<p>I'm a senior with fairly solid stats - 2400 SAT, 3x USAMO, etc.
There's no major I'm set on yet, but probably something along the lines of math/engineering. However I'm also very interested in music (violin) performance - whether or not I end up majoring, I'd at least like to be able to have orchestral and solo performance opportunites and continue private lessons through college.
Schools I'm currently considering include Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Chicago, Penn.
Does anyone know of other schools with upper-Ivy caliber academics that also have very strong music programs (excluding 5-year programs)? Conversely, do any of those schools I've listed not have good opportunites in music?
Also, is taking a academic degree program at a college, and transferring for a semester to a conservatory at some point during the four years, a possibility? I think I've heard of some students doing Harvard/Juilliard in the past.. does anyone have experience with that kind of thing, or know of any joint conservatory program that would still allow me to finish in 4 years?</p>
<p>The three schools that leap to my mind that have excellent engineering programs as well as conservatory programs are Johns Hopkins/Peabody, Rochester/Eastman, Case Western/Cleveland Institute and Rice with the Shepard School. The problem you will run into is that if you are not a conservatory student, you will not be eligible to play in the conservatory orchestra or perform as a soloist with them. However, each of the primary schools do have orchestras for non-conservatory students. At most of these places you would also have the opportunity to take lessons, but most likely your lessons would be with grad students, not the top teachers. Essentially, if you want a conservatory experience you have to be accepted into the conservatory. </p>
<p>It is possible to do the double degree thing at any of these places, but extremely difficult to do it in 4 years, especially in engineering, because the courses you need to take are so specific to each degree. Harvard does now have a joint program with New England Conservatory that I beleive will allow you to earn degrees from both schools. </p>
<p>I did know of a guy who did 2 years in computer science at Univ. of Wisconsin and then transferred to Juilliard to get a degree in violin performance. However, he didn't get a degree from UW and he ended up spending 5 years in school overall. </p>
<p>If you can hook up with an excellent teacher privately, it doesn't really matter where you go or what you major in. You can continue to play violin.</p>
<p>I would suggest you look up the Peabody Institute of JHU and read the "articles" in the admissions section of the webpage. This will give you an idea of your choices based on your level of commitment to music performance. </p>
<p>Admission into a top conservatory is a bit more difficult than you might think and this is especially true for the violin (and also piano and flute). You will be competing for admission with top students from around the world. Curtis and Juilliard have higher rejection rates than Harvard. Because of the dedication to performance at a high level and the strong applicant pool, top conservatories usually do not provide opportunities for those with a more casual interest in music.</p>
<p>There are quite a few possibilities for double degrees with conservatory-level music performance but these will usually require 5 years. Playing opportunities exist at Harvard and the other Ivies, but these are surprisingly limited and there are much better opportunities for colleges at the second tier and below.</p>
<p>I'm going for Harvard and Chicago because of excellent math programs (and, actually, Penn for the business) since I'm still not entirely sure what I want to do with the academic major.</p>
<p>I'm quite serious about music, more than my original post conveyed- I do plan on auditioning at the highest level conservatories, again to keep my options open. My problem is - kind of like "Alexander" in that Peabody article, thanks edad- that I don't want to sacrifice either a first-tier academic experience, or a great performance program...BUT I can't go for a 5-year program, for financial reasons. I guess I'm being somewhat unrealistic in searching for a program that fits all. </p>
<p>So my next question: Of the upper-Ivy-level schools, are there any school(s) that stands out as having better music opportunities than the others, even if the school's program is still somewhat limited?</p>
<p>If you are going to look at music programs at Ivy caliber schools, I would look at Yale, which has an excellent graduate program, MIT (believe it or not), and Harvard because of the opportunities provided in the Boston area. If you keep up your playing, it is possible to major in math and then go to grad school for music performance.</p>
<p>Please rethink the 5 year option. If you are good enough to make it into a conservatory, you may also qualify for a substantial merit award and the 5 years will likely cost less than 4 years at an Ivy. If the double major just doesn't work out, you can always drop one of the majors and finish in 4 years. You may also find that music will give you the opportunity to make some decent money while you are in school and you can consider it well paid work study. Keep your options open and still enjoy the best of both worlds. </p>
<p>If you do change your mind, there are better double degree choices than the Ivies for academics and the top conservatories for music. For Curtis, Juilliard, and MSM, performance is taken so seriously that a double degree is very difficult. I believe the same is also true of the Ivies and trying to take music elsewhere. To make it work you need schools or programs where a double major is supported and even encouraged. Some of the best choices have already been mentioned: Eastman/U Rochester, Peabody/JHU, Oberlin, and Rice. I believe CIM/CWRU and perhaps NEC/Tufts may also be possibilities, but I did not research these options. Some of the State U's are also possibilities but you would need to research the violin teachers.</p>
<p>Oberlin, Rice, Northwestern, and Michigan all have excellent music and academic programs for the student interested in majoring in music. However, they're not as wonderful for the musically-committed non-major. </p>
<p>If you want top academics with a strong music program, but aren't necessarily interested in being a music major, Williams, Swarthmore, and Yale are three schools you should look closely at. If ethnomusicology is your thing, add in Wesleyan to that mix.</p>
<p>I also think that you ought to give Rice a close look. The Shepard School is very difficult to get into because they are very small, but they are an excellent school of music. Also, Rice might make the 5 year option more doable. Not only is their tuition lower than similar schools, they also offer merit aid. The cost might be low enough to make a 5th year possible.</p>
<p>There are many schools that have already been listed, I'm not sure if I saw Northwestern, but that is definitely one to consider.</p>
<p>You realize that a music performance major is going to be putting you with people who are looking for symphony positions. You can't do a performance major as a "2nd major". You can't take 4 hours of music classes, practice for 6 hours, take 3/4/5 hours of non music classes, and do 4 hours of homework for those classes.</p>
<p>Also, if you haven't looked into the conservatories yet, you are way way way behind.</p>
<p>You can, however, attend any school, and keep playing in their orchestras / musical ensembles.</p>
<p>Edad, is there a reason you aren't looking into Michigan? It has a good music program and gives good opportunities for those seeking the double major option.</p>
<p>Geography, mainly. Double degrees often require two separate applications. There is also a problem with auditions. Most of them occur in February and it can be difficult to fit in more than a 1/2 dozen or so.</p>