College Shopping for a French Hornist

College Majors Music Major
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<p>I'll begin by stressing that I'm new to a lot of things right now -- searching for music schools, navigating forums, etc. I apologize if this thread would be better placed somewhere else or if any of my questions are already answered in other threads. That aside, I am a rising high school senior and have realized that I need to start making some important college decisions very soon. I have been playing the horn for seven years and have decided that I want to spend my college years earning a B.M. degree in horn performance. If possible, I would also like to earn a second degree in biology, though, depending on where I end up, I may settle for a minor instead.</p>

<p>Essentially, I would like some guidance on how I should go about selecting a school. My high school guidance counselor is no help and my band director is intent upon convincing me to attend LSU; therefore, I have turned here for help. What are some colleges that have good conservatories and a possibility of pursuing a double-degree? I would prefer a school in the northeast, and I've already been looking at Oberlin, Eastman School of Music, and the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.</p>

<p>Due to a set of odd circumstances within my family, I have only ever had one formal private lesson on the horn and have never been able to attend a summer music camp. I know these are substantial deprivations, but I may be able to compensate as I am recognized as a somewhat exceptional musician at the high school level and it is likely that I will start taking regular private lessons soon. Auditions are my greatest fear right now, as I still feel a little inadequate, but I don't think I'll have a hard time gaining admission to any institution, as I have maintained a 4.0 unweighted GPA throughout high school so far and have scored above thirty twice on the ACT.</p>

<p>Finally, to wrap up a long post, what should I do about visiting colleges? I will be visiting ESM and JHU in a couple weeks (my first college visits, by the way), and I am wondering just what I should ask to find out as much as possible about the music and double-degree programs, even though I'm visiting in the summer. I may or may not be able to visit again in the fall, so should I try to contact the horn professors at their respective institutions to see if they are there and could offer a sample lesson? Thanks for tolerating my rambling and for any help you may be able to offer!</p>

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<p>Yes, you should absolutely try to get a sample lesson, if possible… it might be difficult over the summer. If you do, be sure to ask for feedback on whether your level is “in range” for conservatory admissions and ways to improve. This will give you some idea on whether you are competitive.</p>

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<p>Visiting during the summer won’t give you the same “vibe” that you’ll have when classes are in session, and many of the teaching faculty won’t be there since they’re off in residence at summer festivals.</p>

<p>Your grades are admirable and could serve you in good stead at a lot of schools, but are by no means an indication of a “sure admit” to many schools and especially not to a conservatory. Good music schools will pay attention, first and foremost, to your audition and you need to have the correct repertoire and the solid technique to play it.
Have you looked at web sites and gone through them to see what you’ll be expected to play for an audition? Are you able and prepared for that? Are you involved in ensembles in your area?</p>

<p>Is there good horn teacher in your area? While your family may not be able to pay for your lessons, you should be able to get a part-time job and pay for them yourself. The level of students who audition for the few open spots at top schools is very high- for example, CIM has 10 students, total, in the horn department with 2-3 faculty members. Most students have played in youth orchestras in nearby cities for several years or attended pre-college programs. It would be wise at this point to at least visit a nearby college with a good teacher and get an evaluation of your abilities so that you know what you need to work on. I am assuming that you are a rising senior? If so, getting started with a teacher as soon as possible is a necessity because you only have a few months before applications are due and you also need a private instructor’s recommendation to letter accompany those, but in your case, you’ll have to use your HS band director because he has known you far longer.</p>

<p>Keep posting- folks here are great and will be glad to help out!</p>

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<p>Many, many years ago I did a double degree majoring in performance at the Hartt School and a majoring in chemistry at the University of Hartford. (All one school). I applied to the college of Arts and Sciencs as a BA music major and then audtioned as a performance major at Hartt. I was offered the option to be a performance major at Hartt and told them I wanted to do both degrees. They were open minded enough to allow me to do it. I was one of the first students to do a double degree there and after 4.5 years and three summers of courses ( to satify distribution requirements), I earned a B. Music in Performance and a B. Arts. Exactly what I wanted - and I was exhausted but happy.
The good news is that having the chemistry major in the School of Arts & Sciences gave me a sizable merit scholarship at the University of Hartford.<br>
I think you should consider schools like UHartford and Ithaca if you want the B. Music in performance. You need to discuss your plans with them to see if they will allow you to do the double degree and you can proabably qualify for academic merit aid there.
Another great option are LACs like Williams, Vassar, Wesleyan, Hamilton, Skidmore, etc - that have a strong music program with no audition required where you will grow in an environment with other excellent musicians who are at or near the level of students at conservatories but don’t necessarily want to get a B. Music Performance. You can double major in music and a science at several of these.</p>

