蕭友梅自細喺澳門接觸西方音樂。1899年，就讀廣州時敏學堂。1901年，留學日本，攻讀教育學、鋼琴及聲樂。1906年，加入同盟會。1910年，回國後響應清朝政府留學畢業會考，獲得文科舉人。無耐，留學德國，喺萊比錫大學及萊比錫音樂學院，攻讀哲學博士學位。博士論文係《17世紀以前中國管絃樂團的歷史研究》(1916)。1916年10月，入柏林大學哲學系及斯特恩音樂學院繼續研修。
Siu Youmei was exposed to Western music in Macau since she was a child. In 1899, he studied at Shimin School in Guangzhou. In 1901, he studied in Japan and studied pedagogy, piano and vocal music. In 1906, he joined the League. In 1910, after returning to China, he responded to the Qing Dynasty government's graduation examination for studying abroad and obtained the liberal arts examination. He studied in Germany and studied for a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Leipzig and the Leipzig Conservatory. His doctoral dissertation was "A Study on the History of Chinese Orchestras Before the 17th Century" (1916). In October 1916, he continued his studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Berlin and the Stern Conservatory.