Confused about applying

College Majors Music Major
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Okay let me start by summarizing my music education to this point- I joined my small middle school band in 7th grade (when I came to public school from home school) and played flute all of middle school, and half of my 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. The other half of those years was spent playing piccolo in marching band. My high school had a very small music program and probably had roughly 65-75 full time band students. We did marching band in fall and symphonic band in spring. (My school had no orchestra). In my 11th grade I started going to a local college for gen ed classes that would meet college and high school requirements. The only high school classes I took were band and AP Calc.

In addition to this, I auditioned for district honor band for the first time and managed to make it, though I was last chair (which I think mostly stemmed from a very nervous audition). I was looking forward to auditioning for my senior year, but actually ended up finishing high school in the summer following 11th grade and then moving to Wisconsin from Georgia. I half heartedly applied to colleges but didn’t really get accepted due to my high school lagging on sending my transcript.

Here lies my main problem though: I REALLY want to go to college and major in music composition (and minor in an Asian language- preferably Japanese). My high school band director gave me minimal instruction on theory and there were no composition courses. I’ve seen suggestions that I try to apply for music performance in flute then change to composition ASAP but I’d just as soon not. :confused: I’ve never had a music instructor privately and am working 50+ (Sporadic) hours a week to try to save for college so I don’t know about scheduled tutoring. I am a very hard worker and will do anything I can to get composing but I just don’t know where to start with no foundation.

I’m looking at applying for University of Washington in Seattle (with it’s very steep out of state tuition…) but their composition application seems more demanding than I think I’d be able to self teach myself into. At the same time I don’t know about applying on flute… I’m very conflicted and don’t know where to begin or how to proceed. I plan on applying for the college itself in August for the Winter Quarter because I know you need college applications to be accepted as well as music applications. I guess I’m asking for general advice…

(I was 3rd in my class at the end of my Junior year, and graduated with roughly a 3.8 GPA, my SAT and ACT scores both are in the medium-high range of typical acceped students at UW)

2

UW has a school of music. Flute will have competitive auditions as you know and it looks like you cannot apply for a composition focus until you are about to enter junior year. I am assuming a portfolio is involved.

There is not music dept. at the university other than the School of Music.

Have you written any pieces? Are you interested in classical? Are you familiar with “new music”? (The department seems to be quite contemporary, with a department head who studied with Ferneyhough and who has been involved with Darmstadt, signs of a European avant-garde influence.) What are your goals in composition?

If you get into UW, but not the conservatory (and I am not saying you won’t get in, this is just worst case scenario), it may be harder for you to do what you want in music. The music school does not offer a BA in composition, though there is a BA in instrumental performance (you can find out the application requirements and whether there is an audition.)

My first reaction to your post was that you might do better at a smaller school that does not have a school of music. You can do a general music major in a BA that involves composition, with flute either in class or as an extracurricular. Many BA programs do not have auditions or portfolio requirements but offer classes that can help you grow as a musician or composer. Then you could apply for grad school.

If you have not done any composition, go ahead and do it! Composition cannot really be taught, though of course teachers help. I hope that sentence isn’t too confusing :slight_smile: Write some music and then find a teacher somehow, even if you can only afford to meet once a month. Grad students can be good teachers too. Piano lessons are a good idea too but I understand you are busy with work and don’t have a lot of cash. Piano is offered at colleges with general music BA’s because it is needed for theory.

Good luck!

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I have very elementary piano knowledge. I went to a 2 week arts seminar during summer one year and took piano and flute in it. No it’s not a lot, but I did very well and learned very fast in that class (which was taught by a college piano professor). As for music genre I want to use composition for films and media which can be a rough area to get into which is why I hope to get into a bigger school before my masters. The genre that most inspired me to compose is contemporary classical.

The college of Arts and sciences supposedly offers a competitive composition major which I had thought was separate from the conservatory (because wouldn’t that be the college of music?)

I know that the closer I get to a solid decision on this the harder I’ll work but the water seems so murky and unclear I’m not sure what I’m working towards or should be. A large part of the reason I want to go to UW Seattle is because they pride themselves in rather rigorous classes with high expectations as well as their music conservatory skill level coupled with the ability to minor in Japanese- which isn’t offered in a lot smaller schools. Moreover while I know in a larger school I’m less likely to be more individualized amongst my professors I (perhaps too optimistically) hope to stand out to them myself, and also really want to be in a large school simply out of preference.

In my familial experience with college, typically you end up remaining in the area of where you attended school, in which case I want to remain in the Washington and Seattle area. I have looked at other schools but I feel that it’s almost all or nothing with music because it transfers so poorly.

I don’t know if anyone has any suggestions for other large schools with good composition options that also offer Japanese. If I go to a college for a masters in music I was hoping for Berklee, but time may change that. Thank you, Compmom, though you have helped a bunch already!

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When I go to the College of Arts and Sciences at UW, and click on music in the list of departments, it takes me right back to the School of Music. So the School of Music (conservatory) is the only place UW offers music.

If you look further, composition is only offered as a BM. And that can only be entered junior year.

How much experience do you have composing? If you have not done a lot, then a school without a conservatory program might work better for you.

