Center that houses the Lucy Moses School community arts classes, the Special Music School, and Merkin Hall. Families come for early childhood classes, lessons and kid-friendly concerts.
West Village
Price on site
City Sounds Music Together – Greenwich House Music School
City Sounds Music Together
City Sounds runs Tuesday-morning Music Together classes inside Greenwich House Music School, giving babies and toddlers a musical start with their caregivers.
West Village
$460
City Sounds Music Together – West Village Nursery School
City Sounds Music Together
An after-school Music Together class at a West Village nursery school where young kids and their grown-ups sing, move and play instruments together.
Union Square
Price on site
Guitar Center Lessons – Union Square
Guitar Center
The Union Square Guitar Center has lesson studios where kids and teens take one-on-one lessons in guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice or DJ skills. Instructors tailor each lesson to the student's goals and level.
Lincoln Square
Price on site
Lincoln Center Kids & Family Programs
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
A season-long lineup of kid-oriented concerts, dance, theater and hands-on workshops across the Lincoln Center campus. Offerings include sensory-friendly shows and programs from resident groups like the Philharmonic and NYC Ballet.
Upper West Side
Price on site
Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Music Center
Kaufman Music Center
Kaufman Music Center's community school offers music, dance and theater classes and private lessons for kids at every level, starting with early childhood music.
Flatiron
Kids $466
Music Together in the City – Madison Square Park
Music Together in the City
An open-air Music Together class held near Madison Square Park where babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and shake instruments alongside their grown-ups. Families take home a song collection to keep the music going between classes.
Tribeca
$382
Music Together in the City – Pier 26 Tribeca
Music Together in the City
A late-afternoon Music Together class on the Hudson River Greenway where families sing, clap and play instruments by the water. Kids from infancy to preschool take part with a caregiver.
Greenwich Village
$382
Music Together in the City – Washington Square Park
Music Together in the City
Parents and young children gather outdoors in Washington Square Park for a weekly Music Together session of songs, rhythm play and movement. The mixed-age format lets siblings join the same class.
Lenox Hill
Price on site
New York Conservatory of Music
An Upper East Side conservatory where children take private instrument lessons with professional concert musicians, plus theory and group classes. Students get chances to perform in recitals at well-known Manhattan venues.
Carnegie Hill
Price on site
Diller-Quaile School of Music
A long-running music school known for early childhood classes for babies and preschoolers, plus instrument and voice lessons for older kids through high school.
Upper West Side
$37
Katie's Corner - Kids Music Classes
Katie Dwyer Music
Sing-along music classes led by children's songwriter Katie Dwyer, mixing original songs, instruments, movement and simple sign language. Separate sessions serve non-walking babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
Morningside Heights
Price on site
Manhattan School of Music Precollege
Manhattan School of Music
Talented young musicians audition into this Saturday program in Morningside Heights, where they get weekly private lessons plus theory, ear training, composition, orchestra and chorus. Students choose a classical or jazz track.
Upper East Side
Price on site
School of Rock Manhattan (Upper East Side)
School of Rock
A performance-focused music school where kids learn guitar, bass, drums, keys or vocals and then rehearse songs together as a band. Students work toward live shows at real venues, with younger beginners starting in introductory programs.
East Village
Price on site
Third Street Music School
One of the country's oldest community music schools, Third Street offers East Village kids early-childhood classes, private lessons, youth orchestras and dance. Adaptive lessons and music therapy make it welcoming for children with different learning needs.
Tribeca
Price on site
Church Street School for Music and Art
A nonprofit arts school in Tribeca where kids take private instrument lessons, group music classes and visual art. Early-childhood programs introduce toddlers and preschoolers to hands-on music and art, and summer sessions include rock music.
East Harlem
Free
Daniel's Music Foundation
An East Harlem music center offering free music classes for people with disabilities starting at age 3, including group keyboard, percussion and guitar classes and bands. The accessible space has five studios and a recording studio.
Upper West Side
Price on site
Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School
A music school for people who are blind or visually impaired, teaching children and adults instruments, voice, theory and braille music. Students perform in recitals and ensembles.
Hamilton Heights
Price on site
Harlem School of the Arts – Music
Harlem School of the Arts
At the Herb Alpert Center on St. Nicholas Avenue, Harlem kids take private lessons and group classes in music alongside dance, theater and media arts. Serious teens can join a preparatory program for ages 12 to 18.
Inwood
Price on site
Heart & Beat Music – Inwood
Heart & Beat Music
Inwood families gather at Trinity Church for Music Together and Canta y Baila Conmigo classes where babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and play instruments with their grown-ups.
