Norway offers music training at every level, from pre-birth to doctorate and musicologist level. Among the Norwegian musicologists who have gained an international reputation are Finn Benestad and Dag Schelderup-Ebbe with their research on Grieg, and Harald Herresthal with his research on Norwegian music of the 1800s. The central venues for music research are at the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim and at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.
At the top of the educational system is higher music education, which is offered by the colleges and universities. The highest performance degree in Norway is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, while the colleges and universities in Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Tromsø have individual conservatory departments. A complete list of music education programmes can be found in the directory of the Music Information Centre Norway.
Each county in Norway is required to offer a music programme in at least one upper secondary school. A complete list of upper secondary schools offering music programmes can be found at Pedlex – Norwegian School Information. A number of the one-year folk high schools also offer music studies. A complete list of Norwegian folk high schools is available from the folk high school organization.
The Barratt Due Music Institute in Oslo is the only school in the country that offers a special programme for young people with exceptional musical talent. The school holds classes for ages ranging from pre-school to conservatory levels, and its orchestra has been widely praised.
Since 1998, Norwegian legislation has required all municipalities to offer children training in the arts. This has resulted in the establishment of a network of after-school cultural facilities offering courses in music, dance, theatre, drawing, painting, etc. The Norwegian Council for Schools of the Arts serves as a resource for Norwegian municipalities, and has links to a number of schools of the arts.
Music training is also available for the youngest members of the community. Norway has a number of day-care centres that specialize in music, and the Early Childhood Music Association of Norway holds courses for pregnant women and parents with infants.
By the Music Information Centre Norway