Does anyone know of any liberal arts colleges that have strong programs in music production and technology? The main one I’ve heard about so far is Oberlin with its TIMARA program. That sounds really great, but I’d like to find a few more. They don’t necessarily need to have extremely note-worthy programs or even have a music technology major–perhaps just a strong music department with a focus in music technology/production. I know that a lot of LACs have strong music departments (Vassar, Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Skidmore, etc.) but it’s kind of hard to tell from their websites how many resources are available to people interested in music technology/production. Does anyone know what music tech is like at these schools, or know of other LACs with strong music tech programs?
Ithaca
You also might look at Loyola of New Orleans. While not an LAC it is LAC size with a definite liberal arts focus.
There are quite a lot. But first, have you done any composition? Can you explain what you have been doing and what you want to do? Do you want to do mainly studio work? Or compose? What are you thinking of when you say “music technology”? These terms mean different things to different people.
TIMARA is primarily a creative program, not a studio production program (not sure if I am articulating this properly, but I am trying). If this is what you are after, folks here could make some suggestions: Here is a description, which I am sure you have read:
"The major in Technology in Music and Related Arts is intended for those students who desire a career where traditional musical skills and understanding are combined with the exploration of the very latest techniques for musical expression. It is expected that students who qualify for this major will demonstrate musical proficiency comparable to that shown by applicants in other areas of the conservatory.
The major prepares a student for specialized graduate study in electroacoustic music, digital media, and interdisciplinary performance. For those who go directly into professional life, this major offers a structured course of study that stresses the application of technology as a special resource in composition, new media, and performance."
Brown has a music technology strand in its music major. Hartt has music production (and Ithaca). But there are so many. Virtually every music department anywhere now has an electronics studio and courses in music and technology- whether conservatory, university or LAC. Do you have work for a portfolio to submit? If so, what kind of work is it? What kind of courses are you looking for?
Depending on what you want in a program, choose some LAC’s based on location, size, vibe and other factors and check out their music program. And once you clarify what you are looking for, there are many people on here who can suggest programs for you 
Look into University of Rochester which has a Audio and Music Engineering degree. They also have tons of other music related majors through their Eastman school. Hopefully one of them would fit the bill for you. It’s not technically a LAC but with 5,500 students its not too big either.
@compmom sorry for the confusing terms, frankly I’m a little confused too. My musical background is mainly as a classical pianist and choral singer, but I don’t think I have the talent or patience to do either of these professionally. I also play a few other instruments and have done rock, jazz and a capella in the past. Music is my passion, and I want it to be part of my career. This is why I’ve become really interested in music production: I would get to be exploring many different areas/aspects of music and also helping people to create music. When I say “music producer,” I mean more like what George Martin did for the Beatles than a producer of electronic dance music or whatever else “music producer” can mean. In terms of my background in this kind of thing, all of the composing, songwriting, recording, and messing around on GarageBand I’ve done has been very informal. But I’m a rising junior, so I still have time to explore this more and potentially build a portfolio.
In terms of what I want to study, TIMARA probably isn’t ideal. I just liked that it was a serious non-instrumental (or purely composition) music program at a great LAC, and I really like Oberlin on its own anyway. The only program I’ve come across that covers almost everything I’d like to study is Berklee’s Contemporary Writing and Production major (https://www.berklee.edu/cwp/major). The problem is that it’s at Berklee, and I really want to have a complete liberal arts education and experience. So ideally, I’d like to find a school where I can learn everything in this program and still have an LAC experience.
More ideas to check out, although a little bigger than LACs.
Carnegie Mellon: Music Technology Major
Elon University: Music Production & Recording Arts degree
Berklee is a great school, but if you change your mind regarding an area of study, you’re kind of screwed.
Thanks @doschicos! I’ve seen Elon’s program before and it definitely sounds like what I want, but Elon as a whole seems like such a poor fit for me that I’m worried I’d be miserable going to school there. But I’ll definitely check out your other suggestions! And yeah, that’s my concern about Berklee too.
I hear you about Elon. ;). I think Carnegie Mellon and Rochester would offer a very different vibe than Elon.