East Village
Price on site
InterSchool Orchestras of New York (ISO)
Third Street Music School
ISO offers a ladder of youth ensembles, from beginning orchestras and band to the advanced ISO Symphony, so kids can grow from first rehearsals to concerts at major halls. It now operates as part of Third Street Music School.
Harlem
Price on site
Jazzmobile
Harlem's long-running jazz organization offers youth jazz workshops where young players study improvisation, theory and ensemble playing with professional jazz artists. It also presents free outdoor summer concerts.
All 58 listings
- Bloomingdale School of Music · Upper West Side · $30
- Greenwich House Music School · West Village · See site
- Kaufman Music Center · Upper West Side · See site
- City Sounds Music Together – Greenwich House Music School · West Village · See site
- City Sounds Music Together – West Village Nursery School · West Village · $460
- Guitar Center Lessons – Union Square · Union Square · See site
- Lincoln Center Kids & Family Programs · Lincoln Square · See site
- Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Music Center · Upper West Side · See site
- Music Together in the City – Madison Square Park · Flatiron · Kids $466
- Music Together in the City – Pier 26 Tribeca · Tribeca · $382
- Music Together in the City – Washington Square Park · Greenwich Village · $382
- New York Conservatory of Music · Lenox Hill · See site
- Diller-Quaile School of Music · Carnegie Hill · See site
- Katie's Corner - Kids Music Classes · Upper West Side · $37
- Manhattan School of Music Precollege · Morningside Heights · See site
- School of Rock Manhattan (Upper East Side) · Upper East Side · See site
- Third Street Music School · East Village · See site
- Church Street School for Music and Art · Tribeca · See site
- Daniel's Music Foundation · East Harlem · Free
- Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School · Upper West Side · See site
- Harlem School of the Arts – Music · Hamilton Heights · See site
- Heart & Beat Music – Inwood · Inwood · See site
- InterSchool Orchestras of New York (ISO) · East Village · See site
- Jazzmobile · Harlem · See site
- Little Mozart School of Violin · Financial District · See site
- Mama Foundation for the Arts – Sing Harlem · Harlem · See site
- Muse Arts Music Together – Center for Family Music · Upper West Side · See site
- Music for Autism · Kips Bay · Free
- Music Together in the City · Chelsea · See site
- New York Conservatory of Music – PreK Division · Upper East Side · $53
- New York Youth Symphony · Midtown · See site
- Play Learn Grow Mommy and Me Classes · Upper West Side · See site
- School for Strings · Hell's Kitchen · See site
- Silver Music · Upper West Side · See site
- Sol La Ti's Music Together – JCC Harlem · Harlem · See site
- Sol La Ti's Music Together – Morningside Gardens · Morningside Heights · See site
- Sol La Ti's Music Together – Upper West Side · Morningside Heights · See site
- The Harmony Program · Midtown · Free
- Young People's Chorus of NYC · Lincoln Square · See site
- Young Singers Academy · Greenwich Village · See site
- Youth Orchestra of St. Luke's · Hell's Kitchen · See site
- Carnegie Hall Family Events · Midtown · See site
- High School Jazz Academy · Columbus Circle · See site
- Jazz at Lincoln Center Family Concerts · Columbus Circle · See site
- Juilliard Music Advancement Program (MAP) · Lincoln Square · Free
- Juilliard Pre-College · Lincoln Square · $17,250
- Mannes Prep · Greenwich Village · See site
- Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus · Lincoln Square · See site
- Middle School Jazz Academy · Columbus Circle · Free
- New York City Guitar School - Midtown · Chelsea · See site
- New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts · Lincoln Square · See site
- Opus 118 Harlem School of Music · East Harlem · See site
- Piano School of NYC · Upper West Side · See site
- Trinity Youth Chorus · Financial District · See site
- WeBop at Jazz at Lincoln Center · Columbus Circle · Kids $440
- 92NY School of Music · Upper East Side · See site
- Little Maestros · Upper East Side · See site
- Music for Aardvarks - Upper West Side · Upper West Side · See site
Quick answers
How many music programs for kids are there in Manhattan?
LittleGotham lists 58 music programs for kids in Manhattan.
Are there free music programs for kids in Manhattan?
Yes. 5 of 58 are free to attend, including Daniel's Music Foundation, Middle School Jazz Academy, Music for Autism.
What can kids do indoors in Manhattan on a rainy day?
53 listings are indoors, such as Bloomingdale School of Music, Greenwich House Music School, Kaufman Music Center.
Which neighborhoods in Manhattan have the most music programs?
Upper West Side (10), Lincoln Square (6), Upper East Side (4).