What if the walls of a music school could sing? Here at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, that’s almost a reality. This private music school has a rich history. It’s renowned for its high-quality music education.
Toho Gakuen was founded in 1948. It started as the Music School for Children in Ichigaya. Two years later, it moved to Sengawa. There, it became the Toho High School of Music. The school aimed to give teenage girls a quality musical education. The Junior College was established in 1955. In 1961, the Junior College became the Toho Gakuen College Music Department. The College of Music pioneered university-level music degrees in Japan. In 1995, the Toho Orchestra Academy opened in Toyama. The Toho Gakuen Graduate School followed in 1999. It offers postgraduate degrees.
Through its high school, college, and graduate school, Toho Gakuen offers courses from preparatory diplomas to master’s degrees. You can study all orchestral instruments here. Piano, composition, conducting, and musicology are also on offer.
Nikken Sekkei, a Japanese firm, designed the Toho Gakuen School of Music building. They have been around since 1900. They also designed the Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Sky Tree. One challenge for music schools is keeping the sounds separate. Nikken Sekkei created a “wall-void-wall” technology between the rooms. This thins the walls. Large glass openings were inserted. The rooms are visible from the corridor. They fill with soft natural light. This reduces the prison-like atmosphere that many music schools have.
The school fosters a multisensory environment. Natural light floods the building. This may evoke synesthesia. The painter Kandinsky said that he saw sounds of instruments as colors. Composer Erik Satie expressed the light illuminating old stone architecture as music. Comfortable natural light is vital for musicians.
Many successful musicians have graduated from Toho Gakuen. Conductor Seiji Ozawa and pianist Mitsuko Uchida are alumni. Sumi Shimamoto graduated from the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music. She is a voice actress and narrator. Kokia, a singer and songwriter, also studied here. Hiroko Nakamura, a pianist, is another notable alumna. Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, a cellist, became President of Toho Gakuen School of Music.
Toho Gakuen School of Music offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. These are available in art and design-related programs. The acceptance rate is around 46 percent. The tuition for a Bachelor of Music is about ¥1,950,000 per year. There is also an application fee and an entrance fee. The campus hosts many events and performances. Students can join various clubs and societies. It truly is a symphony of the senses.