Things to keep in mind 

• The French system is not equivalent to the American system.
  
  There are only two levels of studies: Supérieur and Perfectionnement.
  
  The first is the rough equivalent to a Bachelor's, and can last anywhere from 2 to 4 years, depending on the school.
  
  The second is kind of like a Master's Degree, lasting 1-2 years, except it doesn't qualify you for anything (ie teaching). It's just for bragging rights.
• Students in France generally acquire a high level of technique and polish much earlier than their American counterparts. There are thousands of French instrumentalists under 20 that have professional-level skills.
  
  However they tend to peak early in their development.
• Instead of earning PhDs, French students generally move from Conservatory to Conservatory, amassing First Prizes (Premiers Prix) and Medailles d'Or (the same thing) before applying to specialized state schools that offer teaching degrees, the D.E. and the C.A.
• The most important thing, as everywhere, is the teacher. The best French teachers have at least two teaching jobs, which is convenient.
• The best thing the French system has to offer instrumentalists is a higher expectation of skills. Those coming to France for credentials are wasting their time.

Public Conservatories in France 

(More or less in order of prestige)

CNSM de Paris

This is the school people call the Paris Conservatory. It remains the best public school in France for music, and has the most competitive entrance exams.

About ten years ago it moved into a new neighborhood as part of a kind urban development project to rehabilitate the 19th arrondissement. Boulez dreamed up this scheme to unite the conservatory with a music museum, new concert halls, and a new-music library with extensive archives from Radio France.

The facilities are much bigger than the old place at the Rue de Madrid which now houses the CNR de Paris, (see below) but it's an ugly, depressing, "modernist" place (think concrete). Nevertheless, the CNSM de Paris is still the place to be.

CNSM de Lyon

A close second place to the CNSM in Paris, this school was founded just 25 years ago to help alleviate the fact that not enough people were being admitted to the CNSM in Paris.

Entrance exams are just as competitive, but the number of students is much smaller and the school suffers from the fact that it's, well, in Lyon instead of Paris.

That said, the first generation of rising stars from the Lyon school are now making their mark on the French music scene. Stay tuned!

Another thing to keep in mind: the age limit is 30.
(in Paris it's 22 for "competitive" instruments like piano, violin, cello...)

CNR de Paris

In each major city in France, there is a "regional" conservatory that serves as a stepping stone to the two CNSM.

The acronym stands for "Conservatoire National de Région."

The one in Paris, with lots of teachers in common with the CNSM, is considered to be the best CNR. It has excellent practice facilities with Yamaha C3's that students take advantage of long after they graduate.

There are other good CNRs that deserve consideration in the suburbs of Paris: you'll find a list below.

Other CNRs near Paris

These are within an hour's suburban train ride of Paris:

Clermont-Ferrand
Versailles
Boulogne-Billancourt
Rueil-Malmaison
Aubervilliers-La Courneuve
Saint-Maur
Cergy-Pontoise

CNRs in other cities include:

Amiens, Angers, Annecy, Bayonne, Besançon, Bordeaux, Brest, Caen, Chalon sur Saône, Chambery, Dijon, Douai, Grenoble, Lille, Limoges, Lyon, Marseille, Metz, Montpellier, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Perpignan, Poitiers, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, Saint-Denis de la Réunion, Saint-Etienne, Saint-Maur, Strasbourg, Toulon, Toulouse, and Tours.

Below is a list with links to their websites. Get a map out!

Neighborhood or "Municipal" conservatories

There's a conservatory in each of the 20 "arrondissements," or quarters in Paris.
One exception: there is one conservatory for for the first four arrondissements called the Conservatoire du Centre.

These can be great resources; many teachers at the more prestigious conservatories in Paris have a second teaching job at one of these, so it can be a savy way to get great lessons in a less stressful environment. If you have one year in Paris, it can be a good option.

N.B. These conservatories vary greatly in quality depending on the teachers of each discipline, so don't enroll in the first one you come to: do a little research.

CNR websites 

"Website" is an overstatement for most of these...

The Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory

Boulogne is a suburb of Paris. This one's popular.

The Versailles Conservatory

Versailles is a ritzy suburb of Paris. This one's also popular.

The Rennes Conservatory

A 2 hour train ride West of Paris.

The Clermont-Ferrand Conservatory

3 1/2 hours South of Paris by train.

The Caen Conservatory

2 hours West of Paris, just off the breezy Normandy coast by train.

The Besancon Conservatory

Besancon is 3 hours South-East of Paris by train, right by the Swiss border and Dijon.

The Rueil-Malmaison Conservatory

Another suburb of Paris.

The Aubervilliers-La Courneuve Conservatory

Another suburb of Paris.

