<p>I wish I had discovered this web site months ago!
My son wants a career in piano performance. He is going to apply to Juliard, Oberlin, New England Conservatory, Peabody, and the Cincinnati Institute of Music.
I know absolutely nothing about any of this. I have no idea if he's applying to the "best" schools. Please - if you have any information or feedback or anything to help me/him I would deeply appreciate it. What schools have we totally missed? What do you think of the schools listed above? Good/bad? Why? How can he possibly say which teacher he'd like to take lessons from when you have no clue who they are? We don't have a ton of money to go around and take lessons from them.............thoughts? If he gets accepted (I know the odds are low!), but he can't go due to finances, are there any good public schools where he could study piano performance? We live in MN if that helps at all. He's pretty solid academically - 31 ACT, 1970 SAT, 3.7 GPA
I really appreciate any guidance you can give me.</p>
<p>You might want to double post this on the Music Forum part of College Confidential. There are some real expert parents there, and some threads that will interest you.</p>
<p>My daughter's boyfriend got an excellent education in piano performance at Loyola of New Orleans. He had a music scholarship to that school.<br>
Your son is going to have to do some research on teachers. Does he have a good theory background? There is a lot more to being a music major than just playing your instrument. The courses can be quite challenging. Has he participated in regional or national level competitions? As with any college application process, he should apply to some "match" and "safety" schools as well as the reach schools which you mentioned. With his grades, he might want to look at Rice. The Shepherd School of Music is one of the best in the country.</p>
<p>Your son's teacher should know about schools. If not, you should find a local teacher who does and can hear him play and help with the process (finding schools, audition material, etc.). Is he a junior? The most important thing is to get him set up with the audition requirements at each school. If he doesn't have a piece that's requested, it will take significant time for him to get it to audition level. As with everyone else, he will need safety schools. It's important for him to gauge his level in comparison with other applicants, and that's another place a good teacher who knows about this process can help.</p>
<p>There are tons of schools that offer piano performance with varying academic and music expectations. There should be a number of websites on good schools for piano performance. Does he want a school that's only a Conservatory or has strong academics, too? Is there a particular area you're looking at? Is he interested in a certain type of music? What are his future plans? These are all questions to consider.</p>
<p>Lawrence has an excellent music program that's especially strong in jazz. There are a number of state schools with top music programs, such as Michigan and Indiana. It's difficult to beat Indiana for music. The Curtis Institute gives full scholarships to every student, I believe. Boston University has a very good music program. He can look at the music schools at Yale and Northwestern, though the academics may be more of a stretch. New England Conservatory and the San Francisco Conservatory are well respected. I know a fantastic pianist from the Hartt School. I could go on and on, but know that there are a lot of wonderful institutions.</p>
<p>Indiana (public university) has a nationally known music performance program...but I don't know how the costs compare to a conservatory.</p>
<p>Many liberal arts colleges, like Lawrence, have very strong music departments, and it is possible to major in music performance. They may be more likely to have $ available, especially if your child's academics are solid.</p>
<p>If there is any potential interest in music at a liberal arts college, go to the colleges' websites, look up the music faculty, and "research" their CV. If they have a strong performance background, and if they are continuing to perform in the types of venues your child is interested in....a liberal arts college may be an option.</p>
<p>Some conservatories require a pre-screening CD, so that is something to keep in mind as you and he make your list. That is quite a list too (no safeties there!)!</p>
<p>In my view, it really matters what you are planning to learn. I personally would not go to Julliard for Trombone, despite the name, for example (and that school has top teachers here). Because of its teacher and his style, I would go to the Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University. Were I a flutist, I would not go to either CIM or Julliard, though I know up close that the folks at both are arguably the best or nearly the best around for what they do. I’d be interested in a solo career and becoming part of the pedigree from which Jimmy Galway has come to us. That means I’d be doing everything in my power to move to Switzerland and become one of Galway’s students. Violin would take me somewhere else entirely, composing would take me somewhere else, and conducting yet somewhere else. So, maybe encourage your kid to discover who teaches at these schools, scope them out, listen to their performances, try to find out if they enjoy teaching, and try to follow the person’s string of students. Use the internet, CD's, DVDs, and the good ol' phone to call around. You can do this without a lot of money. Just have him do it.</p>
<p>welcome anxious parent,
I'll second the suggestion of Lawrence Conservatory if you are looking for generous merit aid. They also offer accompanying fellowships to piano majors who have this type of experience.</p>
<p>Another public school with MN/WIS reciprocity and a strong music school is UW- Eau Claire.</p>
<p>Hopefully your son's piano teacher has been guiding and preparing him for this. If the teacher has not placed a student in a conservatory piano performance program in the last several years, you may want to test the waters nearby your home by having your son contact piano professors at some of the fine schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Usually the teachers at the liberal arts colleges do not charge for sample lessons and are happy to let prospective students know what they could expect from their respective programs. Having sample lessons with many teachers will help your son discover what type of teaching style works best with his learning style. We also found that some teachers would suggest collegues at other schools that might also be a good fit.</p>
<p>I wish you luck with the process. Also, do check out the "music major" section as there is a wealth of information available.</p>
<p>I have merged the two threads that were accidentally started on the same topic. I also encourage the OP to visit the Music Majors Forum where there are a lot of informed posters and also several threads on this and related topics. </p>