<p>My son is looking to study/train in music to be a contemporary music performer or composer . he has only come up with a really short list, The New School in NYC, McNally Smith and BERLEE College --- he needs more options but everything I turn up the focus is seriously European/Classical music or music education to become a school music teacher.</p>
<p>any suggests greatly appreciated</p>
<p>renee626, I posted a brief note in response to your post here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1045522-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2011-a-13.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1045522-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2011-a-13.html</a>.</p>
<p>To flesh it out, there are not many colleges that focus on contemporary/popular music and without having detail on your son’s training and experience, some of these may not suit.</p>
<p>New School and Berklee, but there is also UDenver/Lamont, Belmont, CalArts, Cornish College of the Arts, USC/Thornton’s (Popular Music), Chicago College of the Performing Arts, University of the Arts, UColorado/Denver.</p>
<p>Read through these:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1089973-seeking-school-good-jazz-contemporary-music-major-acting-minor.html?highlight=contemporary[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1089973-seeking-school-good-jazz-contemporary-music-major-acting-minor.html?highlight=contemporary</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/864305-best-contemporary-composition-programs.html?highlight=contemporary[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/864305-best-contemporary-composition-programs.html?highlight=contemporary</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/972221-contemporary-popular-music.html?highlight=contemporary[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/972221-contemporary-popular-music.html?highlight=contemporary</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/935776-contemporary-drummer-b-level-grades.html?highlight=contemporary[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/935776-contemporary-drummer-b-level-grades.html?highlight=contemporary</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/933420-schools-ba-jazz-studies-contemporary-guitar-music-theory.html?highlight=contemporary[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/933420-schools-ba-jazz-studies-contemporary-guitar-music-theory.html?highlight=contemporary</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/752896-music-schools-embrace-contemporary-musicians-suggestions-requested.html?highlight=contemporary[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/752896-music-schools-embrace-contemporary-musicians-suggestions-requested.html?highlight=contemporary</a></p>
<p>There are parents/students at CC’s music major forum with students at and currently auditioning for these programs with greater specific knowledge than I. Posts by SteveM and raddad are particularly worth reading. </p>
<p>Do read this <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html</a>. While it is written from the perspective of a classical route, there is important general info that pertinent to any audition based/audition driven admission.</p>
<p>If you are considering Musicians Institute, Full Sail, McNally Smith, be aware that these are for profit entities, and cannot be compared with the typical not for profit college. They MAY work for some, but investigate thoroughly and don’t equate apples with oranges.</p>
<p>I’ve asked the moderators to move this thread here [Music</a> Major - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/]Music”>Music Major - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Hi renee. Depending on your son’s goals, my son’s program might be a fit among others. The University of Michigan School of Music’s “Performing Arts Technology” degree is both a music degree with electronic or contemporary composistion, performance, some film/game scoring, and other elements of music technology, sound recording, reinforcements, and in one curriculae, engineering. Many of his classmates perform contemporary music and that is their primary background. At the same time, performance studio and a performance degree is also available. </p>
<p>The application criteria includes the audition for performance stream applicants, plus the submission of recordings, mixes and notation for at a minimum: electronic score, acoustically performed and multitracked score/recording/mix; a recording of students performance on an instrument or in a band (whether performance track or not); digital sequencing samples and an electronic instrumentation of any Bach fugue using any program. They also like to see additional portfolio works (eg. especially computer programming, and in the case of engineering applicants, especially code and multi-tracking evidence.)</p>
<p>It’s a very interesting and flexible program that develops very solid transferable skills in multimedia and audio production/composition while still fostering the depth of theory and composition one would find in a more traditional music degree. I believe the program accepts about 16 applicants, four in each of the four curriculae. Details are available at [UM</a> School of Music, Theatre & Dance](<a href=“http://music.umich.edu%5DUM”>http://music.umich.edu)</p>
<p>Other programs where contemporary composer/performers seemed welcome include NYU’s Clive Davis Recording Arts program (applying as producer/artist stream); Indiana Jacobs School of Music Recording Arts program (about half the kids had contemporary only background, and about half had experience with traditional ensemble work), USC Thorton’s popular music program, and Belmont’s commercial music program. All fabulous school but pretty rigorous admits – and worth looking into. - Also, Humber College in Toronto Canada has a contemporary music program that looks quite interesting ( a friend’s son graduates this year from the program and has already received credits on film scores).</p>
<p>Re: Umich, if he’s not at all into classical, does that also mean he’s not super-steeped in theory or classical performance – eg any ensemble experience? I will say Umich is pretty rigorous on theory and that despite the contemporary nature of my son’s program, my son was/is pretty experienced in western music traditions and that experience has certainly been drawn upon. But he has also commented that his style is often “much more orchestral” than some of his peers.</p>
<p>One suggestion is to be clear with your son on contemporary composition vs popular music singer/songwriter. Schools like USC or Berklee and some others have programs for both but the programs are separate and fairly distinct in curriculum, faculty and students. Also more schools with traditional composition programs would have contemporary composition than would have a popular music focus or songwriting. Doesn’t mean the students aren’t doing it all in various forms on their own but what training/development is he looking for.</p>
<p>My S went on a similar journey. At first he wanted to study contemporary guitar performance, and the only places we found in the East for that were Berklee and Belmont. He did not do classical or jazz at all. Last summer, he decided he wanted to pursue music composition/film scoring. We found that composition and/or songwriting opens up a lot more potential schools, because many composition programs encourage a wide range of musical tastes and experience and a few allow electric guitar as a primary instrument. My S settled on Berklee, Belmont, Temple, and NYU. Temple has no instrumental audition requirement for composition majors, and the composition department is fairly contemporary in its outlook. Berklee, Belmont, and NYU all allowed him to audition on electric guitar and play a contemporary piece he wrote for guitar and vibes. Temple’s and NYU’s composition programs are flexible and allow a primarily contemporary focus if that is what the student wants. NYU also has a film scoring concentration and offers a master’s in film scoring. They both have very accomplished contemporary composers on their faculty. </p>
<p>Belmont has two different songwriting programs and a commercial composition/arranging program (the latter is what my S has applied for. He is a songwriter too, but wants to do film/TV/game scoring as a career.) Berklee also has a songwriting program. </p>
<p>Of course, if your student is at all interested in jazz there are a world of colleges with great jazz performance/composition/arranging programs.</p>
<p>Thank you— He has been taking classical piano private lessons at Pasadena Conservatory of Music for past 3 years. he is cross registered at Pasadena City College (our community college) and has taken sight reading, songwriting and popular vocal performance. He has done a summer program at BERKLEE, and 2 summer programs at LA Music Academy (really geared for young contemporary professionals for an Associates degree only). He took private vocal performance lessons and private songwriting classes. He is NOT in a Performance high school. We are piecing together what we can.</p>
<p>Great distinction about Mcnally Smith — I honestly had no idea!!</p>
<p>thanks again</p>