Composition Majors Without Instrumental Auditions

<p>Do remind your parents that in the world of music admissions there is no true safety - unless you’re applying for a non-audition program (by which I mean you needn’t submit any of your compositions.) But compiling a big inclusive list is great right now - plenty of time to winnow it down over the next year.</p>

<p>If you want to compose, you can just apply to colleges that interest you and do a general music major (history, theory, composition, ethnomusicology, technology etc.). That would involve neither audition nor portfolio, though you can always send a music supplement.</p>

<p>A BA would mean 25-50% music, A BM would mean 75% music. Some BM programs do have performance and therefore auditions, but most of the ones I know about don’t. urricularcan still do performance as an extracurricular and take private lessons. Many students who do this do end up doing grad school in good schools. Just another option.</p>

<p>You and your parents might want to read this essay on ways to study music: <a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html”>http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also check out SAT/ACT optional schools: <a href=“http://fairtest.org/university/optional”>http://fairtest.org/university/optional&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Finally, I suggest a book entitled “Creative Colleges” available online and also the book/website/fairs entitled “Colleges that Change LIves” by Loren Pope, who also wrote “Beyond the Ivies.” A school like Clark, or College of Wooster, or many others have really great music programs.</p>

<p>Don’t seek out conservatory or college music programs because you think music will be easier than a full academic program. Music can be intense and sometimes even very academic. Research websites, course listings, requirements and the courses themselves, the background and music of professors and so on.</p>

<p>State universities are a good option too (I mentioned SUNY Purchase, as did others). Smaller LAC’s might really fit the bill though.</p>

<p>Be careful about putting yourself through a lot of stress for no good outcome. NEC is great but aid is not, for instance.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice spiritmanger, I’ll keep that in mind.</p>

<p>compmom I actually decided a BM would be best for me because of that article on Peabody’s site. I neither think or want a BM to be easier; I marched two years of drum corps and I find that i thrive with intense work and love the academic aspect of music. I’ll look into those books and colleges you suggested and I have no problem with state universities. One of my top schools is USF because of the composition faculty, the quality performers and the in state tuition. Thanks again.</p>

<p>P.S. I actually would benefit from a school that take test scores into higher account because I test really well, and my grades are average.</p>

<p>What kind of music do you write? It is your involvement in band and jazz that made me wonder if a BM in composition at certain conservatories, would satisfy you. What kind of music is your teacher involved in? Has he/she suggested any summer programs? What film composers do you like? I personally don’t like competitions but have you entered any for composition? Who has performed your compositions and do you have good recordings? Etc.</p>

<p>@compmom - I asked some of these same questions earlier and got this reply about the OP’s aesthetics - which has colored my replies:
“Aesthetic: By aesthetic do you mean as who I am as a composer? If so, I don’t know exactly what genre I would fall in but my music is most influenced by David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Michael Gordon from Bang on a can and Yale, which is out of the question sadly; Wolfgang Rihm and Helhut Lachenmann, both are German and only one teaches; Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Eastman; and Baljinder Sekhon who teaches at USF.”</p>

<p>These influences are all so different and I was not clear on what pieces have been actually played etc. Still a little curious.</p>

<p>I haven’t had any pieces played yet but I have a string quartet that I’m working on getting performed and recorded. I have entered one fifteen minutes of fame competition and am working on another. I am also going to enter my string quartet into a competition called next notes for high schoolers sponsored by the American composers forum. I don’t really have a favorite film composer and don’t really have interest in film composition. As far as my teacher goes I don’t really know what “genre” they compose, I’m not big on genres in general. They are actively composing, a lot of stuff for percussion and it is modern. They have recommended the Eastman horizon program, tangle wood and Oberlin for summer programs although we haven’t talked much about it. </p>