<p>I am a junior in high school and plan on applying to several schools (Eastman and Northwestern are my top two choices). I want to major in Music Ed with piano as my primary instrument, but I know that being accepted on piano can be very competitive.</p>
<p>My academics are definitely a strong point for me... I have a 4.0 unweighted GPA, will have taken 11 AP classes by graduation, and am currently ranked 1st in my class.</p>
<p>Will these academic achievements help me to be accepted as a music ed major or is it solely based on talent? It's not that I'm not talented on piano, it's just that Eastman and Northwestern are pretty competitive schools and I want to know if they even care about academics for music majors.</p>
<p>With performance majors admissions are all about auditions. For music education your strong GPA will help get you admitted. In addition it will help with academic scholarships. </p>
<p>The conventional wisdom is to apply to schools in the state where you want to eventually teach. Your state flagship university is a good place to start looking.</p>
<p>If you’re interested in Northwestern, check to see what the minimal ACT score is for admission…they have lost some great players who didn’t meet the standard.</p>
<p>I’ll be attending ESM this fall, and I can attest that Eastman definitely cares about academics. Of course, your audition matters, too, as well as your interview and skills test. Also, make sure you put a lot of time into your personal statement and music education essay. Good luck!</p>