Colleges for Popular Music/Songwriting/Recorded Arts

College Majors Music Major
1

Any visits, insight on, or connections to these schools or music/vocal departments? These remain on our list and are in no particular order. We live in Western NY so hoping she stays close to home but that’s just a mom wish!

My daughter is entering her senior year. She has 3.7 GPA and is in National Honor Society but only a 24 on ACT (will retake soon.) She has much experience as a vocalist (classical, theatre, jazz & pop) has won local and larger scale awards/recognition for theatre, jazz and for anti-bullying shows she wrote for, directed and performed in. She wants to study vocal performance (popular/Contemporary/Jazz) songwriting and recording arts.
Her wishlist includes:
Artsy vibe
Urban setting (or easy train ride to)
Non-traditional campus
She seems to be leaning towards smaller music programs (250 students or under) but open to larger departments

Columbia Chicago (CCC)-definitely one of the best, most energetic and exciting artsy tour presentations we attended (my daughter loved it and is returning for their open house in October) but I see lots of negative feedback out there. She would apply to the program called Music, Contemporary, urban, and popular music (BA)

Roosevelt University (Chicago College of Performing Arts) Very nice visit and met with a professor who my daughter really connected with. Would study Jazz/Contemporary Music (BS.) Will be returning for a day to attend classes in October. No recording studio but they just received a huge grant and will have one around the time she’d start in Fall 2019.

Miami Frost-MADE Program-she will visit in August. I don’t think they will give much $ (apparently they reserve for jazz) but daughter doesn’t want to major in jazz so may just take our chances if she gets an audition

St. Rose College (Albany)-we visited recently and she fell in love with their Music Industry Program.

William Patterson NJ-Music w/popular music emphasis (BA) have not visited, unsure if we should keep on list or visit

SUNY Purchase-Studio Composition

Loyola New Orleans -Popular Music/music industry

CalIfornia Institute of the Arts

USC -popular music (definitely a reach school)

NYU Clive Davis (another reach)

Berklee Boston (definitely towards the top of her list)

Any help, direction or insight would be appreciated!

2

Some of the schools on the list are on the list for test-optional colleges http://fairtest.org/university/optional

Though some will want scores for merit aid. Since she is focused on music, it is possible some schools won’t require scores but will rely on talent in music. So worth looking into. Does she have any learning challenges or test anxiety that would explain the discrepancy between GPA and test score? Maybe it was a fluke!

This is a great list. Looks like she has settled on a BM program.

3

I understand that Adam Levine of Maroon 5 member went to Five Towns College – https://www.ftc.edu/

My child was at a high-level performing arts HS and several students also went there.

Other schools with music industry focus–

Syracuse http://vpa.syr.edu/academics/setnor/undergraduate/music-industry/
Ithaca College

Ithaca – https://www.ithaca.edu/academics/school-music/academic-programs

4

@compmom Thank you! Yes, she does have some test anxiety, at least on the high stakes tests. Her teachers think the main issue is her being a bit of a perfectionist (wanting to show all work or add detail to her essays and running out of time on tests) so we have a tutor addressing the time management issues and focusing on math for the retake (she did great on the ELA and Writing portions but the math really tripped her up.) Perhaps that is something she can explain in an essay or interview if it becomes an issue. I did notice that some of these schools are test optional (which is nice) but if she can bump it up a little, she’d actially qualify for academic merit as some of the schools.

We have discussed with her that we are open to her applying to reach schools (within reason) as long as there are safety schools on the list and she understands that financial packages offered by all schools will impact our final decision. Luckily, our visits have paid off where she can envision herself at several schools, some safe and some reach, some with a reasonable tuition and some with insane tuition costs, some who give a lot of merit/talent $ and some who give little, some who care about test scores and some who focus only on talent and passion.

I’ve been reading and posting on some other threads so I’ve already learned so much, but I thought I’d start this thread so I can get some more focused responses as we approach application, prescreen and audition season, which I hear sneaks up on you quickly! I figure if we can scratch a few off the list during this stage (or at least hear honest feedback from experienced people to help in that decision) it will be very helpful. We tried not to get caught up in the program types (BS, BA, and BFA) and just get a feel for each program as we compare those options.

Another thing on her wish list is that she prefers a liberal arts college as opposed to a conservatory (but open to a place like CCPA if she feels it has a balance of other things she is looking for.)

