<p>Hi, all, it's the annoying, indecisive marylandchick again! I made my decision for my major (contemporary/commercial songwriting), and now all I have to do is make a list of schools I'd like to transfer to. I need safety schools and reach schools. My dream schools are the three big ones: Belmont, Berklee, and USC. USC is out of reach unless I can REALLY wow them, but it's my top school. I have already written my own songs (I write pop/rock) so I was thinking of using one or two of those for my pre-screen, but I digress. Anyway, I need help coming up with a list of safeties and reaches. I have one school on that list already (Middle Tennessee State University), but I would like help coming up with more. Any and all advice/opinions/help would be appreciated. Thanks! :)</p>
<p>-marylandchick</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about the singer-songwriter program at UC-Denver? It just started Fall 2012, so…if anyone has info, please share!</p>
<p>In your previous post, I think you were choosing between vocal performance and acting,but now you are writing about contemporary/commercial songwriting. I am assuming the songwriting is related to your singing ambitions, is that right?</p>
<p>You could also consider some slightly alternative, interdisciplinary schools that let you set your own path. Look at Bennington and Sarah Lawrence, for instance. Hampshire, Lewis and Clark, there are others…</p>
<p>Here are Bennington music courses: [Bennington:</a> Courses](<a href=“http://www.bennington.edu/Academics/AreasStudy/Courses.aspx?dCode=MUSIC]Bennington:”>http://www.bennington.edu/Academics/AreasStudy/Courses.aspx?dCode=MUSIC)
And Bennington drama courses: [Bennington:</a> Courses](<a href=“http://www.bennington.edu/Academics/AreasStudy/Courses.aspx?dCode=DRAMA]Bennington:”>http://www.bennington.edu/Academics/AreasStudy/Courses.aspx?dCode=DRAMA)</p>
<p>The nice thing about schools like this is that you don’t have to decide on a narrow focus. They not only encourage but practically require you to mix disciplines, so that, for instance, an artist might study botany/biology or a dancer might study poetry, etc. The other nice thing is that in order to participate in classes and performances, being a novice, an intermediate or an advanced performer are all fine.</p>
<p>Just a thought.</p>
<p>Thanks, compmom! Yes, you’re right, it’s related to my desire to sing! I hadn’t even considered schools with mixed disciplines! That’s so smart! I’m definitely going to look at these schools! Another question, though. Do they have “connections” to people in the music industry, or would I be stuck basically fending for myself?</p>
<p>What about University of Miami? They have a singer/songwriter program that is excellent. It is very competitive so I would consider that more of a reach, definitely not a safety. Also, if you are applying to USC as a singer/ songwriter in their Pop program, I believe that they require you to use all original material on the prescreen if my memory serves me correctly.</p>
<p>Bennington students have a “field work term” for two months, January and February, every year, and students work in the field they are interested in. Many go to NYC. Professors have connections that help with this, as well as with plans after graduation.</p>
<p>I don’t know as much about Sarah Lawrence and some of the other schools.</p>
<p>By all means, check out the actual courses at a variety of colleges’ music department, and you may be surprised. In the northeast, another school I would look at is Clark University. But there are many others.</p>
<p>You can diversify your applications and apply to conservatories/music schools as well as colleges/universities and then, when things are clearer, decide in April of senior year.</p>
<p>Try to think about developing your music before you worry too much about career and money. I know that is hard, but if you follow the former, the latter may happen more naturally :)</p>
<p>marylandchick, it’s important to expand your list as much as possible, but also be somewhat comforted in knowing that that major universities with great music programs (USC, for example, but also NYU, etc.) will allow for slightly lower academic standards for a portfolio/audition determined major than for a strictly academic/non-arts program. So if your music does “wow” them, it may not be as big a reach as you think!</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone! It seems I learn more and more about the transfer process everyday. I know I don’t have to start applying to transfer until this fall at the earliest, but that’s not too far away!</p>
