<p>SpiritManager offers very wise advice (and knows much more about composition programs than most people on this board). </p>
<p>I am Canadian (and not an expert in comp programs) and I concur that you should focus most of your search in Canada if finances are an issue. Tuition for Canadians for strong programs in Canada is a fraction of what it is for the strong US programs (Canada: ~$7 or 8k; US: ~$25 to $40k). While more merit aid is available in the US, the merit aid will rarely bring the cost down to anywhere near Canadian levels (and strong students at Canadian universities can usually get most of tuition covered by scholarship, at least after first year; your high school marks may preclude much money at a Canadian university for your first year, unless the music dep’t has substantial scholarships for worthy entering composition students). While there are a few US programs that might offer you a full-ride, they would not be programs of a calibre comparable to the best in either Canada or the US.</p>
<p>Most serious music students now pursue study past the undergrad level. Financial support is usually more generous at the graduate level (and a master’s requires half or less than half the finances that an undergrad requires). So, I would be very reluctant to incur much debt at the undergrad level in music. Save that for grad studies. If you are good, you can gain admission to and financial support from a strong US program then. </p>
<p>Composition tends to be a much more “academic” discipline than performance, so having a McGill or U of T pedigree would be viewed favourably. The other two Canadian music programs (in English Canada) that are strong are UBC and Western, but I don’t know much about their strengths in composition.</p>
<p>Your age will not be a negative factor at Canadian composition programs; if anything, it might be viewed favourably. I don’t think that it would be much of a negative factor at US comp programs either (but other posters, please correct me if I am wrong). Age is a somewhat larger factor for instrumental performance. </p>
<p>You are correct that your facility with the piano will be an asset. I would encourage you to get in touch with a composition professor at a local university for a lesson or two. They could probably give you valuable career advice. The lesson may be free (comp profs in my part of Canada rarely get requests from pre-undergraduates for comp lessons and would view them as potential students), but even if there is a hefty charge, I believe it would probably be money well spent in terms of saving you time and money in the future. Check the music department’s website at your local university to determine who teaches composition and email them. </p>
<p>The Canadian Music Centres also will have plenty of information on practicing composers in your area that you may want to contact; I suspect that you live quiite close to one of the CMC’s (Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and probably Halifax). In your case, if I were given a choice between a university comp prof and a practicing composer, I would probably choose the prof because they can give you application/school advice in additional to composition advice.</p>
<p>While you don’t have access to US federal grants, as a Canadian, you do have access to federal and provincial student loans. As I mentioned previously, I would advise against going deeply into debt for an undergrad musci degree, but if you were living at home and just needed a couple of thousand to supplement your job savings to cover tuition, then there is no huge harm in accessing the Canada Student Loans program.</p>
<p>Check with music departments to determine if you take composition courses as part of a music minor. At some Canadian universities (McGill, for instance), you can place out of many of the requisite theory/academic music classes. If you did well in your RCM theory exams, then you should easily be able to place out of at least the first 2 or 3 McGill theory courses, perhaps 2 aural musicianship classes, one or two keyboard proficiency classes, and one or two music history classes. That would free up enough space to fit in a non-music major to satisfy your father while allowing enough time to study composition seriously.</p>
<p>All the best in the future!</p>