<p>These are of course, individual decisions, but it is important to understand that Schools of Music vary as much as the 3000 other colleges in the US. Just because a school has a “School of Music” does not mean that it has high caliber students, good quality ensembles, etc., no matter how well intentioned and dedicated the faculty may be. I met a terrific working musician/director of a lesser known college jazz program at a master class a few years back, who expressed disappointment that his students were not near of the caliber of many of the high school students with whom he was working that day.</p>
<p>Now, of course, some of these programs may be “just right” for certain students, and there are a lot of additional variables, as Rigaudon mentions, including finances and talent. It is important not to be lulled into thinking however, that there isn’t tremendous variability between and among all of these programs.</p>