<p>My link in #15 has a colon on the end somehow.</p>
<p>This should work: [Boston</a> University Information, Academics, Admissions, Financial Aid, Students, Athletics, Alumni, History, Campus, Students, Faculty, Address, and Tuition](<a href=“http://www.stateuniversity.com/universities/MA/Boston_University.html]Boston”>http://www.stateuniversity.com/universities/MA/Boston_University.html)</p>
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<p>Just curious…why do you feel this way?</p>
<p>Fiddlefrog, can you tell us more specifics about the strings department?</p>
<p>We’ve been targeting smaller LACs that offer a BM degree AND have a viable Classics department. It’s kind of a tough combination to find. My daughter ended up just an hour away, so we’re seeing the benefits of that. I think we’d be willing to give on the size issue for a place that has everything else, and is nearby, such as BU. We’d like to be able to take in recitals, etc. But I will argue for the best opportunity, regardless of location. I might lose, but I will argue for it.</p>
<p>I saw the new practice rooms at BU for the first time during Parents’ Weekend last month and I was blown away - they’re terrific! They are certainly among the nicest, perhaps THE nicest, of any we saw at the dozen or so Universities and Conservatories we visted during the application/audition process. Since I figure my daughter, like most performance majors, spends more waking hours there than anywhere else, it was particularly gratifying to see that it’s such a pleasant place to be!</p>
<p>As to post #17, I suspect that wind and brass majors, together with percussion, are what make up the 31 “Music Performance, General” (?)</p>
<p>Sounds good [#25], thanks. Touring the School of Music on 1/27.</p>
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<p>Well…I can only say what I saw at my son’s graduation in 2007…and perhaps Fiddlefrog will say what happened when he graduated. I don’t think that 41 includes winds and brass.</p>
<p>[College</a> Navigator - Boston University](<a href=“College Navigator - Search Results”>College Navigator - Boston University)</p>
<p>Hopefully the above link will work to connect to the statistics on file with the Dept of Education.</p>
<p>Was scheduled to go to NYC yesterday to see New School for Jazz and Mannes, but I’ve been under the weather a bit, so we postponed that and scheduled a general info session and campus tour at BU: [Boston</a> University Visit - TrumpetDad](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visits/boston-university/8762471.html]Boston”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visits/boston-university/8762471.html)</p>
<p>So there’s nothing really music-related about this visit report, but I’ll be refiling it in January after we tour the School of Music.</p>
<p>My d (HS junior) and I are visiting tomorrow. We have a campus tour, CFA tour and a lesson sit in with a flute teacher scheduled. I’ve heard good things, so we’ll see.</p>
<p>I will look forward to hearing about your visit.</p>
<p>D and I Toured BU’s CFA as well as sitting in on the general admissions info session yesterday. I graduated there in 1983 so didn’t do the whole campus tour thing yet. </p>
<p>Simply said, the practice rooms are to die for! My d couldn’t believe how clean, bright and sound proof they are. They also have some that allow you to record yourself, with or without reverb, and then download the recording to your computer to burn a CD. So you can make audition recordings right there. I think the most impressive part was that on a Friday at 1:00, there were about 30 unused rooms. I know that NEC kids fight to get practice rooms all the time.</p>
<p>D sat in on a lesson with Linda Toote and really liked her.</p>
<p>We did not like the fact the undergrads have to compete with grad students to get a spot in the orchestra/wind ensembles of which there are only 3.
The general info session was just OK. My D felt that there was too much “cheerleading” by the 2 undergrads who were asked to describe their experiences at BU. They loved everything, including saying that living in Warren Towers was “fantastic”. Anyone who has ever seen WT knows that it would be hard to describe it as good, let alone “fantastic”.</p>
<p>Overall, it was a good visit. It is on D’s list, but not right at the top.</p>
<p>There is more than one orchestra for the music majors at BU (or at least there was when DS was there), and the wind ensemble. Also, I don’t remember going to ANY concert where the same flute (or any other winds/brass) players played the WHOLE concert. Typically each student played two or three of the pieces on the program, not all of them. </p>
<p>DS was one of many trumpet players and he was assigned to an ensemble every term, and sometimes more than one.</p>
<p>Yes, as I stated, I believe there are three. It is good to know that they rotate. I was also impressed that at least the flute teacher there was honest about the competition and didn’t just say what she thought we’d want to hear.</p>
<p>its the same at UCLA. Grad students audition with undergrad students. For strings of course, they need alot. However, it is extremely competitive for winds and brass. However, there is still a chance as an undergrad u will get in. And there is rotation definitely. since there is a non major orchestra besides music major orchestra, sometimes the music major winds and brass players end up playing in the non major orchestra.</p>
<p>At Boston University, there are also ensembles for non-majors. Music majors are NOT assigned seats in these ensembles from the music department. If a student WANTS to do a separate audition for these non-major ensembles, they can do so. BU does not really over enroll it’s instrument studios. There have been a couple of instances where their yield on a particular instrument was much higher than expected but typically, they are careful. If they only NEED twelve flutes for their flute studio to round out their ensembles, they are going to do the best they can to NOT have more than that…and that includes the grad students.</p>
<p>How difficult is it for a non music major to get into one of the non-major ensembles?</p>
<p>There are a bunch of ensembles for non-majors of music at Boston U. Go to their website and do a search for Boston University Music Organizations. Re: how hard…I think it depends on the instrument and the needs of the ensembles. My son was a music major and did the audition for their orchestra when he was a freshman (so that he would have orchestra playing in addition to the wind ensemble he played is as a major). My impression was that they try to find a spot for most who audition, but I don’t know that as a fact.</p>
<p>We made a return trip, as promised in #30, to visit the School of Music, and we had a friend of my son with us, who is interested in the College of Communication.</p>
<p>We were lucky to have such nice weather for late January in Boston.</p>
<p>We saw the College of Communication first, which was sparkling neat, and seemed well-equipped, though I didn’t know what I was looking at at times. There was just one other family, from Chile, on the tour with us. I mention this tour only because it set the bar rather high for the School of Music.</p>
<p>The School of Music is on the west end of campus, which we had not been to previously. It seemed smaller than I imagined. They have a well-stocked library on site, and we’re told there’s an even larger music library elsewhere on campus. There’s a rather large lounge that could really use some art on the walls. The recital hall looked serviceable, though not terribly impressive. The new practice rooms are, as I’d read, most impressive. As our guide shut the door, the world went silent. The concert hall must be somewhere else, as we did not see it. We did not ask to meet with any professors as my son is still just a high school sophomore, but we did stop in at the BUTI office and spoke to some people there about what they offer for summer programs. We mainly wanted to get a feel for the place, and to see the commonly used facilities. We saw some green space on our way back to the parking garage … notable in such an urban setting.</p>
<p>I recommend the parking garage behind the arena at 925 Comm. Ave. Easy, clean, and inexpensive.</p>
<p>University Grill & Pizza at 712 Comm. Ave. was great, although more convenient to the College of Communication.</p>