Looking for any feedback on Brown’s MEME program from people who have had experience with it. Also, thoughts on Harvard’s partnering with Berklee for a dual music degree from people who’ve had experience at Harvard in their electroacoustic music program. From Harvard Crimson '16: Harvard College and Berklee College of Music have formalized a new dual-degree program, marking the beginning of a partnership that promises to marry Harvard’s liberal arts curriculum with a more focused, advanced degree in music from Berklee. By the end of the program’s five-year cycle, students will have earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard and either a Master of Arts or a Master of Music from Berklee.
Other large academic schools you might check out for electroacoustic composition that don’t normally pop up are University of Virginia, Duke University and Dartmouth. There is actually quite a bit of electroacoustic composition out there at many many schools. Even places like University of Montana. If that’s what you’re after - perhaps look into the schools which interest you for other reasons, then check out their composition offerings.
I would recommend visiting both schools. Check out their studios, talk to professors, and find out more about each program. Keep in mind that Berklee is on average 25-30 minutes from Harvard by bus or subway or cycle-hire. Also ask yourself what your goals are. And while you are in the neighborhood also look at Harvard-NEC (contemporary improvisation department if you are interested in electroacoustic music. And Tufts-NEC. Try to get beyond the “brand” and think about what you want to do with this dual degree and how each program is going to meet ALL your needs (social, academic, musical, artistic etc…)
Harvard has a great electroacoustic studio run by Hans Tutschku. If you want to do electroacoustic composition, you can do it there. Terms like “electronics” are used to apply to many different kinds of composing and studio work so it depends on what you want to do. For what I think of as “electroacoustic” composition, you are fine with Harvard without a double degree.
In Boston, look at NEC as well as Berklee- there is a studio for electroacoustic work there too of course. Boston Conservatory too- it has merged with Berklee but is still separate in many ways.
Most music departments (BA) and music schools (BM) now have some electroacoustic composition classes and a studio. Really. The advice above to choose for many reasons and then see what is offered in this area is great advice. Meaning, city or country, size, academics, and “vibe.”
At the grad level you can really focus on it. Any undergrad program will have theory, aural skills, analysis, ethnomusicology, and so on as well as composition and electronic work. You might want to wait to do grad work in electroacoustic composition after undergrad, when you have a “foundation” and a better idea of what you want to do (or maybe you already do).
MEME is a great program and I can see that it is now offered to undergrads- used to be a grad program. Brown has three strands to its undergrad music major, and that is one of them. (Dartmouth has a grad Digital Arts program you might want to look at out of interest.) Sam Pluta runs a studio at Columbia that is also excellent.
Oberlin has the undergrad TIMARA program that might interest you. Ithaca is good with electronics. U of Michigan. Really, possibilities are numerous.
At the grad level, European conservatories are also a possibility (Royal Conservatory of the Hague Sonology for example). U. of North Texas, McGill, Harvard and UCSD (computer music) are all good in this area. Mills, Berkeley, and I think San Francisco Conservatory has a new program. So where do you want to be geographically?
You might want to get involved with IRCAM in Paris at some point. Look at their summer programs.