Help me add schools to my list! Music BA for a pianist

Hello! I’m a rising senior working on college apps and I would like to know if there are any schools you all think I should consider. I currently want to do a BA in music at a liberal arts style school. However, I am also potentially interested in church music, so I would like to know of any schools that have a music BA but also have a church music program or are affiliated with the ELCA (I’m Lutheran). Sizewise I would prefer a mid-sized school, but I don’t want to rule anything out based on size yet. The pandemic has made it hard to go on campus tours and get a feel for the size of a school.

I am located in Virginia, so I want a school on the east coast, possibly the midwest. Any west coast schools are too far away for me. I am looking at some state schools like UVA, William & Mary, Radford, JMU, etc. I don’t know a ton about the music programs for most of these, though. (I know JMU has a very good music program and marching band, but it isn’t exactly the liberal arts experience I am looking for.)

For some insight into my stats: My main instrument is piano (11 years of lessons and RCM exams up to level 9), I also sing in my church and school choirs, and I play flute in my school’s concert and marching bands. Academics: 4.58 weighted GPA, 35 ACT, and 9 AP/dual enrollment classes by the time high school is over. Extracurriculars: music internship at my church, section leader in marching band for 3 years, participation in several different music ensembles in church and at school, and a few non-music clubs and honor societies.

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Just going off the Lutheran aspect - St Olaf in Northfield, Minnesota and Luther College in Decorah, Ia both have very fine music programs in a LA setting. I’m not sure how difficult transportation would be from your area.

I actually know a number of church music professionals who went to various other Lutheran schools - Concordia, Carthage, Augustana - all Midwest. These schools seemed strong in keyboard and choral music. You might just check for ELCA affiliated schools and have a look at the keyboard instructors and music offerings along with your Liberal Arts interests.

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Close to home, U of Richmond seems like a good choice for combining the kind of LAC-like environment you want with strength in music.

St. Olaf certainly sounds like the exact school you are describing, though. Music is top-notch, the overall academic strength would not disappoint, and church music in a Lutheran context is a discipline you can pursue there.

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Thanks for your reply! I have visited Richmond before and liked the campus but I didn’t know much about their music program. And I’m glad you think St. Olaf would be a good fit. I have looked into it before and really like it, my only drawback is the distance but I will probably apply there anyways.

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Also, St. Olaf has music scholarships, which, combined with an academic one, can add up to 50% of the cost of attendance. I also thought of it immediately. It’s in the same town as Carleton, so there are more students around than at a typical isolated LAC (since you mentioned you preferred a midsize school). A very cute town and a pretty campus. Nice, friendly students and a great music program.

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Immediately thought of St. Olaf.

Are you sure you want a BA? Not a BM?

You might want to read the Double Degree Dilemma essay in the Read Me thread closer to the top of this forum. It details the ways to study music.

You can do a BA in music, a double major for the BA, a major/minor for the BA, or a BM, or a double degree BA/BM or BA/MM. You can also major in something else and do continued lessons and extracurricular or even off campus music. These are your options.

If you go to a school like St. Olaf, you need to make sure that BA students have access to teachers and performance opportunities as well as the BM students. In fact, at St. Olaf, the church music program is a BM. You audition for the BA and the BM once on campus.

Degree Programs and Majors – Music Scholarships (stolaf.edu)

A BA is 1/4-1/3 classes in music and a BM is 2/3-3/4 classes in music. Which do you want? Are there other academic areas you are interested in?

With your grades and test score, you could apply to top schools that have BA programs in music but not a BM, or perhaps a school like Harvard or Tufts with double degree programs with NEC. Maybe consider Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan- “little Ivies.” Schools like Davidson, MacAlaster, many others…

You need to clarify what your goals are I think. If you want church music, the BM at St. Olaf’s is a great fit but you might have other choices in mind if you want a BA.

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I just remembered that BU has a master’s in sacred music: Master of Sacred Music (MSM) » Academics | Boston University (bu.edu) Not sure what that means for undergrads but you could also consider doing an undergrad foundational music and then do a master’s degree for the more specialized church music.

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