Art colleges, such as eleven independently established higher music colleges: Central Conservatory of Music, China Conservatory of Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Wuhan Conservatory of Music .

Normal colleges and universities, such as: Capital Normal University, Hebei Normal University, East China Normal University, Shenyang Normal University, Hangzhou Normal University, Hunan Normal University, Nanjing Normal University, Central China Normal University, South China Normal University.

The Central Conservatory of Music is located in Beijing. It was designated as a national key institution of higher learning by the State Council in 1960. In 2000, it was included in the national "211 Project" construction institutions and is a national art institution. It is the only national key university in China; it was selected as a national “double first-class” discipline in 2017.