All 3 would be free tuition (sorry, cut and pasted wrong)
I was just going to ask because you said three were free!
I guess I know kids at top grad schools from all kinds of schools and backgrounds. Does your son want a warm climate? 
Great situation to be in…
ps which program at U of J? Department of Music | Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. (ju.edu)
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I have my preferences for my sons options but not showing it. We will be making a pro con sort of spreadsheet to have everything in front of him to make a good informed decision. Sometimes the connection he feels with the teacher is going to outweigh some “cons” but I feel it is important that it is their decision as long as finances are equal. Good luck
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Years ago, my oldest turned down UCLA for a smaller private mid tier university (equal COA with a nice scholarship) All of her peers and many adults gave her a hard time as they felt UCLA was a “don’t miss” opportunity. My kid somehow knew the right environment and thrived.
Now if your son is choosing solely based on palm trees, you can have a nice discussion about pros and cons. But in my opinion, if they have a fair sense of why they want a school and the cost is the same, I say let them choose. You for sure don’t want to be answering to “why did you make me go here?” for the next four years.
Congratulations on the excellent choices!
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Vocal Performance at all 3.
BW: I hear Scott Skiba is amazing! Matt Miller in admissions has been great. He had a lesson with Greg Harrell and said it was quite helpful. He saw Pirates of Penzance there and was super impressed. He likes that VP students have to do 1 show a year. He isnt a fan of the area and feels its so similar to home. Program is top notch but i think he worries about it being too intense.
JU: He has always loved the beach and boats. He was pleasantly surprised at how nice campus was and how welcoming its been. Julian Bryson has been very communicative and is letting him sit in on a class and choir ensemble rehearsal. He likes that there seems to be more options to explore within school of music and beyond. But its the “lesser known” school.
Syracuse: Hes heading there in 2 weeks and doing an online lesson next week. Cons are that the music programs there are strong and he worries he wouldnt be able to explore as much. First years cant be in shows. I think son would like the bigger campus with school spirit.
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You have had some good comments already. And it sounds like he is still considering schools. He may be really excited after one visit but then visit another school and get excited about that one.
So you need to be the “steady” one…being a sounding board…listening carefully…and asking propping questions to make sure he is thinking it through. Try to be curious and positive about all of his experiences…and let the concern go…at least for a few weeks.
And be sure to think carefully about: How will you deal with him being disappointed in YOUR school choice for him? If you push too hard and he decides on another schools…and hates it…then what? I think that it is really important to have open communications (even you expressing your concerns in a matter of fact way) and see his response. I would not talk him out of his feelings. Maybe he wants to be a big fish in a smaller pond living by the ocean. Maybe the palm trees will make him really happy and inspired. That’s OK, right? You can give him a matter of fact…that the other music schools have a higher ranking…does he care? He may not.
People make it in music in many ways. It is a hard degree and competitive. If he doesn’t want to walk the straight and narrow and give it all up for that elusive chance…is that wrong? Maybe 4 years of fun and growth…while not feeling all the competition is perfectly fine. (BTW…my D stepped off the straight and narrow for grad school…it bothered me a little…but I told her to do what made her happy…and she has never regretted it…and she made it as a performer…not at the tippy top…but she found out she cared a lot less than others…and just wasn’t willing to follow the narrow path).
And btw…I wouldn’t judge you or your son for picking a certain school over others. It’s all good.
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Knowing my child, I’m all for the lesser stress programs with options to explore. If my S told me he’d be stressed at XYZ school and would rather go to another program, I would believe that. However, I’d ask why he’s feeling like that about each school. Does JU feel comfortable in a way that means he can thrive, or comfortable in a way where he’s not going to be challenged. Some challenge is necessary!
The way you describe them here, BW seems to have more “serious” pros going for it, with specific people and a production he liked. Can he find out some analogous things about Jacksonville? Meet a professor by zoom, watch a production? I know BW sounds more serious than the beach and boats, but I would say that the environment is very important to a student’s mental health, and I wouldn’t discount those things, either. If he feels drawn to or comfortable at a school, I’d go through the list with him step by step.
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I love this. I have to remember this, and also to not try to talk my kid into having my feelings.
