Good undergrad composition schools? Esp. performance opportunities

Hi, I’m a junior in high school and am looking at what colleges I want to apply to in the fall. I am looking to major in composition and perhaps minor in something else (I have no idea what, but more of as a backup plan). Some schools I’m seriously considering as target are Peabody and Northwestern - I know they have very good composition schools, with a lot of performance opportunities.

I really want to go to a school where I will be able to make good relationships with other musicians, to get readings and performances, and also where in general students will be given lots of performance opportunities. Do you have any suggestions to good music schools that are particularly strong in this area?

P.S. disregard size, location, price, selectivity, etc when answering please! I just want to know what your opinions on the best schools in general are!

Thank you!

New England Conservatory (either alone or in conjunction with Harvard or Tufts).

Until we know more about you, we cannot give you targeted advice. Composition departments with performance opportunities abound - but they’re not all the same either. What are you looking for in a composition program besides getting your works performed? How much experience do you have already? Do you lean towards any particular school of music - who are you listening to? What do you want to do after undergrad with your degree - are you aiming towards further education, for work scoring media, etc.? You want to study academics as well as music (you mention a minor) - so are you more interested in a schools of music in a university/college rather than a stand alone conservatory? Are you determined to get a BM in composition, or would a BA work for you (a BA in music does not necessarily limit further grad study in composition.) Do you want a small undergrad program or a huge one? Do you want lots of grad students in the program, or none? Do you want private lessons with a professor from the first day, or would group lessons for a few years work for you? There are so many different paths that without more info we can’t really help.

Try reading through past threads on this forum - many many posts about studying composition. Here are a few:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/497283-best-schools-for-music-composition.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1824232-school-list-for-music-composition-major-film-scoring-bent.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/626163-composition-major.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/626163-composition-major.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1820253-best-lac-music-departments.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1745441-composition-major-going-on-school-visits-and-tours-p1.html

Thank you! SpiritManager, sorry, I’ll give a bit more detail about my background:

I have been composing for over 10 years (for fun) but have been taking it much more seriously in high school. I am studying under a Rice University doctoral student for composition, and I have and am continuing to write several works (and also getting some recordings along the way) so I think I will have a solid portfolio. I did the AFA in Houston summer program last year, where I composed for a ballet and also film score; I also had a string ensemble work premiered by my school last year too. I get a lot of influence from some of my favorite composers, mainly Impressionist (Ravel, Debussy) and film scorers (John Williams, Bernard Hermann). This summer, I am going to do another summer program (i’m waiting for replies currently). I’ve also won a couple of competitions, but nothing huge like NextNotes or anything.

I don’t really know what I want to do after college - I mean I will go to grad school, but I’m not sure if I really want to pursue education. But I don’t want to be a film scorer; after lots of self-exploration i’ve realized that I want to write for chamber music (despite wanting to be a film scorer when I was younger!)

I’m definitely looking for a BM in composition - and private lessons with a instructor sound good, and ideally small, intimate classes. But I don’t have a preference for location, size, etc… as long as its in the US. The reason I’m looking at universities rather than conservatories is that I want to be able to have options in case I change my mind and double-major; also, I just want to be on a campus that is well-rounded, not just music-intensive!

I am also pretty academically strong (99percentile SAT scores, GPA 95, 98 weighted, full IB diploma candidate) and have other extracurriculars (club founder/president, sports, etc) but I know that that isn’t a huge deal when it comes to composition applications.

Thank you for those links; they definitely did help, but I am still kind of looking to see if there are any other schools that really stand out, specifically universities as opposed to conservatories/liberal arts colleges.

I know that Eastman/URochester is also good. Do you know about Boston University? I am thinking a little about Oberlin too, but not that high on the list.

Also, do you know anything about acceptance at Jacob School at Indiana? I know it’s one of the top, but in general the school isi not very selective. Could this pass as a safety school do you think…?

Thanks!!

For one thing - you cannot double major with a BM with an academic subject - that is instead getting a double degree - a BM and a BA. Only a few schools really accommodate that option, so it will limit your search if that’s actually what you want. But you can’t decide after the fact- you can start on that path and drop one or the other, but will be almost impossible to add a degree once you’re there without taking even more than five years to complete. Have you read the Peabody post about double degrees?

