<p>Has anybody had first hand experience with the program, or visited/auditioned there themselves. They have a good faculty, but are they always at the university? How large is the undergrad class normally, and what are the chances of 1 0n 1 instruction. Also how are they with financial aid?</p>
<p>I am a BU violin student.</p>
<p>In most areas, the bulk of the teaching is done by the full time faculty (who is full time and who isn't is specified on the website). This varies by area. Those teachers are very good about regularized teaching schedules. </p>
<p>All students, undergraduate and graduate alike, study privately with faculty members. If assistants come into the picture, it is always supplemental to the guaranteed 14 hours of one-on-one faculty instruction per semester. Many teachers hold regular weekly or monthly studio classes, which are also supplementary (meaning they aren't substitutes for lessons, nor are they credited separately). </p>
<p>Financial aid can be very good. It depends a little on the year and a lot on the student's level of musical and academic accomplishment, as even the need-based aid isn't guaranteed, and is awarded partially according to merit.</p>
<p>So, if I'm a horn student, do you know the names of the horn professors that actually teach full-time, or can you tell me where to go to find out who they are? (I know of a few from the boston symphony, but as you said they are not full-time teachers).</p>
<p>The Boston Symphony's horn players tend to prefer to spend more time teaching at New England Conservatory, which is right next doors to Boston Symphony Hall where the BSO performs and rehearses. (All 6 of NEC's horn teachers are either current or former BSO members.) The only current BSO members that are on BU's faculty list are Daniel Katzen and James Somerville, but I don't know how active they are in the BU scene.</p>
<p>However, BU also has couple of other horn teachers on their list, and while they don't play in the Symphony, that doesn't mean that they're not as capable teachers as the others. You can see their list at Boston</a> University College of Fine Arts</p>