Best Schools for Music Composition

violadad · January 16, 2010, 5:15pm

Perfectpitch, The educational system is not run by the federal government, but by the various state funded “public” colleges and universities, as well as numerous private institutions that set their own admissions policies and procedures. There are no “general” qualifying entrance exams for university admission. The requirements are school specific, and tend to include standardized tests such as the SAT’s and the ACT’s coupled with you high school academic performance statistics. Internatnional students planning to study in the US almost always have to take the TOEFL, a language proficiency exam if English is not your first language. I believe the Canadian requirements, are similar.

Admission to performance/creative disciplines tend to include an audition, and for a composition applicant would also include the submission of samples of your work, and quite probably an interview.

Again, these are school specific criteria and are detailed on each institution’s webpages as to specific requirements. Another aspect to be aware of is that most US institutions do not give much to international applicants in financial aid or scholarships, and many require proof of your ability to cover living expenses. Detail is school specific.

I can’t help with composition, and the schools for classical composition are not necessarily the best places for composition in film scoring.

I’d suggest you read the following for background and general knowledge

<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html</a>

You may also want to search for past posts by compmom, SpiritManager, Hunt, and some older ones by WindCloudUltra and Mahlersnob. Also, RichardHK and aLf3Rdd, both are/were internationals looking for US composition schools, but not specifically in film scoring. They may be able to help you with some of the issues facing foreign applicants.

Titled past threads on film scoring:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/825236-film-scoring-mere-trade-not-art-form.html?highlight=film+scoring[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/825236-film-scoring-mere-trade-not-art-form.html?highlight=film+scoring</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/713375-good-grad-schools-film-scoring.html?highlight=film+scoring[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/713375-good-grad-schools-film-scoring.html?highlight=film+scoring</a>
(The list is for masters/graduate level students, and while it may help in providing some options, realize that a graduate focused program may not be the best place for an undergraduate)

This will get you started. I’m sure the composition knowledgeable will chime in.

Perfectpitch · January 18, 2010, 8:44am

Oh thank you, you helped me a lot. Yesterday I looked into it again and came across with the webpage of the Columbia College Chicago. It provides exactly what I’d desire to study so I can’t stop dreaming about it anymore. Maybe there is someone who is a current student there. How is the DAS test? Is there a example of such test? thank you again

violadad · January 18, 2010, 10:01am

Perfectpitch, there is not much on the forum about Columbia College in Chicago. The one titled thread:

<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/411081-columbia-college-chicago.html?highlight=columbia+college[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/411081-columbia-college-chicago.html?highlight=columbia+college</a>

And a few posts with comments. You may want to open each thread to see the comments in context. There are a few more, but are passing mentions in reference to their programs in music business or recording technologies.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1063284562-post7.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1063284562-post7.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060215396-post8.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060215396-post8.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/2926968-post4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/2926968-post4.html</a>

Scanning the previous master list threads, there is no one I saw that had indicated an acceptance over the past few admission cycles.

Perfectpitch · January 18, 2010, 1:52pm

Thank you so much for spending your time to help me. I keep investigating :-)

raddad · January 18, 2010, 2:12pm

One other thought I would throw out is to consider attending an undergrad composition program where there is an excellent film school. This would allow you to participate with peers on their film projects and develop yourself that way while receiving the musical training of a top notch music faculty. My son looked into this a little and many of the best and best connected programs for film composition are masters level. Two schools with excellent film schools are New York University and University of Southern California. Good Luck!

GW07626 · February 4, 2010, 4:57pm

We looked mostly in the NorthEast. Here is what we found out about music:

Cornell University is noted for its music programs, including composition. Several of the professors are world famous. Many of the Cornell students, who are not music majors, participate in the music programs, playing in the various ensembles and/or taking private lessons in all aspects of music. At Cornell you can easily major in music and something else and get a broad education. An undergraduate student just majors in music and can concentrate on whatever aspects of music they wish.

<pre><code>Of the very hard to get into Ivy league schools, Yale is known for its music programs, but again, no composing major on the undergraduate level, and Dartmouth is very good in music and has a very nice music building. Williams is a top tier small college in NYS is also known for music.