The Saint-Maur Conservatory

Another suburb. Scroll down to pages 24-32 for the important info.

The Cergy-Pontoise Conservatory

The last of the CNRs in suburbs of Paris.

The Amiens Conservatory

1 hour North of Paris by train.

The Annecy Conservatory

4 hours from Paris to the South-East by train: near Switzerland and Italy.

The Angers Conservatory

1 1/2 hours West by South-West of Paris by train.

The Lyon Conservatory

Lyon is 2 1/2 hours by train South by South-East of Paris. Be careful not to confuse this one with the CNSM in Lyon (see above). This CNR has an excellent website with lots of detailed information; the menu is on the bottom.

The Marseille Conservatory

Marseille is on the South-East coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea. Although it's far from Paris the TGV trains (high-speed train) make the trip in 3 hours.

The Metz Conservatory

Near the German border 3 hours to the East of Paris by train. Scroll down on the site.

The Montpellier Conservatory

Montpellier, like Marseille, is on the Southern coast of France. 3 1/2 hours from Paris on the TGV train.

The Nantes Conservatory

Nantes is 2 hours West by South-West of Paris by train. Click on "l'Enseignement" then "professeurs" on the bottom menu for a list of the teachers.

The Nice Conservatory

On the South-East coast of France, Nice is 6 hours on the train or 1 hour by plane (I recommend the latter: it costs the same!)

The Perpignan Conservatory

Perignan is on the South Coast of France (Mediteranean) just off the Spanish border. For travel, it's similar to Nice (5 hours by train or one hour airplane).

The Reims Conservatory

Reims is 2 hours North-East of Paris. It's closer than it sounds, but the train is slow. Their website is excellent.

The Rouen Conservatory

Rouen is 1 hour North-West of Paris by train.

The Strasbourg Conservatory

4 hours East of Paris by train, right on the German border, Strasbourg is a beautiful city and the CNR is well worth considering despite its distance from Paris. There are also one hour flights from Paris.

The Toulouse Conservatory

Toulouse is in the South of France, about 5 hours by train or one hour by plane.

The Tours Conservatory

Tours is 1 hour South of Paris by train. Click on "Conservatoire National de Région" underneath the introductory paragraph for the contact info.

The Bordeaux Conservatory

Bordeaux is 3 hours South-West of Paris by train, near some of the most beautiful beaches in France.

The Dijon Conservatory

1 hour 40 minutes South-East of Paris by train. An ugly but functional website.

The Grenoble Conservatory

Grenoble is 3 1/2 hours South-East of Paris by train, in between Lyon and the Italian border.

The Limoges Conservatory

Limoges is 3 hours South of Paris by train.

The Poitiers Conservatory

1 1/2 hours South-West of Paris by train. The website is not up yet, but they've reserved the address so it should be coming soon.

The Toulon Conservatory

On the South-East coast of France, by Marseille: a 4 hour train ride from Paris.

The Nancy Conservatory

Ironically, the only page with the contact info for the Conservatory is on a German website. Nancy is 2 1/2 hours by train East of Paris.

The Douai Conservatory

To the far North of France, near the Belgian border, Douai is a 1 hour train ride from Paris (there is a direct TGV line). The website is poorly done, so click on "Culture" then click on "Le Conservatoire" on the menu running vertically on the left, and you'll have several options.

The Chalon sur Saône Conservatory

Another relatively new one. Chalon sur Saône is just South of Dijon; it's a 3 hour train ride from Paris.

The Chambery-Pays de Savoie Conservatory

Another new one that has a great website. Chambery is near Annecy in the South-East of France; 4 hours by train from Paris.

The Saint-Etienne Conservatory

Saint-Etienne is just South-East of Lyon; it's 3 hours by train from Paris.

The Saint Denis Conservatory (on Réunion Island)

Private Conservatories and other alternative ideas 

Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris

This private school founded in 1919 by the pianist Alfred Cortot as an alternative to the Paris Conservatory. His idea was to have beginners study alongside advanced students, and he insisted that all students attend one another's lessons. The tradition continues to this day, and the best of the ENMP's students rival those of any other conservatory in France.

Naturally the level of the students is very mixed, and the French often coomplain about the cost (about 2,300 Euros a year). Nevertheless it remains a competitive alternative, particularly among pianists, singers, and conductors.

The Ecole Normale is working on having its diplomas recognized by the state, something no other private conservatory in France has accomplished to date. If the plan succeeds it will heavily reinforce the school's reputation for excellence.

Schola Cantorum

Located in the heart of the 5th arrondissement (traditionally the students' neighborhood) on the rue Saint-Jacques, the Schola Cantorum is another alternative to the public school system in France founded over 100 years ago.

