<p>What are good liberal arts schools that maintain great music programs other than the usuals (ie Rice, Oberlin, that school in WI that starts w/ an L - sorry it's late)?</p>
<p>Do you mean Lawrence?</p>
<p>Your title says Ivy/LAC, but your post only says LAC, but then you mention Rice, which isn't an LAC, so I'm not sure which you actually want. I heard Indiana has a great composition program -- my S's friend at Juilliard will be going there next year for grad school in composition. My S has also taken composition lessons from one of the teachers at Indiana (when he attended Brevard Summer program), and liked him a lot.</p>
<p>College of Wooster comes to mind, Bard, Williams....for LACs. Probably many more if you are just dealing with composition/theory.</p>
<p>LACs or Ivies are fine - thanks.</p>
<p>For Ivies, Yale is strongest, then Columbia, Princeton, Penn, Harvard, Cornell. (Dartmouth weak, others strong)
MIT, Chicago, Stanford, Berkeley also very strong-- stronger than any of the Ivies except Yale and maybe Columbia.
I have intentionally excluded all conservatory-type programs, as that seems to be what you're after. Indiana, Bard, Lawrence, Rice, Michigan, BU, NYU, USC, SMU, and Oberlin would all fit the bill in a conservatory-like environment (as opposed to liberal arts).</p>
<p>Sorry for the delayed reply - MIT and University of Chicago have good music programs??? I thought both schools were just hardcore sciences and that was it.</p>
<p>MIT...has two VERY good composers on its faculty.
John Harbison (who's somewhat conservative as a composer) and Evan Ziporyn who's a member on the NY Bang on a Can ensemble and also a interesting composer on his own.</p>
<p>Chicago has Shulamit Ran...I think I spelled her first name wrong...
Big name...female Pulitzer winning composer. I don't know her music at all but quite a big name. </p>
<p>So yes, both school have great theory/comp programs.</p>
<p>Yes..Yale does have a great graduate music school. But even the best undergrad composers have difficulty getting lessons with the teachers there. They usually take lessons with composers in the music DEPARTMENT...which is seperate from the school of Music for some strange reason.</p>
<p>The UPenn music department is no longer as interesting as George Crumb is no longer there. </p>
<p>Cornell, Columbia, Harvard and Princeton all have great music departments with well-known and VERY interesting composers...in my opinion...more interesting than those as Curtis and Oberlin. They are very graduate focused but talented undergrads can still nonetheless probablly get some classes or maybe even lessons.</p>
<p>Cool. Thanks! I'm gonna have to do some reading.</p>
<p>To TheAvantGarde (you seem waayyyy smart on this):
Do those schools also have good performance programs (as in just plain old, but good campus orchestras, bands, etc.??). Music would most likely be a minor for me...specifically I'd like to know about Cornell, but i'll find out about others too.</p>
<p>My son is in the compostion program at Lawrence. He thinks the main prof is a genius. He is also studying oboe and government/economics. Whatever. It seems to be a school for those with multiple interests. He loves it.</p>
<p>Clendenenator,
None of Ivy League schools actually have an undergraduate DEGREE-granting performance program. Nor does Chicago or MIT. </p>
<p>However, because of the quality of students that go to these schools (who were involved with music during high school), there are usually fantastic orchestras and chamber groups etc. These schools will often have musicians who were enrolled in music-prep programs like Juilliard Pre-College or were All-State musicians etc but decided not to major in music or enroll in a conservatory. </p>
<p>If you are seriously interested in Cornell, I must say they have a very active music scene....I think there are about 40 or so student music groups ranging from the large Cornell bands and orchestras to small vocal groups.</p>
<p>PM me if you have any other questions...</p>