No, Jacobs at Indiana is not a safety school for composition. Jacobs at Indiana, CCM at Cincinnati, Blair at Vanderbilt, U. of Michigan, USC (Southern California), Bard, Oberlin, Lawrence, Tufts/NEC, Ithaca, Hartt, Peabody/JHU, CMU, UCLA, CSU Long Beach, Meadows at SMU, Northwestern, Rice, UT Austin, Univ. of Puget Sound, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Williams, Swarthmore, Wesleyan, Brandeis, Duke, Vassar, SUNY Purchase, Shenandoah - there are so many choices out there - these are not all of them at all - and some of these listed will be much better as a grad student than an undergrad. Start looking at the websites, reading about the faculty, looking at sample curriculum requirements, read about the current students if listed on the website and listen to their work. Talk to your current teacher, talk to the teachers at the summer programs, see where living composers you like are either teaching or studied.

I know a young composer who is a very happy sophomore at Boston University. He was very specific about what he was looking for and seems to have found it there. I can find out more. And I think the composer Nico Muhly just finished a weeklong residency there!

As I said, lots of choices. Boston and NYU should definitely be added to my not complete list above. Missouri at Kansas City, Missouri Columbia. There are so many choices that the hard part is narrowing it down to a good aesthetic fit in addition to all the classic ‘fit’ issues.

Missouri Columbia offers two full tuition scholarships each year to incoming first years.

I strongly advise you to read this essay from the Peabody site about different types of music students and the best program fit for each. http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html

Do you play an instrument? Is it important for you to continue that formally? Do you want schools with instrumental auditions for composers?

Do you envision yourself writing for orchestra or mainly small ensembles? Mainly tonal? Any interest in electroacoustic work? Ethnomusicology?

If you want a BM and also want a university, then you are looking for music schools or conservatories that are part of a university, is that right? There is also the possibility of a double degree, a BA and BM, or, in the case of Harvard and NEC, a BA and MM. And composers can also do a general music degree for a BA, major in something else entirely and take lessons, or do a BA in music with a composition strand, as at Brown. If you do a BA you can also double major, meaning music and, say, literature or French or history (or any other subject that is feasible with the intense music class scheduling).

If you major in music, no matter where you go and what degree you do, you will of course study theory, do solfege and dictation etc., study music history and analysis, ethnomusicology, composition and technology.

It’s good you are thinking about this already. Know that you can choose to keep many options open until this time next year, if you like. You can apply to conservatories and college, double degree programs, a range of choices, and decide at the end of April 2017. Lots can change over the next year.

From the work you have done so far, and the tastes you are expressing, you do not sound that interested in experimental work right now. You have not done any electroacoustic work. Your current tastes might guide your choices, but remember that you will be developing over the next 4 years, sometimes in surprising ways.

I have always felt the best criterion for choosing a composition program is diversity, and individuality, of styles. Particularly at the undergrad level. It just seems to be a sign of artistic freedom and respect. I don’t know if you can listen to student works or attend concerts.

I personally would not worry too much about a backup right now. I mean, study what you are interested in. If that is mainly music, concentrate on it, by all means. If you have other interests, pursue them too. For career purposes, or for a future “day job” (!) you can do education and outreach work while in school, volunteer, intern or work for music organizations (skills translate to other fields, especially the non-profit world). This 4 years is a time when you can explore and think about things- I really believe that. (It helps to go to a school that doesn’t have loans!)

We can give you more specific info. BM’s at stand alone and university conservatories/music schools: Juilliard, Curtis, NEC, Manhattan, Mannes, Eastman, Blair, Oberlin, Lawrence, Bard, Indiana, Peabody, Boston Conservatory, BU, Berklee (merged with BoCo), CIM, CCM, Rice, Ithaca, Rutgers Mason Gross, Temple Boyer, Hartt, U.of North Texas, SUNY Purchase and other SUNY’s, NYU, USC, UCLA, University of Puget Sound, Cal Arts, McGill Schulich, Northwestern Bienen, many more.

I believe most state universities offer BM’s.

For double degrees, Oberlin, Bard, Lawrence, Tufts/NEC, Harvard/NEC, Peabody/Hopkins, Eastman/Rochester, also many more.

For a BA there are countless choices, Ivies as mentioned above, universities (U. of Chicago is one), liberal arts schools, including small places like Sarah Lawrence or Bennington.

For grad school, you need a portfolio of work. There are many many ways to accomplish that. You can study music- and composition- in whatever way you want to as an undergrad, and still have what you need to apply to grad schools.

Oh- and if there is a school your really like and there are no concerts for undergrad composers, make them possible yourself. In general, there are many paths to getting what you need as an undergrad composer and as you already know, some of those won’t even be in/at your school.

Summer programs are great- glad you are going to one this summer.

Thank you to all the great information! I will definitely look more into those schools, especially BU and Oberlin I think:) Appreciate the guidance!

PM’ed you.