Depending on your instrument, it may be worth looking into. Their website still doesn't have a list of teachers...annoying!

DESS Art du récital

***Update***
This apparently has been temporarily cancelled. Stay tuned...
***Update***

This is an interesting idea for those of you who fit the following criteria
- you are a singer or pianist
- you have very good basic french skills
- you are interested in art song repertoire (lieder and mélodie)

It's a new programme at the Sorbonne: it's basically a Master's degree in Song Recital. The course includes languages classes, interpretive courses with well-known singers and coaches, etc.

A great reason to do this particular program is the diploma: you earn a "Bac + 5" from the Sorbonne, which probably will make teaching in France a lot easier if you decide to stay. It's a one year program; the friends I have who have done it think it's well worth it.

For now the only problem is it isn't offered every year...

Lieder masterclasses at the Amsterdam Consevatory

***Update***
This apparently has been temporarily cancelled. Stay tuned...
***Update***

Under the direction of Udo Reinemann, pianists and singers study with lots of well known professionals who take turns teaching. Sounds interesting. Remember: Amsterdam is only three hours from Paris on the Thalys train, so it may be feasible to live in Paris and go for lessons once every week or two.

Lieder Masterclasses at the Metz Consevatory

Udo also does lieder/mélodie masterclasses at the Metz Conservatory. Lessons are once a month, so it's possible to commute. Note: it's geared towards singers.

Housing options in Paris 

In order of best quality/cost and ending with stuff to avoid

Cité des Arts

Boasting a spectacular location overlooking the Seine, this is a very competitive housing complex for artists (mostly visual artists and musicians). In addition to low rent (290 Euros/mo) there are rooms with pianos; sometimes grands. The rooms are ugly but functional. The are tons of interesting people.

This is BY FAR the best option but it's so competitive that you'll need a couple of backup plans. The "application period" for music is in between March 15th and April 15th for the following school year: you have to request an application and return it within that time frame.

Cité Universitaire

The Cité Universitaire is basically a huge student housing complex (read dorms) across the street from one of the most beautiful parks in Paris.

Downsides: it's a little isolated from central Paris, and the rooms can be small.

Upsides: rent is cheap (about 500 Euros/month), it's easy to get a place, and you it's social: you can meet lots of students from around the world.

It's a great option if you're in Paris for a year abroad.

List of theme-houses at the Cité Universitaire

When staying at the Cité Universitaire almost everybody makes the same mistake of choosing the "House" of their country of origin by default. There are 38 houses to choose from; you can stay at almost any of them. As an American, it might be more fun to stay at the Lebanese House, ("Liban") for example, which is full of cool and interesting people, rather than relocating to Paris to live among...more Americans.

Scholarship opportunity for artists at the American House

For Americans only: It worthwhile to stay at the American House if you get this scholarship: it includes a free sound-proof for musicians from October to June, and a couple of thousand euros cash spending money. It's pretty competitive (4/ year) but it's worth a shot. Deadline is January 31st of the previous year.

Note to pianists: if you get the scholarship, you still have to rent your own piano to put in the sound-proof room.

Explorimmo

This is my favorite search engine for appartments. You can narrow the search a variety of different ways, and they have new stuff every day. I found my current place this way...

Warning: it helps to be in Paris already to use this effectively: you need to be able to visit the places immediately.

FUSAC

The FUSAC, a very popular free magazine in Paris for anglophones, has nothing but rip-offs! Beware: the appartments for rent are almost three times the rent they should be. Just say no to FUSAC.

De Particulier à Particulier

This magazine used to be THE guide to finding appartments in Paris. It has owners renting without a middle-man agent. It used to be a savy way to by-pass agents' fees...until the secret got out.

Now it comes out every thursday morning, and people start calling the owners at 8am. There's a line of 50 people outside each place that's above aboman, and potential renters compete for the attention of the landlord. It's worthless. On top of that, the quality is terrible and the prices have gone up.

I know from experience, having lived in 4 places in 5 years: better to go through an agent, pay a month's rent as a fee and find a good place (see Explorimmo, above). It ends up costing the same in the end, and the places you find with help are ALWAYS better.

Piano Rental in Paris 

some ideas for monthly rentals

Hanlet Pianos

Hanlet is by far the best for pianos in France. They're pros.

Take the métro + bus to their store and pick an upright for 35-55 Euros/month (plus a one time fee for delivery; everyone charges about 300 Euros for that).

If you're picky, they have a limited number of grands to rent, but you better go in July before they're gone for the school year.

Getting to their store is a pain, but well worth the effort.

Comments? 

Help me improve this by your comments...click on the orange button below...thanks for your help! -Ivan