What Country Did Aaron Go To To Study Music Composition? The Answer May Surprise You!

Aaron Copland went to France to study music composition. In June 1921, he attended the Summer School of Music for American Students at Fontainebleau. While there, he met the famous teacher Nadia Boulanger. Boulanger was a renowned composer and conductor who taught many notable musicians, including Copland. She was a major influence on his musical development and helped him to refine his craft.

Fontainebleau, a picturesque town located southwest of Paris, is known for its beautiful forests and the Fontainebleau Palace, a historic residence of the French monarchy. The Summer School of Music for American Students, founded in 1905, provided a unique opportunity for American musicians to study with renowned European teachers. The school attracted talented students from across the United States, eager to learn from the best in the field. Copland’s time at Fontainebleau proved to be a pivotal moment in his musical journey. He was exposed to a new world of musical ideas and techniques, and he began to develop his own distinctive style. His studies with Boulanger were particularly influential, and he later credited her with helping him to find his voice as a composer. It was during this time in Fontainebleau that Copland’s musical path began to take shape, leading him to become one of the most important American composers of the 20th century.