Cross-posted to Amherst since comparing specifically between Amherst and Williams.
Trying to compare the music resources, i.e., instrument instructors, faculty, facilities (private practice rooms, concert hall, etc.), performance opportunities (college orchestra and other ensemble), programs (master classes, visiting artists, etc.) between Amherst and Williams for a music major with a strong violin background. I’d also very much appreciate any insights into double-majoring (music and pre-med area).
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@TiggerDad, My son studied art and art history, but several of his friends were serious musicians, one played classical pianist and one jazz sax. They both majored in other disciplines and chose other career paths, though music continues to be a big part of who they are.
Williams is an excellent choice for a student who wants to pursue music and another area of study. The music department is large and well financed with excellent facilities and a wide range of performance opportunities.
https://music.williams.edu/category/ensembles/
Double majoring is fairly effortless at Williams and synergy between music and math and the sciences is common. Williams has superb medical school advising and an excellent track record on admissions.
Admittedly I’m biased, but I would say that the combination science plus music (or any of the arts) is one of Williams’ great strengths, much more so than Amherst, just based on the the number of full-time faculty, the facilities and performance opportunities.
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@momrath - Thank you for your response. It’s a huge relief to learn that “double-majoring is fairly effortless at Williams” and that it has “superb medical advising and an excellent track record on admissions.” Exactly what I wanted to hear!
It’s hard to compare between two colleges just by looking at their websites. From the websites, I knew that Williams and Pomona (another college we’re considering) each has two violin instructors with excellent credentials while Amherst has just one. Amherst has three piano instructors, so I don’t understand why they have invested in just one violin instructor. The one thing that Amherst has that the other two colleges don’t is their Open Curriculum which would make my son’s life a whole lot easier as a double-major. A son of friend of mine is about to graduate from Amherst with a degree in Music and Neuroscience. I’m leaning towards Williams for the music resources, but I wasn’t sure whether my son would have to face difficulties and obstacles in trying to double major, so it’s very reassuring to hear your words. Thanks.
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According to Williams’ website, 42% of their students double major. Williams has fairly loose distribution requirements: 3 classes each in 3 divisions: languages & arts, math & science and social sciences plus a few other general requirements such as quantitative reasoning, diversity, writing intensive. There is no foreign language requirement. Since your son would be majoring in 2 out of 3 of the categories, he’d only have to cover the social sciences courses, which he’d probably want to explore anyway.
I’m sure your son would get an excellent education and head start on whatever he ends up doing in life at any of the LACs on his shortlist. There’s a lot of overlap in personality among Amherst, Williams and Pomona, and you are correct: the nuanced differences become more apparent when you visit. The more insular, mountain village environment of Williams either appeals – or doesn’t. For my son the profound natural beauty and outdoorsy culture were major positives as were Winter Study, tutorials and the overarching focus on the arts.
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@momrath - Thanks again with comments that are pleasing to hear! Yes, I did read about the curricular requirements, which are great for students double majoring. We look forward to visiting the campus on those Previews days.
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My daughter (Class of 2016) double majored in English and music. Two of her friends were double majors in music and biology, and both are now working in highly selective medical research internships, with the goal of going to medical school. Most of the music majors double major, and it is very easy to do. Williams also has the Berkshire Symphony, where talented musicians play alongside professionals (every other chair is a student), and which sponsors a competition every year where talented soloists win the opportunity to perform with the symphony. Most of these musicians are not aspiring to a professional career–they are just multi-talented kids. When you visit for Preview days please make sure you make time to stop by the music building and speak with the faculty. They are warm and welcoming. Oh, and, by the way, music lessons are free–for ALL students, no matter what their major.
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@Kidstart - That’s great to know. Thank you!
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Daughter is a choral/vocal music student, planning on music major or double major with English/Comp Lit. She says most music majors she knows are double majors, as long as it’s not a composition concentration, which has four extra mandatory courses, making double majoring hard. The Berkshire Symphony is an incredible resource for instrumental musicians at Williams. For such a small school, there are so many music professors at Williams, it’s astounding. For instance, there are two highly regarded choral composers on staff, which is unheard of for a LAC. It’s one of the reasons my daughter is there, since she’s considering choral composition as her concentration.
The facilities are excellent, varied and plentiful. She’s has never had to fight for a practice room. 
She raves about the faculty. She loves her choral, composition, theory and voice professors. There are many visiting artists for master classes and artists teaching both full courses and one-on-one lessons. Your son should meet with the different violin teachers and see if there’s a natural fit. Of course, weekly lessons are by audition. It’s also one of the few schools that lets musicians do almost anything they’ve auditioned or fulfilled their prerequisites for, regardless of whether they are majors or not. It’s a completely open department, so many Williams students don’t major in music, but take advantage of everything musical the school has to offer. That’s a great rarity – and gift – among colleges. It makes for a very musical campus.
I wish your son and family good luck on your choice.
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@ivegraduatedmom - Thank you so much for your response. Very helpful. 
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Also check out Hamilton and Vassar. Both have strong orchestras and few distribution reqirements. S1 and S2 both had excellent experiences there with music and science double majors. See my reply in the Amherst thread and my many other posts for more detail.
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To clarify, both went to Vassar and visited Hamilton several times. PLease make time to visit and hear the ensembles at Williams and Amherst and other schools, it is really worth the time investment. We visited at least 25 schools and listened in on rehearsals and concerts.
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I read your other posts and now realize you are deciding between the two colleges so you don’t need additional recommendations. I hope these help others. I hope you get to see a rehearsal or a concert before you choose.
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