Instrumentalist S24 was accepted for music ed at Lawrence and music ed/performance at Ithaca. He has visited Lawrence and thought it was “aight” and we may or may not get to Ithaca before D-Day but he feels pretty confident he will like it there, too. Are there any appreciable differences between the two music schools? I have noticed that the music facilities at Ithaca appear superior (better performance spaces, more technology) and that there are 3 professors (2 FT, 1 PT) for his instrument at Ithaca as opposed to 1 at Lawrence.
Years ago, we visited both. They did seem very similar. One a little better here. The other a little better there. btw, I did grow up in Appleton so I’m familiar with these smaller cities/towns with LACs…and many of these schools have a similar vibe.
The teacher issue is notable. More teachers for an instrument does matter. I think that gives a plus to Ithaca. Still he has to be happy. Lawrence has a good reputation and if the teacher left I’m sure that they would have another great one…but that is a disruption…without another known faculty member to lean on. Teachers leaving or taking a leave of absense DOES happen. And no matter what, it’s disruptive to the students (happened to my kid for a semester and she survived fine…but she was very anxious about it…still she had her same coach so that helped).
There is always a lot of focus on the teacher (as there should be) BUT you do need to look at the whole faculty and program. My D benefited from many teachers at her school.
Good luck…they are both excellent choices. In the end, he may just need to go with his gut.
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