<p>I'm a composer who was accepted to both BU and NYU, and have a strong interest in composing for film, television, orchestras/bands, and pop artists. Which school would have the better opportunities and connections for me? All thoughts appreciated - thank you!</p>
<p>So has Syracuse been eliminated from the bracket? They’re not used to getting eliminated so early.</p>
<p>No worries, Syracuse made it to the Final Four for me- just wanted to get a more limited perspective between BU and another school besides Syracuse.</p>
<p>My son had no interest in any NYC schools so have nothing to say about NYU.</p>
<p>NYU composers seem to have a lot of motivation and are starting new festivals, etc. Plus, there’s no shortage of new music in NYC right now. I’ve heard good things about De Joio as a teacher but know of several students there who are frustrated by the department’s lack of organization. I’ve also heard from students there that grad students are prioritized with orchestral readings. </p>
<p>BU has a mostly graduate department for composition right now from what I understand. I’m not sure how much is going on in the composition se</p>
<p>*department itself (didn’t seem too active when I considered it), but Boston does have more and more new music popping up around the city. (Alea III, BMOP, Juventas…)</p>
<p>NYU is going to have more opportunities for film/tv/commercial music. They also have a very active composition department. It’s an exciting time at NYU right now for composers. And then there’s all the concerts in the city…</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about either program, but given your interests, I would think that NYU would offer you a rich set of opportunities for extracurricular scoring to get some credits in your portfolio given the activity level of the Tisch film production program. Of course, that would take active networking to “cause” those opportunities. Just a thought :)</p>
<p>I don’t know the programs but I can speak to difference between the Universities and the cities they are in.
NYC is sometimes referred to the city that doesn’t sleep where Boston shuts down at 11pm on many nights. Boston is a college town. Between Berklee, NEC, Boston Conservatory, Emerson and BU there is no shortage of people studying music and all areas connected to music in the area. So there are lots of networking opportunities and chances to connect with peers your own age who are being innovative and exploring similar areas. NYC has Juilliard, MSM, The NewSchool and CUNY and although they are probably not spread out over a greater physical difference, the density in New York the students do not dominate the way they do in Boston. </p>
<p>Both NYU and BU are big universities with large bureaucracies . NYU’s administration is particularly frustrating and disorganized. BU’s is not great either but it is better than NYU. </p>
<p>For what it’s worth, my son studied with Martin Amlin at BUTI and liked him very much. I think he is still head of composition at BU.</p>