<p>It all depends on the program and how many people apply that determines pre screen usually, and obviously if the program is competitive it is likely they may have prescreen requirements, but it depends. Piano and strings, in part because of the huge influx of kids from Asia trying to get into music programs, have a lot of applicants, whereas with some exceptions (flute is one of them), there hasn’t been quite the huge numbers there, specifically with kids from Asia (that is changing as well). With Sax, prob depends on the program and type of music, on Jazz they prob see a lot more sax applicants then in classical music, if for the fact that sax is relatively rare in orchestra settings for classical music…as many have said, it depends. It doesn’t mean that getting into a program on sax or trumpet or trombone is easy, just means it is less likely a program will want a pre screen on sax then on violin or piano, for example. Different processes, both difficult and competitive:)</p>
<p>For those who have asked and/or sent me a PM, yes I (the OP) am still here. Thanks to those who have offered valuable insights. Big ideas I have learned are -
my son needs to decide if he wants BM (or BFA) or BA, and if he’s not sure then he should be looking for schools with both.
being a saxophone player, he needs to research the jazz playing options (and also academic course offerings in jazz) in addition to the overall music program at schools; some great music schools are not so great for jazz
need to check individual school websites and email faculty for details on auditions, admission process and (dare I bring it up) pre-screenings</p>
<p>A few other questions that have come up - </p>
<p>1) He is thinking that being in or near a big city would be good because of the extra opportunities to hear and play outside of school (especially jazz). Anyone have experiences at schools that at more out of the way that would confirm or refute this?
2) He is an excellent student (straight A’s, all honors and AP classes, …), probably a stronger student than musician who will probably want a minor or double major in a completely unrelated field. Anyone have recommendations for schools that are highly selective academically and have strong music programs (that don’t ignore jazz)?
3) From what I have gathered by looking at course requirements, it seems the biggest difference between a music education major and a general music major (BA) is that the education major has lots of learning to dabble in many instruments and some conducting, while the general major has more musicology and history - does this accurately reflect people’s experiences?</p>
<p>Mdndad, I have a son who is in his third year at Oberlin Con., jazz drummer. He had great academic stats as well. First, I highly recommend your son spend a week or two this summer at a conservatory jazz camp. We were given this recommendation here on CC his junior year, and he was accepted to Eastman’s summer jazz program. Those two weeks really helped him to decide that a conservatory or very strong jazz program was the way he wanted to go, BUT he also realized that he wanted to be on campus of a great college as well. That ruled Eastman out for him. He ended up deciding between Columbia Univ., which has a very strong jazz program and obviously is great academically, and Oberlin. He chose Oberlin because (a) he had the chance to study with an amazing teacher and (b) he didn’t want to be distracted by the jazz scene in NYC while he was an undergrad. because it is expensive and, well, distracting. He also felt (rightly or wrongly) that being seen as a “kid” in the NYC scene during college would be a disadvantage, as compared to arriving as a more fully-formed musician after college. Oberlin brings in really fantastic jazz mentors and artists on a regular basis, he’s had the chance to influence those decisions, and he’s gotten a great education both in music and liberal arts. It’s a small town college, but a very vibrant music scene. Just his experience–your son will have his own views, but visit campuses and really think about a summer program somewhere!</p>
<p>^We loved Oberlin! It is expensive, though. Even though my son got a very generous Conservatory Dean’s scholarship there, we still felt he couldn’t afford to attend. We have no regrets, but if we had the money, that’s where he would have gone. We thought the access to outstanding academics AND a top music school couldn’t be beat! And, networking and musical opportunities abound in nearby Cleveland.</p>
<p>Mdndad, if your son has very strong stats, he may be a great candidate for the presidential and trustee (half and full tuition) at USC Thornton, which, aside from being highly selective w/great academics, has an incredible jazz program - that, fyi, DOES require prescreens for sax*. USC also loves to encourage double majors and minors, which although very difficult in four years with a BM, would be possible with a BA (they offer both).</p>
<p>*When it comes to jazz sax, you should expect prescreens to be the norm.</p>
<p>Seems like you have the situation well in hand and summarized things admirably!</p>
<p>Quick comment that at schools like Oberlin, that seem isolated from city culture (at least on the surface of things) we have noticed that students are very focused on what goes on on campus, and support one another by attending concerts, performances, theater productions, art shows, which is a wonderful thing. In a city, the support and attendance for these college events are more fragmented, due to distractions off campus. Then again, it is nice to have concerts to go to in a city, on one’s own or with friends, so I guess it comes down to personal preference.</p>
<p>Just want to mention that we have a family friend whose son is a precocious jazz saxophonist. He is very happy at Tufts. I do think he is considering also doing some work at NEC while there, perhaps in the double degree program, but as a freshman, Tufts has been all he needs and more. Close to Boston and Cambridge, but quieter area overall. People will mention many schools, and this is just one, but one I have recently heard about from a happy family.</p>
<p>Well, now that I know it’s jazz he’s interested in, I can see that I won’t be of any help at all. I know nothing about jazz programs! But Oberlin (for a music major son who wanted strong academics) and USC (for a non-music major son who wanted to keep his hand in music while majoring in engineering) each happened to be top choices for two of my kids. Both amazing schools with so much to offer in so many areas! (in our opinions, anyway)</p>
<p>Mdndad, University of Michigan’s school of music has a jazz bfa program plus the ability to dual degree in many top rated disciplines – but it will likely take 5 years even with APs to transfer (must be 5s to transfer). The school of music is fairly large with numerous playing opportunities and a very active music scene. Students interested in a dual degree apply to both the music school and LSA or Engineering school, and can be accepted at both, one or neither. Dual degree students have special counseling to assist with the not inconsiderable task of ensuring that scheduling works. In the jazz degree, one nice option is the availability of jazz theory and improv instead of the traditional written an aural theory.
Since moving to the common app last year, the university averages 39,000 applicants, so is no longer what you would call an “ivy alternative safety” per se, even for kids with super high stats, but even if your son were admitted to jazz and not to the u., transfers to seek a second degree aren’t unheard of.
Let me know if you have any questions. My son attends there as a “pat” major (a combo of music tech, comp, engineering and performance) and finds that a lot of the jazz students are involved in his areas/projects, so he knows quite a few of them. (trumpet was his principal instrument way back when, and in hs he was pretty much equally divided between jazz and western.)
Best wishes in your search!</p>
<p>PS - the jazz bfa is still intense like the bmus at umich, so it’s not like ba major/minor options, but there is also a degree through the music school called the bachelor of musical arts that is a sequence intended to accommodate cohort study in another discipline as well. If your son were interested in something like engineering, umich has a top program in same, although pursuit of both is incredibly demanding and many of my sons friends have changed their minds after a few years of grueling dual pursuit – though it IS possible. In that case, he’d apply to both the COE and SOM, the latter by dec. 1st or earlier.</p>