In 1935 three private music schools were merged into the Robert Schumann Conservatorium, named after the composer Robert Schumann, who lived in Düsseldorf for some years. In 1972 the state of North Rhine-Westphalia became the body responsible for the music conservatory. It became part of the public conservatory for music in the Rhineland. In 1987 it became an independent conservatory and was given its current name.

The Robert Schumann Hochschule (Robert Schumann University of Music and Media) is a school for music studies at the university level located in Düsseldorf. The University has a student body of some 850 coming from over 40 countries. Forty-seven full-time and part-time faculty and 200 associate professors (People) provide individualized instruction.