Just starting on our search and noticed there’s a small college fair coming fairly close to us featuring the Colleges that Change Lives. Anyone have thoughts on which of these schools have strong music programs other than St. Olaf, Lawrence, Wheaton(which definitely would not be a fit)?
We visited a few CTCL schools with D16, although not looking specifically at music programs. University of Puget Sound has a strong music program. Southwestern University is near Austin, TX and benefits from the music scene and multitude of musicians there, and I’ve heard they have a strong choir program.
College of Wooster, Clark, U. of Puget Sound . St. Olaf and of course Lawrence are ones I know of that have strong music programs.
It does depend on what you mean by “strong music program.” Are you looking for a conservatory/school of music BM program (2/3-3/4 classes in music)? Or a BA program (1/4-1/3 classes in music)?
Puget Sound has a school of music with both BA and BM. Lawrence has a conservatory that offers a BM and the college offers BA’s. St. Olaf has both BA and BM. Wooster has 4 degrees in music, a BM. BA, education and therapy. Clark offers a BA.
Why do you say Wheaton would not be a good fit? Are you sure you are looking at the right Wheaton? There are two. One is a conservative christian school. The other is a very liberal school in Massachusetts equal between Rhode-Island and Boston. The Massachusett school is wonderful (I am the parent of an alum who thrived there and will always be grateful for the special education he received at Wheaton). Wheaton’s music program is not in the same category as Lawrence or Oberlin or St Olaf. But depending on your interests Wheaton has amazing resources and if ensembles are not a priority it is entirely possible to study privately with great instructors. My son studied classical guitar off and on while he was there. One benefit to Wheaton is if your child does grow out of the small liberal arts environment and wants to spread their wings they can (and many do) go to Brown to take classes or even spend one day a week in Boston at a University there.
As StacJip implies, many colleges and universities will have “good music programs” with a BA as the degree end point. In many cases, private lessons are available, performance opportunities are extracurricular and excellent, and the student can either major in music, minor in music, or major in something else and take music electives. For a BA in music, approximately 10 out of 40 total classes would be in music (music history, theory and aural skills, ethnomusicology, composition, musicology, technology and other courses of personal interest).
This path is very different from BM performance programs at “Lawrence or Oberlin or St. Olaf” though those schools also offer different options for the study of music, in addition to the BM: BA, double major, double degree. The BM programs involve immersion in music with 3/4 of classes in music and focus on lessons and performance.
If you want a BA, there can be disadvantages to being on a campus that has a BM program because the better teachers and performance opportunities may go to the BM students though this is not universally true, so check it out.
If a student is not sure of which degree they want, it is fine to apply to more than one option in terms of a path for a study of music, and decide in late senior year.
Thanks for all the thoughts!
I had Illinois Wheaton in my head. Isn’t that the one featured in CTCL or is the other Wheaton as well? My kid’s teacher actually got her a BM in piano performance from Wheaton Illinois and went on and got her master’s at a highly competitive program so I don’t doubt it’s a great school. This kid is just an atheist and that school seems a little too religious to work for him. We are going to visit St. Olaf soon (fairly close for us) and I really like the look of it, but we’ll see what he thinks. We’ll take a gander at the east coast Wheaton - thank you! 
I am kind of open to talking to any school at this point, but he seems most interested in schools with BM performance programs and jazz options, various ensembles, an undergrad composition option, etc. Like we toured Macalester where you could do BA and it had a smaller music program and he wasn’t wild about that. He is open to a double degree program for the right program I think. We’re new to looking, we’re taking it all in.
His primary audition would be in voice or piano. He would love to possibly continue guitar in some way. He is interested in the look of something like Berklee, but I’m not sure that would be a long term fit for him either. Lawrence seems to have a flexibility I haven’t seen other places. If anyone has other suggestions we’re open but since this CTCL event is coming very soon, I just wanted to make sure we wouldn’t miss talking to a school this kid should maybe be talking to. Wooster looks like it might be a good fit!
How about Ithaca? Not sure it’s a CTCL but my D looked at it and it had some similarities to Lawrence and St. Olaf.
I don’t know what Wheaton is in the colleges that change lives book. The two are often confused and although both are strong academic small liberal arts school, they are on opposite sides when it comes to religion. The east coast Wheaton is not a school for a kid who wants a Bachelors of Music though. It is a school for a kid who wants a broad liberal arts education and the ability to connect to excellent faculty. Ithaca college is great, as is Tufts/NEC if he is thinking dual degree. Eastman, Oberlin and University of Michigan are also schools to consider.
I would recommend Bard College (not the conservatory) for a music student who is deeply interested in a wide range of musical paths. I don’t think they tour with the CTCL schools - but they fit right in. Wouldn’t be a BM but a BA - but great composition program, wonderful professors, and strong in jazz, electronic, world music, classical etc, with lots of music on campus. And voice is undergrad in the college only - not offered in the conservatory.
If he applies to a BA program there usually is no audition, though he can send a music supplement with recording, music resume, and letters of recommendation from teachers or directors.
Sometimes the multifaceted kids who love more than one thing in music are hard to place but sometimes they have a great grasp of music in a holistic way
If he wants a BM program, that helps clarify things. There are some great options suggested above. I might add Hartt at U. of Hartford or SUNY Purchase. There are others.
Was Oberlin mentioned? That is a top choice for many…Lawrence, Oberlin and Bard get mentioned a lot on here for double degree as well as BM, with Ithaca also often added.