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Thank you @Dustyfeathers! I have heard a little about Five Towns College but I’ll check out further. The student who gave our tour of the Music Industry Program at the College of St. Rose said that he had planned to go Five Towns College and pulled out at the last minute to go to the College of St. Rose because he didn’t have a good vibe. Obviously he was biased (and never really experienced that college) so we can explore more. We visited, but my daughter did not like Ithaca at all (I was hoping she would since it’s so close!) She wants a much more diverse campus and didn’t feel the program really fit her needs (they seemed more classically focused and the recorded arts was very tech centered.) We have not checked out Syracuse yet but that is very close to us. I found that schools who offer great recorded arts programs fit into 2 categories: artsy/creative or techy/business/law-focused. I heard Syracuse was more focused on the techy/business/law side. She doesn’t want to become a producer or sound engineer but wanted to study recorded arts to understand and utilize the knowledge for her own recordings as an artist/musician. We can definitely research Syracuse more because I was getting second hand info and maybe my assessment is completely wrong (I went to grad school there for teaching and liked it.)

6

Skidmore? Hartt? You probably want to cut programs rather than add!

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Yes, we’d rather cut than add, but College of St. Rose was an addition and turned out to be a hidden gem, so we are definitely open to good additions too : ) Thanks @compmom

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Hi! I think our daughters will be looking at similar programs & we have pretty much the same list going. I had eliminated CCC for the reasons you mention – my radar went off and I decided we would keep looking. Does she have UArts in Philadelphia on her list? My daughter visited and was lukewarm but not negative on it. I felt like SUNY Purchase was very much tech focused and less vocal performance in commercial music, though these things sometimes change quickly and I looked last fall. St Rose looks really interesting and I definitely would like to visit

Finally a side question – Looking at U Miami Frost: what exact major are you applying under? I find myself so lost and confused there. My daughter doesn’t want to major in songwriting/composition and seems like CAM is for songwriters? Is there a designation under MADE for contemporary vocals? I am just very lost as I try to organize dates/requirements/bookmarks/etc (my job in this process)

Thank you!!

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Yes, looks like we have similar journeys ahead, @GagasMom. We did visit University of the Arts but my daughter didn’t get that “yes” vibe and felt it wasn’t for her. It was a summer visit so I’m sure a Fall visit might have yielded a stronger energy but she decided to cross it off her list. I heard that CalArts is similar to University of the Arts (where musicians are encouraged to explore other arts fields through painting or photography classes, for example)

To answer your question, this is how the MADE program at Frost (University of Miami) is described:

Educational Objectives

Upon graduation, students will have:

-a highly competitive skill set in musicianship, artistry, and entrepreneurship, including performing, writing, arranging/orchestration, recording, musical direction, marketing and promotion, copyright management and administration, as well as the ability to write basic agreements and licenses;

-a diverse and applied understanding of the music industry;

-the ability to create and execute a sound business plan, as well as a portfolio/EPK that best showcases their brand identity.

-a minor in Music Business and Entertainment Industry.

I believe students who also want to pursue songwriting, like my daughter, could minor in CAM (Comtemporary American Music) but they only take 10-15 students in the CAM program per year, so quite competitive. So your daughter does not have to be a songwriter to do the MADE program. My daughter is visiting Frost with her aunt (who lives in Orlando) on August 10th so I’ll let you know her impressions. She is not doing the general tour but will meet with a representative from Frost who can speak about the music department and give a tour.

It might be worth a visit to CCC before you count it out because it was a very impressive tour and my daughter loved it. My sense is that the students who succeed the most there are very driven, focused and independent. The turnover or “inability to cut it” might be a result of their high acceptance and openness to accept a variety of students from various backgrounds and GPA’s (which I see as a credit to the college because many of these kids have strong talents and deserve that chance.) I know they have an outstanding, reputable Film department but I’m not sure where they stand on vocal performance/music. Hoping the open house will give us a better view of being a good or bad fit. I WILL say the dorms there (and at CCPA) get an A+ (like high rise penthouse apartments!) as well as the city of Chicago as a dynamic place for an artsy person to study!

Definitely check out the College of St. Rose in Albany. The Music Industry Program is exactly what my daughter was looking for as far as being able to combine vocal performance, songwriting (not required but available) and recorded arts. They have their own record label which Is fully run by students. Students create their own CD senior year and have a listening party when released. How cool! Lots of great intern oppprtunities and really teaches them the business side of things and how to make money doing what you love.

Not sure where you live, but my location near Buffalo, NY allowed several visits by car to schools on her list which has really helped her narrow her search and pinpoint or modify her wishlist. Due to cost, we will only visit the California schools and Loyola if she gets auditions (and some even offer auditions in NYC so that’s an option too.)