We also liked TCNJ, but I don’t believe it has a composing major, just music majors for the undergrads, same for Rutgers. At TCNJ you can major in music and something else, unlike most of the conservatories. For example, Bostn University did not allow the music majors to double major, BU has a strictly separate conservatory even though they are part of a large university. Johns Hopkins was similar to Bu, but they said you could double major, but I don’t think anyone ever does it because the Peabody is a very hard to get into conservatory. When we looked into it fully, we saw that it was unlikely that a non music major could really take any of the private lessons, these lessons were restricted to the majors–who were enrolled in the conservatory.

Look at Gettysburg in PA it has a conservatory but students can double major and other students can take music classes, Bucknell in PA is similar to Gettysburg. These schools are known for music, but we also liked Union, in NYS, and Franklin and Marshall in PA, they might have had enough music for a music orientated non music major.

You will find that almost every school has a music department. Look at the courses they offer to see if they have enough for your student. At some of the non-conservatory undergraduate schools there is barely enough people to make up a music department, and also you should try to find out how many concerts and recitals the college has and if anyone goes to them. You can check the events pages and see what time and day the concerts are if they are in the middle of a weekday, it is unlikely anyone can attend, except for the music majors, who may be required to attend.
</code></pre>

If the school offers a music minor, it is often an indication of a more inclusive, non-conservatory environment. You can definitely ask how many music majors and minor there are at any college and then how many students participate in the ensembles–school sponsored groups, not just the student run activities like the a capella groups.

Remember to start preparing your child to have a music supplement, if it is appropriate, and some of the schools that do not have conservatories (where you definitely have to have a music supplement and audition) will still be happy to meet with your child. The teachers at the music schools, non conservatory schools, might be willing to give her a mini audition or even a lesson to see how they would work together. You should be prepared to pay for any private lessons with the music teachers and it could help your child decide if she wants to go to that college and it might help her get accepted to the college if she develops a relationship with the potential teacher.

system · February 4, 2010, 6:20pm

Boston University certainly does allow music students to double major.

jazzshreddermom · February 6, 2010, 2:21am

Berklee College of Music has film scoring and many international students. It’s also in Boston, a great college town, and perhaps a bit less competitive than a more traditional conservatory or university.

Sop14_s_Mom · February 6, 2010, 12:22pm

Not to nit-pick, but Williams is in Massachusetts, and I’m not sure that its music program is that much better known than those of its peers. Of the SLAC, Bard, at least, has a new(ish) conservatory program.

Many of the SUNY schools have very fine music programs, too.

musicinthebones · April 7, 2010, 10:47am

Interesting thread. Some points to consider that I have not seen covered:

– Focus on schools with flourishing UNDERGRADUATE composition programs. Big name schools with doctoral programs in composition will not offer as much nurturing and opportunities to undergrad composers.

– Explore the actual composition teacher an incoming undergraduate would be studying under. A big name on the faculty does not necessarily mean your child will be in famed prof’s studio – or even have much contact with him/her.

– Investigate performance opportunities available to undergraduates. Are there regularly scheduled performances/readings/recordings of student work?

– Consider whether your D may want to get a graduate degree in composition down the line. Which undergrad programs have the best rates for acceptance @ top grad schools?

– What are the composition alumni of your potential undergraduate school doing after graduation? Ask for alumni success stories.

– Are all students told to write music in a particular style? How much of the individual voice of the student composer is encouraged? Is instruction personalized, or more of an assembly-line approach?

– Check into the collegial atmosphere for composers at schools you are considering. Is it supportive? Or back-stabbing? Schools with everyone writing in the same style tend to be less pleasant, as students see themselves in direct competition with each other.

– Ask if composition is integrated into the music school at large. Are there interdisciplinary projects? Access to major instrumental and choral ensembles for student premieres?

– Lastly: the world is changing. You don’t want professors to pass on their limitations to your child. Look for a place that is open and collaborative about the process of creating music; one that will encourage your child’s unique voice while establishing a strong foundation in the art of composition.

SpiritManager · April 7, 2010, 11:28am

Great checklist, musicinthebones! I agree wholeheartedly. We should start a thread with your post at the top.

musicinthebones · April 7, 2010, 11:41am

That would be great. I just joined a couple days ago, so don’t know the ropes.

Please feel free!

funoffan · April 29, 2010, 7:22pm

If you are interested in contemporary music composition, Berklee College in Boston is probably your best choice.

WindCloudUltra · May 1, 2010, 2:58am

@funoffan…what do you mean ‘contemporary music composition?’ That’s a really vague term, and depending on who you are taking to, can mean a number of different things. Berklee College has a lot of great things going for it, but if you’re talking about ‘new concert music,’ it’s hardly the first, or even 10th place that comes to mind.