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<p>Great ideas and advice chemusic!</p>

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<p>Thanks for the responses! I know I have yet a lot to do to prepare. I have already begun practicing audition materials, although I don’t know exactly what I need to work on because I haven’t yet settled on a definite list of colleges for which I will audition. Anyway, I will have help perfecting audition materials this fall, when I take more private lessons. The hornist who gave me my first lesson lives out of state, so I can only take lessons with her when she flies in to perform in the local orchestra.</p>

<p>As to other ensembles, I have performed in regional bands of three different states now, and last year, for the first time, circumstances permitted my joining a youth orchestra. By the time I graduate high school, I’ll have been in the youth orchestra two years. I hadn’t thought about needing a recommendation letter from a private instructor, so thanks for bringing that to my attention. It will be tricky finding a suitable author for such a letter, as by the time I graduate, not a single teacher or instructor in school or otherwise will have known me longer than two years – my current band director included.</p>

<p>And chemusic, thanks for your suggestions as well. I looked into the schools you mentioned and actually really liked the look of the University of Hartford. After examining the differences between the B.A. in music and a B.M. in performance, I’ve decided firmly on the B.M. For that reason, I haven’t looked into LACs as much because many of them only offer the B.A. But Hartford so far in my short acquaintance with it looks promising!</p>

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<p>GossamerHornist - we always recommend this thread for those first considering a music major: <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?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Don’t be deterred by the length - you need only read the first page of posts.</p>

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<p>Gossamer–My daughter is a horn player who is going to major in music ed. There are certain “repertoire” pieces that are common in the audition process as well as orchestral excerpts. If you PM me, I can put you in touch with her and she can share her experiences. Her academics aren’t great, so she didn’t apply to the schools you did, but she did audition at 4 different schools and was accepted into the music programs at all of them.</p>

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<p>I can’t speak directly about the French horn, my experience is with strings, but I would recommend a couple of things (you didn’t say, are you a rising junior or senior?).</p>

<p>-I agree with others, try to find an experienced horn teacher, preferably at the college level, to get an idea where you are. I can’t speak to specifics about the horn, but there is a lot that is expected at the college level to audition and get in, and you need to see where you are, first to see if you are close to what is needed, secondly to see where the holes are. You may be lucky and whoever taught you was really, really good, but it takes a lot to get into the top level programs.One of the reasons private lessons are important is those teachers normally are familiar with audition repertoire. For brass instruments, usually it includes orchestral repertoire, plus some solo stuff (wouldn’t be surprised if one of the Mozart horn concertos are required). </p>

<p>That is easy to see, start looking at the requirements on the music school websites, the good news is there is often significant overlap. </p>

<p>I don’t want to be a downer, but it is going to be tough, it is even for kids who have been studying with private teachers for years.</p>

<p>-If you are serious about horn performance, one option you always have is to take a gap year. If you figure out you are playing big catch up, taking a gap year could give you more time to come up to snuff.</p>

<p>-If you find that you aren’t ready to audition for a BM, you could go someplace that has a music program, study with a teacher there privately, play in the school orchestra or youth orchestra that goes through college like New York Youth Symphony, and then give it a shot as a grad student. Even if you decide not to do a BM, you can play music in college and beyond:). </p>

<p>-One school for horn that can be difficult is Northwestern, both academically and the music school, but they have I believe people from the Chicago symphony, who have phenomenal brass; Indiana might as well, and you can dual major at Indiana, two (I think you can at Northwestern, others can see)</p>

<p>The biggest key right now is to get a realistic assessment where you are, without that, planning the future may be next to impossible. </p>

<p>I wish you well, give em heck:)</p>

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<p>Good Advice Musicprint!</p>

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<p>Following up on a couple of points: I have heard that Northwestern is very difficult to get into for horn…but it is also a university that encourages double-majoring.</p>

<p>For letters of recommendation, I believe that for Peabody you’ll need THREE from music teachers or people who are familiar with your playing, and for Eastman, two from music teachers and one from either an academic or another music teacher. That’s a lot of letters! Think about who you want to ask to write them for you.</p>

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<p>I just thought of a Plan B option. Susquehanna, Shenandoah and Gettysburg all have B. Mus in Performance degrees. We heard the jazz band at Susquehanna and they were great - a bustling music building mid- day when we visited. We visited but did not hear any groups at Shenandoah and Gettysburg. Not sure about doing a double degree at these - you will have to ask. Take a look at the horn teachers at these schools and arrange a sample lesson. I am not sure about the level they require for the performance degrees but they and similar schools are worth looking into also.</p>