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I was curious and looked the three schools up. @2plustrio of course you have seen these. I wonder what @bridgenail has to say. And also wonder how important it might be to have undergrads only (BW). Maybe the visit to Syracuse will be clarifying!
Performance (B.M.) - College of Visual and Performing Arts – Syracuse University
Advising Sheets - Visual and Performing Arts - Answers (syr.edu)
This was nice: “We encourage the widest possible range of creative options for our students, recognizing that the Western classical tradition continues to grow and expand and that it is only one in a world of myriad others.” A lot of schools are changing curricula as a result.
Music Performance Voice Major | Baldwin Wallace University (bw.edu)
Undergrads only! " Innovative, real-world-focused curriculum"
Bachelor of Music (Vocal, Instrumental, Composition) | Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. (ju.edu) “innovative,” cross-disciplinary
Good luck! It was fun looking at the programs
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I wish I could do this. I’m an open book, emotional wreck person, and he knows what I think. His dad has some additional ideas, and those are fairly known, too. If I could go back in time, I would have made a greater effort to not express any opinions, but that ship has sailed.
That said, we’ve stayed open to every school as a possibility, talking about the pros of every one of them. He will have a choice to make among three or more schools that are very different from one another, and he has heard me say good things and be excited about all three of them.
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Parents and students, this makes me think more about the next phase. We are so excited to get to the next step, and yet I think we need to set some expectations as a family.
I respect every family’s way of doing things, and I’d like to know how you’re handling the decision process. (Or, how did you handle it, if you’ve done this before?) Did parents give a basic ok list of X Y and Z schools and say “choose from these”? Or did parents have a significant role in the decision process? At what point in the process did parents give their own opinions?
I don’t think it’s a popular way of handling this, but we are not going to let our kid choose any school he wants without our input. His dad and I have experience with artistic careers, how they depend on industry connections and lack of debt, what it is like to go to college, etc. And we know him well. How do we talk it through if he’s leaning toward a decision that we think is unwise?
I want him to know it’s okay to choose a school that is not the most renowned. Just because a school only selects a few people, that does not make it the best choice. But, we do want him to make a choice that will serve him in the future and open up the most wonderful doors for him.
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If your son has good reasons and understands that the difference may come out of his pocket, it can be very empowering for him to have a choice. It will certainly make him feel he has chosen his own fate.
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@2plustrio In looking at the schools, these are some of my observations, some of which are based on a vague recollection that your son might not be 100% dead-set on music and might consider related alternatives. That recollection might be wrong. Additionally, I’m viewing this as a non-music parent, so these are just observations, not expert advice.
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Baldwin Wallace: For its voice program, BW lists 8 FT faculty and 6 adjunct faculty for about 27 music-related grads in the most recent year (6 of which were Voice and Opera). On its College Navigator page, it appears as though 18.6% of the graduates in the most recent class were in the visual and performing arts (119 out of 641). This made it the second largest group of majors on campus outside of business majors (20.4% of majors). It also offers majors in Music Education, Music Industry, and Music Therapy as well as a B.A. in Music, should he decide he prefers that path. There’s also a minor in Audio Production and Sound Design.
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Jacksonville: In voice, it appears to have 3 FT faculty and 2 adjunct faculty with about 16 music-related grades in the most recent year (one of which was Voice and Opera). On its College Navigator page, it appears as though around 6.7% of the graduates in the most recent class were in the visual and performing arts (48 of 711). This group of majors is a distant third in popularity behind Health Professions & Related Programs (30.2%) and Business (14.3%). With nearly 45% of students majoring in one of those two fields, it seems as though there might be a heavy emphasis on a pre-professionalism in the culture there. It also offers a B.A. in Music should he switch from a B.M., and also offers majors in Jazz & Commercial Music, Music Education, and Music Technology should he decide he wants something music-adjacent.
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Syracuse: In voice, I think there are 9 FT faculty (clicking on each faculty member’s bio means that an error is quite possible) with about 55 music-related majors, 74 with MT. On its College Navigator page there were no Voice and Opera Bachelor’s recipients in the most recent year, but there were 6 Master’s ones. It appears as though 9% of the graduates in the most recent class were in the visual and performing arts (306 of 3409). This made it the fourth largest group behind communications (14.6%), social sciences (13.8%), and business (12.4%). It appears that your son could switch to a B.S. in Music should he decide that a B.M. is no longer his preference. It also offers undergraduate degrees in Music Industry, Music Education, and Sound Recording Technology in case your son decides he wants something music-adjacent.