<p>poprockmom - I’ll have to look into fine-tuning my music! I wonder…are you allowed to use your computer for playing the music? Because I already have a bunch of my music saved on there. I’ll look into all of this. See, you all are the reason I love College Confidential! :)</p>
<p>My son is starting the UC-Denver singer/songwriter program this fall. So far his interactions with the school and students have all been positive. It’s a smaller program, but worth checking out as there are so few contemporary programs for the number of interested students.</p>
<p>I would second the suggestions of USC, Belmont, Berklee, NYU and Miami. I would add CCNY (City College of New York). [Popular</a> Music Studies](<a href=“http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/popmusic/]Popular”>http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/popmusic/)</p>
<p>(I am not saying this is the definitive list, just don’t know much about the other ones mentioned.)</p>
<p>Let me add one more, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in Greenwich Village, NYC
[About</a> The New School College for Jazz and Contemporary Music](<a href=“http://www.newschool.edu/jazz/about-jazz-college/]About”>http://www.newschool.edu/jazz/about-jazz-college/)</p>
<p>New School is known for jazz musicians but its name and alumni both suggest it is more broad than that. Not sure what your style is, but you can think of jazz and blues as the foundation of rock and pop. Listen sometime to Ray Manzarek talk about how the Doors wrote Light My Fire. </p>
<p>Some of the recent alumni include Robert Glasper, Bilal, Jose James, Becca Stevens, Alan Hampton…all very hip.</p>
<p>WOW! I never even knew that there were this many schools that did these programs! Thanks to all that have contributed info and helped so far!</p>
<p>Here is a long list of schools that are affiliated with the Music and Entertainment Industry Education Association. </p>
<p>[MEIEA</a> MEMBER INSTITUTIONS](<a href=“http://www.meiea.org/schools.html]MEIEA”>http://www.meiea.org/schools.html)</p>
<p>Not songwriting per se. But I suspect that schools that have music industry courses are quite likely to have a lot of songwriters hanging out. Note that USC and some other schools that have been mentioned are not on the list since they are not supporting this association apparently.</p>
<p>UC-Denver, which you asked about is on the list.</p>
<p>Thank you SO MUCH, jazzvocals! That list is awesome!</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about the up-and-coming Commercial Music major at BYU? Thanks!</p>
<p>So, I’ve got a list of schools…PLEASE critique/comment on these schools…the list is: USC, U of South Carolina - Upstate, Catawba, UC-Denver, TN State, Belmont, Berklee, MTSU, William Paterson U, Greenville, UT-El Paso, LIPA, U of Miami, and Florida State U.</p>
<p>One distinction between music students and other students applying to college is that so many music students have identified a particular faculty member they want to study with. It makes sense since the music student is typically joining a particular faculty member’s studio for private lessons. I think your typical student in other fields isn’t approaching the process this way until applying to grad school.</p>
<p>So…</p>
<p>Do you have faculty members that you want to study with at each of the schools you mentioned? </p>
<p>Have you studied these faculty members’ work? Their other students?</p>
<p>Have you had any contact with these faculty members?</p>
<p>Another issue…</p>
<p>One piece of advice given my D applying to music schools for jazz is “Don’t pay $50k/year for jazz jam. Go to a college to get a good education where there is a local music scene. The music will find you and you will find it.” </p>
<p>Now you can say to that person, who happened to be living in NYC teaching music in private school full time and part time in college, and working on PhD in music, “Wow that is easy for you to say. I think I need to go to music school.” </p>
<p>Aside from the issue of merit scholarships…</p>
<p>I think the issue of “Is there a music scene that I can be a part of” is an important one. Gigs on campus, Gigs in the town. Some sense of community fostered by somebody - a local venue or songwriters circle or the school? To that end, I would say USC, Berklee, William Patterson, Miami and Belmont stand out from the others to me on your list as providing access to a local music scene. Denver I am not sure about. I would suppose a metropolitan area like that would offer some opportunities. What is LIPA? Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts? The others may be great college towns and work fine for you. Can’t really say.</p>
<p>Interested to hear your assessment of individual faculty members and the local music scene at the schools on your list.</p>