OTOH, if you mean ‘contemporary popular music,’ Berklee is certainly one of the few places that offers serious training in that regard.

rlmcmillan · May 2, 2010, 12:13am

WindCloudUltra: Congratulations on your Royal Conservatory of Music grad acceptance! Let us know how you like it. We’d love to hear both strengths and weaknesses. DS is finishing up his second year in the Tufts/NEC double degree program (composition formally, but also continuing his violin studies) and would love to do a semester abroad @ RCM. He’d most likely study composition, but violin performance is also a possibility.

violadad · June 20, 2010, 10:39pm

Just for future reference, some of the “up and coming” that are worth a listen. [Project</a> 440 - WQXR](<a href=“http://www.wqxr.org/series/project440/]Project”>Project 440 | WQXR | New York's Classical Music Radio Station)

stringkeymom · June 21, 2010, 10:32pm

For film score studies, I believe University of Southern California would be a very good option. Among the Ivy Leagues, Princeton also has strong composition and theory faculty although there is no major in composition. Northwestern is another option.

To return to the OP’s concerns, we didn’t know it was possible to take composition lessons privately, and my son applied to Juilliard pre-college with hand scribbled manuscripts and absolutely no private lessons, and was accepted with a big scholarship. What he did have under his belt was a ton of music theory, and that is fairly easily obtained, whereas finding a really compatible and excellent composition teacher might be more difficult. As part of music theory courses, your daughter would be assigned composition exercises and I almost feel that is a preferable way to begin. A teacher can have certain prefixed ideas and there is always the risk of squashed creativity.

Also, would like to say here–though it’s been said elsewhere–that performance level on an instrument is really not a huge component for a composition student. So the OP shouldn’t worry about her daughter’s level flute playing–she is obviously competent enough to qualify for any conservatory or college composition major.

SpiritManager · June 22, 2010, 2:31am

Although USC is often mentioned as a good option for film scoring - do know that the official program is a graduate program only. On the other hand - gong to any school where there is a significant film program - with future directors, producers et al - can only be a good thing for networking. In which case a composition student might choose the school for the strength of its film program first, and music second. Most all the usual suspects for film would probably work out fine (or at least perhaps better than nothing) for a young composer looking to break into the movie biz. Except for a school like Berklee or Belmont (?) most undergraduate programs do not teach specifically for writing for film. Kmcrindle’s son at Michigan is probably pursuing the most direct path in his music/technology degree (sorry - I can’t remember the specific name!)

compmom · June 22, 2010, 8:25am

Just a quick word about the matter of composition lessons/teachers. One way to go is to have a piano teacher who encourages students to write pieces (or allows some assignment of contemporary “new music” pieces in lessons). Maybe even a teacher who gives CD’s of various composers, including 20th and 21st century ones, to educate the student on composition in general.

The other thing is that at teacher can be consulted once a month, or even less often, if the student is busily working on his or her own. This does not squelch creativity, but helps it along. If the student meets with a teacher when this meeting is needed, by the student, rather than on a set schedule, the process can work very well for some students who like to go on their own creative steam.

Sometimes, a teacher can bring some inspiration and ideas at the beginning of a composition project, and a lot of fine-tuning, tips on craftsmanship, as well as support and validation, at the end, but even a beginning student can make a lot of progress in the middle of the work, without a teacher.

Musicinthebones, love your list and hope it can be more prominent in the site. Totally agree that hearing variety in a composition program’s student works is an important sign. This was one of our daughter’s main criteria :)

Different strokes for different folks, but just want to mention that option.

caringparent · August 17, 2010, 6:16pm

My son will be a HS senior this fall. We are searching for the right school for him after he graduates. I have eagerly been reading the threads relating to composition. One suggested looking at an article on the Peabody Institute site, which I did.

My concern is that my DS is a composer, not a performer. I quote from the afore mentioned article: “The defining characteristic of a music conservatory is that all full-time students of the school are enrolled in a performance intensive music program.”

He is a talented composer and music theory geek par excellance. He plays classical guitar, which some conservatories won’t consider for auditions, since it is not an orchestra instrument. He is self taught on the clarinet, the upright bass, and the piano. This summer, he began studying privately with a composition professor from West Chester University.

Has anyone some wisdom and/or guidance to share? This is an overwhelming experience for me!!

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