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a serious interest in classical vocal music (opera, choral, oratorio, madrigal, etc). If she comes to Amherst will she find other students like her? Will there be opportunities to sing in auditioned ensembles? Will there be good classical voice teachers?
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<p>Yes to questions 1 and 2; I don't know the answer to #3.</p>
<p>S=2 double-majored in Music, and was in Amherst Concert Choir all 4 years. It was serious and by audition, rehearsing several times weekly for full concerts 2 or 3 times per year, plus other appearances, as I recall ('05 graduate). In June, they travelled to Japan and Hungary to perform there with other university choirs and for the public. He made many friends from Choir. There's a Men's Choir as well as the Concert Choir which is coed.</p>
<p>If she's looking for others who love classical music, they are there and findable through these activities. That said, it's not a Conservatory such as at Oberlin, Juliard, New England Conservatory or Eastman, if that's what she seeks.</p>
<p>I'd describe the Amherst Music Department as small in numbers, but very well focussed, in terms of faculty sophistication, dedication and student participation.
At graduation, all the departments hold a reception for majors. At the Music Major reception, I met the graduating majors, their families, and faculty. It was a high point of the graduation for us. </p>
<p>H was a music major and was very impressed at the professional circles the faculty inhabits. As a teacher, I noticed how the faculty knew each student, inside and out. Faculty circulated and spoke warmly with each parent about what each student had done musically during their time at Amherst. The faculty, while communicating their depth and experience to parents, also were very accessible people. Their care for each student was most evident. </p>
<p>I often came to campus to hear the concerts, which were beautiful. During graduation, I met 12 or 15 graduating senior majors (total senior class at Amherst would number around 180) at a faculty brunch for graduating majors. </p>
<p>Your D wants to meet others who love music, so the majors is one way. But of course, not every music lover becomes a music major, necessarily. I also knew of many students who majored in something else academic but participated very passionately in one of the formal music groups. It was their main activity outside of coursework. </p>
<p>Many more students take music courses than major in it, obviously. Music department courses would attract everyone, from majors to music lovers to just someone curious about music. It's a true liberal arts atmosphere, so much cross-fertilization of interests there. Since there are no distribution requirements, you can count on the fact that every person in the class is there because s/he wants to be there, which is meaningful in arts courses. Nobody's just hacking at it to satisfy a distribution requirement in the arts. </p>
<p>Music can be someone's only major or second major. I'm not sure if they permit a Music Minor; as I recall, not so, but check on that piece. </p>
<p>Every concert I heard there vocally was of beautiful quality. We never heard the orchestra, unfortunately. The acoustics in the concert hall are stunning. I'd estimate l00 students in Concert Choir, but don't quote me.</p>
<p>S-1 never took lessons there by private voice teacher, but the choir itself did a fair amount of vocal training during rehearsals. He took semester-long courses in songwriting, composition, music history. Music was his secondary academic interest. </p>
<p>Choral and Orchestral Concerts were always sold out, and occur on Homecoming/Parents Weekend. It's definitely a pride point of the college, and a huge part of their tradition; hence the scheduling.</p>
<p>The a cappella groups are marvelous, too. Some are college sponsored, others informal. They are roaringly popular with students. At their concerts. sometimes one group is featured, or there is a small group of selections to hear from all groups in the same evening. I noticed they were treated with rock-star status among students, who pack the halls to hear them and enjoy their humor and style. Lots of fun. </p>
<p>Orchestral students would constitute another source of friends who love music.
Most of these folks are not music majors, of course, but participate in Choir, ORchestra or A Cappella.</p>
<p>I recommend scouring the Music Department's page of the college website for more info. Also, email someone who's faculty advisor to one of these formal groups, for example in the choir it's "Mallory."</p>
<p>Arts majors at Amherst find encouragement to pursue their art within a liberal arts curriculum (sorry to sound like a course catalogue here). This has a lot of implications for students. It means that if someone majors in the arts, they will find faculty expecting them to have interests in numerous areas, and take many courses in addition to their major. It's truly a liberal arts atmosphere. </p>
<p>In addition to a handful of music majors, you will find more people who have double majors that sound like this: Physics and Music; History and Music.. So it's all possible, if what she' looking for is other lovers of music.</p>