<p>By my research for my own eng/math/physics/music kid who wants conservatory style music program along with great academics (best music for you really depends on the particular instrument):
CMU (same campus)
Case/CIM (right across the street from eachother)
Eastman...a 30 minute bus ride from Rochester
Peabody...heard it is in a dangerous area...but doors are always locked
Northwestern
U of Michigan</p>
<p>I think Yale music department is known mainly for composition, but not necessarily performance.</p>
<p>I also hear nothing but great things about Schreyer Honors Program (S was accepted), but I'm not sure what kind of music program they offer. PSU certainly has lots to offer, though!</p>
<p>I am not so sure about CMU. Though they have an excellent conservatory on campus, getting into any of the performing arts course if you are not majoring in that area can be difficult. There are limited opportunities to take music courses. Of course, if you want to go into performance that is a different story, but then you are talking about taking the audition route. In that case, CMU offers the option for an teaching certificate along with the performance degree. But the audition based programs are extremely selective, and being a performance major there does not leave much time for other subjects. If all she wants are some private lessons and a music class here or there, and an active music scene on campus, CMU would work as that does certainly exist. In that case, a lot of colleges can provide that. One of the things she should examine is how available the music courses are for non majors.</p>
<p>One more thing... take all the music theory classes you can now. Virtually all the music schools will give you a theory test and an auditory/sight-singing test. Depending on the school, you might also have to show your level of keyboard skill, even if its not your primary instrument.</p>
<p>In addition to a theory test and sight-singing (solfege?), I understand that some also give a music dictation test. These may be only for placement, though, and not for admission into a studio. Best to check first!</p>
<p>Rice has the Shepherd School of Music - a conservatory, and is a great school with a very good engineering program. Merit Aid is strong - and they just upped their scholarship amounts (but not reflected in the website yet.). Compared to some Eastern LACs it is considered more conservative, but in reality it is about as liberal as Austin, TX - fairly middle-of-road. Tuition, room, board about $10,000 less than comparable colleges. They meet 100% of need, etc. DD is loving it, and loving the Houston community, lightrail, ethnic restaurants, museums, music events, parties, res.college system. etc. It might fill what your daughter is looking for.</p>
<p>MusicMom, I know it's not as "Ivy" as Yale or Brown, but what about Johns Hopkins? Full disclosure--I work in the Mechanical Engineering dept.</p>
<p>Most people only think of engineering & medicine, and in fact they have a great arts & sciences college, plus the Peabody Institute is a wonderful musical institute--right up there with Berklee and Julliard. The undergraduate size is only 3500 for the Homewood campus (A&S and Eng.) Not too far from you either, it's worth looking into.</p>
<p>MusicMom: If your D wants to study music education, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh has a great program. It is something that Duquesne has done well for a long time. Additionally, there are a wide variety of performance ensembles and cultural opportunites in Pittsburgh. I think Duquesne's engineering program is a 3-2 type, and you would probably finish up the engineering courses at either Pitt or Case.</p>