Composition Student?

College Majors Music Major
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<p>So here's the deal. I'm about to embark on my senior year, and I have intentions of being a Composition major. There are really no private teachers in my area for composition, so I've been kind of down on my luck there. Here's what's up:</p>

<p>I have really solid SAT scores, a 94% GPA, and I'm 17th out of 300.
I write mostly for choirs, and I should have a recording of at least one piece I plan on submitting by the time interviews and all start up.
I attended an arts magnet school last year for Music, where we recieved training in theory, composition, performance, the whole bit.
I know enough theory that I bypassed Music Theory 1 at my school to take Music Theory 2 this year.</p>

<p>I feel like my music is good, but I'm not like a lot of these really motivated kids who have written entire symphonies. It's new music, but it's my music.
My main concern is that I have no formal training... Anyone have any insight on this?
My schools are New England Conservatory (in hopes of the Harvard/NEC program), Harvard, Yale, Swarthmore, Cornell, Tufts, Carnegie, Ithaca, Oberlin, Baldwin-Wallace, Syracuse, JMU, St. Olaf, Westchester, and Temple.</p>

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<p>“It’s new music, but it’s my music.” Great comment!</p>

<p>You have a great list of schools. Are you applying to conservatories at Oberlin, Ithaca, and Temple, for a BM, or are you applying to the colleges, for a BA?</p>

<p>Don’t worry too much about the training issue. You have been studying composition and theory at your high school. At this level, I think many schools are looking for potential, and having your “own voice,” as you describe, is a big plus. Do you have someone who could help you evaluate your chances?</p>

<p>For conservatories, you will need more than one CD. Generally, they want 3-5. Oberlin likes one hand-written score. Although midis are often accepted, it can be worth it to have musicians (choir?) perform your music, and record it.</p>

<p>For colleges, one CD would be enough. We directed the colleges to the best 3 minutes of the CD, knowing that, unlike conservatories, they would not be able to devote a lot of time to listening.</p>

<p>Just a word about the Harvard/NEC program. Let’s just say that the program is for musicians at the level of a Yo Yo Ma (who went to Harvard). Once at Harvard, some students get in later in their years there. Tufts also has a double degree program with NEC. Harvard’s is a BA/MM, Tufts’ is a BA/BM. Oberlin and Bard have double degree programs.</p>

<p>Some musicians at Harvard, anyway, do the opposite: take 5 years to graduate and then go to grad school at a conservatory, rather than accelerating!</p>

<p>Speaking of which, have you looked at Bard? They have a conservatory and a college. Others on here can tell you more about it.</p>

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<p>My son just finished his first year at Yale, and is (almost definitely) going to be a music major focusing in composition. There is no composition major per se–you have to take a number of other music history and theory courses, as well as composition. Also, because it’s a BA program, you have distributional requirements in other departments. But people who do well in the program often go on to music schools for grad school.</p>

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<p>compmom, thanks on the quote! It’s my general philosophy :slight_smile:
At Oberlin and Ithaca I’m applying conservatory, and I was unclear on the relation between Boyer School of Music and Temple, but I definitely consider Westchester and Temple my “back ups.”
The training thing is great to hear! I was definitely extremely concerned with that, but I’ve gotten hints that for undergraduate training it’s not as huge of a deal.
As of now, I’ll hopefully have a local chamber choir doing one piece before auditions start up. I was going to record one of my piano pieces on my own, and I’m in talks with my school quartet performing my string quartet… very distantly is the potential of my concert band piece getting done, all in the Fall concert.
That raises another concern. Is it alright if I send all application materials and THEN the CD’s, after the Fall concerts in October and November?
The Harvard/NEC program is definitely a stretch for me, and I’m beginning to lean more towards the Tufts/NEC… I didn’t know that was considered a BM, which is wayyy more up my alley.
I’ll have to look into Bard! I had heard the name but never researched much…
My primary goals lately have been shifted by an incredible visit to Baldwin-Wallace, where I was told about a program for Musical Theatre Musical Directors… very new and nothing like it anywhere.
They said that with a LOT of work, I could manage a double with that and Composition, but their Musical Theatre program is top notch and only accepts the best, so we’ll see on that.
Hunt, thank you for the insight on Yale! I’m definitely interested in a program that offers a wider scope than just musicmusicmusic. </p>

<p>Thank you to the both of you! If you have any further insight, let me know, or send me an email: <a href="mailto:nawilders@gmail.com">nawilders@gmail.com</a></p>

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<p>You might also want to look at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, Ct., or Boston Conservatory: conservatories with both music and musical theater-? I’m sure there are many others, but those are two we saw…</p>