So far we have visited:

Ithaca
SUNY Fredonia
City College NY
Berklee Boston
Humber College Toronto
CCC
CCPA
University of the Arts
College of St. Rose

In addition to SUNY Purchase and William Patterson, other “maybes” are New School, CU Denver & Belmont

10

*Sorry for any typos or misspellings (like opportunities)-had issues with trying to edit after I posted : (

11

My son is interested in similar programs to the ones listed here. Please give update on any you have visited since your last post. What about USC Thornton or Calarts. I am trying to decided whether to go for audition. I am located in Florida and not excited about distance or cost. My son is accepted to Belmont for songwriting. He has auditioned at Berklee but in Orlando. We won’t visit Boston till we hear if he is accepted. He has auditioned at Univ of Miami for MADE/CAM. He was accepted to St. Rose without auditioning because it was a back up school. Doesn’t compare to Belmont. My only concern about Belmont is that the vocal arts and other performing arts is in different schools from the songwriting program and neither instruments or vocals classes are required in the program.

12

@jacole -it’s funny to look at her original list at the top of this page. She has evolved a bit. Here is her updated list in order of audition and some thoughts on each:

  1. Columbia College Chicago-portfolio audition. Accepted with decent academic scholarship, offered honors program, talent scholarships announced by March

2, Roosevelt CCPA (jazz and contemporary program)-auditioned, decision in March

For 1 & 2 my daughter LOVES Chicago and really likes both schools, possibly slight preference for CCPA because it’s smaller, more intimate, although Columbia has a more comprehensive program related to music industry, pop voice, songwriting

  1. Loyola New Orleans (commercial/pop music)-admitted with very nice Scholarship

We had a super quick visit but she really connected with the professors at the audition and wants to do an “Accepted student” visit to get a better feel for the campus and programs

  1. College of Saint Rose (Music Industry)-admitted with very generous academic scholarship and possible talent scholarship which will be announced by March

This is actually my personal favorite due to the low cost (very generous merit aid) and being so close to home-4 hour drive. The program encompasses everything my daughter wants to study. Very cool they have their own record label and everyone was super welcoming and friendly. She really loves it too but wanted to be in a big city. However, she knows it’s a short train ride to NYC or Boston so that helped her warm up. I know it’s not a big name music school but might be a great place for my daughter’s focus.

  1. Berklee (professional music)-admitted with nice scholarship but prob not enough to justify going there

She really loves Berklee (visited twice) but understands that it’s a financial stretch even with the scholarship. I personally think it’s too big (about 1000 vocalists) and would prefer her to have a smaller program

  1. CalArts (experimental pop)-auditioned in Chicago, decision in March

We know very little about the school and program. I know she heard good things about it and she really wanted to apply to one California school so I didn’t object. Obviously very artsy school. Her audition went well, but doubt this will be the place.

  1. Miami Frost (MADE/CAM)-audition in Feb., decision in March

She visited in the summer and loved the MADE/CAM program, although not sure Miami is where she envisions herself for college. The biggest hurdles are cost and low acceptance rate-very competitive. Also, she is below the average ACT score at Miami but has a decent GPA so don’t think it’s a huge problem.

  1. New School (jazz and contemporary studies)-audition in March, decision in late March

This was a late addition after hearing great things about the vibe of the college and music program.

  1. City College NY (jazz) audition in March, decision in late March

Being NY residents, this one fits our pocketbook as a state school and she loved her visit to the school. They have a minor in pop music and classes in songwriting so would meet her needs.

Belmont was on her list at first but she dropped it, fearing it might be too religious or conservative (fears I know are unfounded but she decided she had enough good options on her list and didn’t want to pursue another school.)

Not sure you’ve visited this page, but you should book mark it and join in our conversations : )

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/2070752-class-of-2023-undergrad-class-of-2021-grad-the-tours-the-auditions-the-journey.html#latest

Hope that helps! Good luck to your son!

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City College isn’t a state school, it’s a CUNY school - City University of NY. However, the tuition is generally lower than SUNY. City has some dorms but I am not sure how tough it is to get a spot in one.

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@techmom99 Sorry, that’s what I meant. We get very low tuition rates at SUNY and CUNY schools (about $6000 per year, although that doesn’t include housing/meal plans which can be very costly in NYC.) So City College has a pretty budget-friendly tuition rate for us, but they are not known to give much money for talent and we don’t qualify for the free tuition through Excelsior. So a school like College of Saint Rose might be able to beat their “bottom line” cost since cost of living is much more reasonable in Albany.