<p>Not concrete and not specific, but general assistance:
Have you had the opportunity to sit in on the classes in each program? Eg. a first year and fourth year class will tell you something in terms of fit. If you haven’t, ask them before you decide and do one more visit if you’re able. Sitting in on regular classes helped my son identify subtleties in different programs (remembering, of course, it’s just one class.). It also gives you access to students who are already in the program who will tell you frankly pros and cons (of course, with some bias ; ). Then look closely at the required curriculum to graduate at each. Then, if you can, track down some alums from each program.</p>
<p>I know this is general and not specific to those schools but I feel if you’re ‘wired’ to be a networker (which you will need to be) then you can and will find opportunities to overcome any obstacles or disadvantages of either program. Go with your gut in any event.</p>
<p>Remember that reputations can be dated in the time it takes to build (which is not to say that Belmont’s is) – meaning a program can prepare you for an industry that totally transforms itself during your four years of undergrad, so that the actual material you’re studying is outdated by the time you graduate (true in any program). In that sense, go for the program you feel gives you the most transferable skill and hones or deepens your CORE talent. (And in the music industry I would argue that the core talent includes listening, deconstructing and reconstructing all varieties of music, which means seemingly non-industrial things such as ear training, theory and musicology…and in my son’s case, psycho-acoustics, computer programming and composition ;)</p>
<p>Do you know what aspect of the music industry you wish to concentrate in? Eg. if you’re most interested in the business end of it, it makes sense to have access to a business school, classes, etc. in the event you elect to do an MBA. If you’re most interested in the production end, depending on genre, you will want to be in the place that has a high level of talent with which to work (and ergo produce) and that offers some level of integration between industry majors and performance majors.
If the technical aspects of recording are your specific interest, indeed Belmont is known in that regard – though the traditional studio model is shifting. Eg. where once protools dominated there is a shift among indies who do not want to be tied to specific hardware interfaces, therefore programs such as logic are gaining in popularity. Which is why the core science/electrical engineering and computing/synthesis/processing knowledge is more useful than superficial software training alone.</p>
<p>Hopefully posters with direct experience in your desired programs will jump in to assist. Just wanted to share about areas of overlap I see from when my son was evaluating various programs. In his case, he was looking for in essence electronic composition and production as a base for writing, producing and recording music, including multimedia work such as film and game scoring. So for him, he needed one part conservatory and one part science/skill/software development.</p>
<p>Best wishes in your decision!</p>