yay–congratulations fellow parent to a kid with commitment issues! 
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Yes–we’ll see you there! I’m excited about how relatively close it is and an excuse to visit Nashville a lot! (we’re in the Atlanta area; his brother is in Saint Paul, so we haven’t made a lot of trips up there!)
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Congratulations!! 
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Congratulations, that’s fantastic - time to buy all the merch!
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This forum has been so valuable for us during the information gathering, application and audition process. I’ve posted very little but have read a ton… in attempt to pay it forward I’m sharing a snapshot of my son’s journey. Thank you to everyone for your positivity, compassion and expertise!
My son applied for music production and is interested in a dual degree - with a full university experience- which he knows will likely take 5 years. Music production means very different things at each school and it’s hard to figure out the differences from the websites - some are more engineering focused, some are more new media focused. My son wants to produce and compose electronic music and produce other musicians. He does not want to be a sound engineer which would earn him
a Bachelor of Science in certain programs. In the end, we figured out the differences during the application process and definitely made some mistakes along the way.
He applied to NYU-Steinhardt, Oberlin, Michigan, Miami, USC, Ithaca and Indiana.
He passed prescreens at all schools but USC. That stung a bit since it was the first school he heard from. The beginning of the emotional roller coaster!
At Indiana-Jacobs, he applied for composition because it seemed that the audio engineering major was too science-oriented. Surprisingly, he passed the composition prescreen and we traveled to IU for his interview and tour. When we got there and met with faculty, it was clear he should have applied to audio engineering - it would have been a much better fit than composition and offered more of what he wanted.
In his Oberlin, Michigan and Ithaca interviews he had the opportunity to talk about his portfolio original tracks- where his passion lies.
At Miami, they required a cello audition. Apparently, you must do an instrumental audition regardless of major. We were disappointed that there was no interview or conversation about the media scoring and production major. That was definitely an indicator of how Miami views that particular major- more of a concentration than a major and cello would have been a big focus- not what he wants.
In the end, he was accepted, dual degree at:
Michigan
Oberlin
Ithaca
Received merit money at all 3.
Waitlisted at:
Miami
NYU - Steinhardt
Rejected at:
USC
IU
He has enrolled at Michigan SMTD-LSA and couldn’t be more thrilled. He will be getting a BFA-BA and is excited for 5 years. He feels that Michigan’s performing arts technology (PAT) is the right program for what he wants to study and felt excitement and connection in the interview. He also loves that he will be part of a large, spirited university.
Congratulations to all of you and your kids for making it through your own journeys!
We are excited for the next chapter.
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I was actually so incredibly proud of him for making a decision. Definitely something he struggles with in all aspects of life and this might’ve broken down that wall! Woohoo
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That was the first thing we did after paying the deposit!
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Congratulations and well done!! Your violist had a tough decision to make for sure!
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Thank you for this! Future parents (and applicants) in this particular music discipline will appreciate this information, as the schools are often opaque about how they design their particular programs and you really have to dig deep to find out if it’s the program you are looking for!
And congratulations to you and your son for successfully navigating these often confusing roads!
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Hi, all-- reminder if you would like to PM me any merit award info, it’s not too late! I am happy to keep that thread updated for future readers.
It’s all helpful information for those who are just starting their process.
Go, Class of 2024/2026-- I just knew we would be an awesome crop!
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Congratulations! Welcome to UMich & the SMTD family! GO BLUE! 
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In case this helps future parents with ideas for popular music (in our case, vocals):
Applied and accepted with some merit $:
Berklee
CalArts (attending)
Loyola New Orleans (large scholarship offer)
Not accepted:
Miami/Frost
USC (didn’t get past prescreen)
NYU
Good luck, everyone.
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Lucky you! We’re about 9 hours from Nashville. At least it’s very driveable in one day. Atlanta-St. Paul is a bit far!
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Same here!! Literally as soon as he signed the acceptance letter lol
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Thank you for sharing this! Best of luck to him during his journey.
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Congratulations Class of 2026!
So much talent and hard work has paid off for you. Onward to the next level with many opportunities and adventures ahead!
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Yay, Anchor Down!
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Decision made and we couldn’t be happier - My son is enrolling at Frost for Media Scoring & Production. Miami bound! He was impressed by the facilities when we did our visit, excited about the professional/hands-on focus, and the ability to casually play in ensembles along the way.
It’s funny, after all this discovery and indecision, it seems like he found the perfect school for him! Best of luck to all the amazing and talented students launching the next phase of their musicianship! We can’t wait to see what comes next!!
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Congratulations! It has been so incredible to watch my kid, as well, make a very thorough and thoughtful decision. These kids are absolutely amazing!
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Congratulations!!
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