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If she lives in Wisconsin , would Lawrence be a good start?
Also depending where u live, I’d go to ur local college music department and ask there and yes please, make time and budget for private lessons.

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The original poster lives in Washington state, apparently :slight_smile: No further posts which it too bad, people on here could be helpful once the curriculum at UW is clarified.

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I think she currently lives in Wisconsin as she mentions “steep out of state tuition”. She chose the Seattle area for college as she also talks about wanting to remain in the area afterwards. She’ll have lots more options if she reconsiders that!

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Sorry, you are right drummer girl. She even mentions moving to Wisconsin. I guess I couldn’t find my glasses yesterday :slight_smile: Lawrence is a great suggestion.

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Are we sure OP is female?

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No, I wrote he/she and then followed the gender of the previous post…looking back there is no indication of gender. The OP seems to have vanished.

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I return! Yes I am a she, and yes I live in Wisconsin. My only thing about Lawrence is that it offers no Japanese program, or really any Asian language. I’m willing to look at places beyond UW Seattle but mostly west coast schools have Asian language programs, so regardless I’ll probably be far away.

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Glad you came back! Lawrence does have Japanese.In 1989 they created a department for the study of East Asian Cultures and Languages. " Students have the opportunity to explore the rich history and cultural legacy of East Asia, to study the Chinese and Japanese languages in depth, and to spend part or all of an academic year in China, Hong Kong or Japan." http://www.lawrence.edu/academics/study/chja

Lawrence has a double degree program, or the opportunity to take classes in the college from the conservatory. People love it.

You seem like a very interesting and qualified candidate for many schools. Many schools love outliers who do high school a little differently, by the way.

I would still love to hear about any composing you have already done. Or is this just something you would like to get into? Almost all colleges and universities will have composition classes and seminars, for majors and non-majors alike. You have the option of attending a school that has good Japanese, and doing music classes, and figuring out major or major/minor as you go. A BA would serve you well, with double major. If you want to do flute (or, later, composition) for a BM, you can add classes in Japanese as electives or do a double degree.

This might help you: http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html

I think you are mistaken about only West Coasts schools having Japanese. In fact, U of Wisconsin in Madison has a Japanese language program and you could go at in-state tuition rates: http://eall.wisc.edu/?q=node/21 They also have a school of music : http://www.music.wisc.edu/

I randomly checked MacAlaster College in St.Paul, MN, which is a highly regarded college with good BA music and they do indeed have Japanese http://www.macalester.edu/academics/asian/ You can perform with flute there as an extracurricular and also for up to 8 credits.

I think you will find that most reputable universities and colleges offer Japanese, and ways to pursue both flute and composition. My personal opinion is that your could first find a school you like (size, location, campus, general vibe), and that is affordable (do the calculators on the financial aid websites) and get what you need at many many schools.

Don’t forget that financial aid at privates can make them cheaper than publics in many cases. If your family is not welll-off, that may be something to really look into, again, with the online calculators. And there is merit money out there.

I like Loren Pope’s books “Colleges that Change Lives” (also a website and national fairs) and “Looking Beyond the Ivy League.” Another book, “Creative Colleges” lists schools with good music programs but there are so many, you are really doing fine by looking at whatever school interests you for other reasons.

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Wow thank you so much! This has been very insightful and I’ll definitely be looking into these schools. Thanks for being so patient with me and looking into so much! My biggest worry is that I will be bad at composition because I’ll have no one to preview it for me as I’ve long since lost touch with my not-so-great high school band director (my only music mentor, really). That and a lot of other reasons… I know I should just get with it and compose but I feel stuck or without a starting point. Now I just have to practice and work my butt off, which is something I know I can do. >:D

Thanks so much again.

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Ditto - you don’t have to be on the West Coast to learn Japanese. I grew up in Wisconsin. My husband is Japanese. The best place to learn Japanese is in Japan. I spoke very little when I went as an English teacher after college (however I had lived in Europe and could speak a second language). U of MN or Madison will have good Japanese language programs. Living on the west coast will not give you an advantage in language study in my opinion. You’ll be walking around speaking English there as well. Living in Japan at some point will make a difference. If a school has a good study abroad program and MN (remember reciprocity bx the states) and Madison do, you’ll be fine.

As for the music studies, I can’t comment as I’m not familiar enough with composition. Both Lawrence and Macalester are very good schools and not easy to get into. Lawrence is the better music school. Still Macalester is quite good and a city environment. St. Olaf (south of the Twin Cities) could be another consideration but I don’t know about composition. And U of MN Duluth has a good fine arts program as well.

Good luck!

15

Just so you can be realistic, composition programs are very competitive and some applicants have been composing for a long time or have had performances of their works by professionals etc. That isn’t to say that you cannot start in college and then, say, get into the UW program as a junior (I know UW isn’t your most affordable option now, but just as an example). And any degree in music will or can include composition. Just want you to know that the level of high school composers who enter as composition majors tends to be pretty high :slight_smile:

One thing you can do, if it is possible financially, is to get a piano teacher who teaches theory and composition with the piano. Just a thought.