In looking at the number of music faculty:music student ratio, Baldwin Wallace definitely makes a compelling case among the three schools and it would appear that there would be several teachers available should he not meld well with one or two (or if his favorite leaves the university).
Jacksonville has only 1 person recently graduated in Voice & Opera. That could then mean that he would get lots of individualized attention, or it could be that there was a problem at some point that discouraged (or discourages) people from getting their degree in voice. I am a little surprised that for a school that wants your son so much (full tuition music scholarship!) that he wasn’t offered an individual lesson of his own, rather than sitting in on someone else’s lesson. But perhaps that’s normal at many institutions?
Syracuse seems to have so much of what your son indicated that he wanted (big school, lots of school spirit and athletic events) that I’m surprised it’s not in the lead right now. I do find it interesting that there were no undergrad Voice & Performance majors in the most recent graduating class. I don’t know whether it’s because grad students are really prioritized or whether it was a fluke or something else. It is something I would be curious to learn more about (i.e. how many voice majors are there in the other year and talking to other voice undergrads during the visit).
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Is NEC out?
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This is opinion/experience…but when a smart kid doesn’t pick the “obvious” choice…maybe there’s something else going on. Here’s some thoughts based on “things” that I’ve seen. A few are probably totally irrelevant to OP…but just example…
1.). Got excited at his first school visit. They love me! They want me! This is heady stuff! Maybe he’ll get excited at the second one too.
I wonder if this is the situation. It’s still so “early” in deciding.
2.). Everyone is telling me what to do. I just want a break and really, really liked FL! Gee, leave me alone and let me make my own choice.
As he goes to more schools and talk with more people his thinking may “evolve”. Remember everyone around him has an “opinion”. It’s a lot for a young person! That’s why a steady parent is important.
3.). I don’t know that I want a super competitive music school. I’m unsure of my talent…what if I don’t make it. Maybe an easier school would be better.
Fear of failure does exist. This a parent will want to address.
4.). I thought I wanted to do music. Now I’m not so sure…but we are so far down the road…ugh. How do I change now?
The sunken cost issue exists too. Again the parent may want to probe to discover what’s going on.
None of this is specific to this situation. It’s just to say…I’m not sure facts/data can always address emotional issues like stress, fear, making a decision framed as “this will make you or break you”…or simply just needing TIME to decide.
I’m all for giving these kids: space, grace and the knowledge that a parent will always have their back and be proud. And of course, a few key facts sprinkled in…just in case…
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I hadn’t thought about fear of failure, but I do know my kid does not thrive under stress, so he’s definitely thinking about that. Unfortunately, he’s probably heard me say that I’ve heard certain schools are high pressure or competitive. On the other hand, he was the one who told me that a few months ago. 
Assure kids that teachers are well aware of this and really do help with this. My poor D’s teacher had to listen to her cry once or twice…a week…lol…
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I havent seen my son to talk face to face as hes finishing up his spring break tours of BW and JU. But I was with him on other school tours. I do know my son is both financially aware and realistic about his future with music.
I know he wants to feel midrange as far as talent. Not the best but maybe not the worst either but still wants to be challenged to grow.
@AustenNut Amazing info as always!
He hasnt visited Syracuse yet thus he has no strong feelings at the moment.
I curated the app list for him. He added some schools as well.
I must have done something right as the final 3 were “my” choices and the end financials are beyond what i would have hoped!
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We didn’t. We discussed all applications before they were sent. Once the acceptances were in, the student was making these decisions. We answered questions if asked, but the final decision was the student’s.
Let’s just say…if you encourage your student to do college your way…and it ends up being wrong…well…it will be your fault. And yes, this does happen.
Presumably your student had good reasons for applying to all of these options.
I honestly don’t think location is a bad reason for choosing a college. Let’s just say…that location might just be the one where your kid will be really happy…and happy kids do better in college than unhappy kids.
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No.
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