I always like a challenge so I’m racking my brain for schools I’ve visited where I remember music being a strength so here are some other ideas to check out:
Connecticut College: Music & Technology major
Tufts: Music Engineering
Another suggestion, again not a LAC in size, but look at the offerings at American University. NIce campus in a wonderful, liveable city.
You weren’t confusing, the terms are. Some “Music technology” or “Electronics” programs are part of a traditional or “classical” (If you will, often now termed “new music”) composition program. Composers may do all-electronic pieces, integrate acoustic (say, a string quartet, or orchestral) with electronics, or do “acousmatic” composition which may involve manipulating ordinary sounds in the studio.This is different from what you are seeking and I just wanted to make sure 
I don’t mean to be lazy here, but have you checked other threads on this subject? Try “music production” or “studio production” or “recording arts.” http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search?cx=013579521852154800353%3Avvp1k6kluvq&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&Search=music+production
You wanted an LAC but I will mention some others as well: What area of the country do you want? ithaca was a good suggestion; Hartt at U. of Hartford; UMass Lowell; NYU; Northeastern. USC has a new major apparently. Look at Bennington College’s music for an outlier: http://www.bennington.edu/Academics/AreasStudy/Music.aspx It is very interdisciplinary and you could probably do piano, voice and production there as well as liberal arts. Michigan has a program called PA, I think-kmcmom knows a lot about it and may come on to help.
Belmont, Berklee, Miami Frost are often mentioned for contemporary production, but as you want a liberal arts college, I again suggest picking schools based on other factors like location and the “vibe” you want and then checking out their music department.
This is U. of Puget Sounds description of a music business major and I am wondering if that interests you at all of if you mainly want to do studio production (many schools have this, I just happened to be looking at this)::
Bachelor of Music with Elective Studies in Business
This degree provides a foundation for careers in arts and artist management, concert promotion, the recording industry, music retail, publishing, and the non-profit sector. This degree enables one to enter the music industry directly or pursue graduate study in such areas as arts management and administration. In addition to core music courses, students take a course in computer business application and courses in the School of Business in finance and accounting, marketing, and management. The capstone experience is an internship, usually with one of the many cultural outlets in the Seattle/Tacoma region.
Audition required | Degree requirements
You can also do a general music major for a BA and do internships. My daughter learned a lot that way, helping an orchestra with its recording sessions for its CD label.
A couple of final comments:
Music production is a more vocational focus and some liberal arts colleges will be more likely to have a curriculum with classical theory, music history, ethnomusicology and the like. You most likely want to be in an environment with contemporary music classes as well as studio classes.
And you will most likely need a portfolio, though for some schools you can enroll and then get into the major later. Given your timing, I would look at audition/portfolio requirements as soon as you have identified schools and get going on it!
Let us know what area of the country. There really are a lot of schools and that would help narrow it down.
Not quite an LAC but as mentioned above, Belmont in Nashville.
@compmom area of the country doesn’t really matter to me, but a lot of other things do. I want a small school (ideally 1500-5000 undergrads) with a very liberal leaning, artsy-ish student body that is in or near a city or college town (I just don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere because I’m from NYC and probably won’t learn how to drive until after college). I’d prefer no Greek life, and since I’m Jewish, I don’t want to go to a Christian school (except if the affiliation is pretty nominal, like at Macalester so I’ve heard). For reference, my favorite schools that I’ve looked into so far that seem to have strong music departments are Vassar, Wesleyan, Macalester, Skidmore, and Scripps.
I don’t think I’d want to study music business because I’m really not interested in business. I understand that music administration and business is probably what a lot of failed performers and producers end up going into, but that really doesn’t sound like me. If music doesn’t work out, I’d probably like to go to law school (but NOT to be an entertainment lawyer ), which is why I want to go somewhere strong academically.
University of New Haven is a LAC that has a strong music production, sound recording, and music industry program. D is going to be a freshman in music bus with Mus production minor. What sold her over more well known schools was is the small nature of the school, the excellent equipment and teachers, focus on internships, prox to NYC, and the ability to live in a music dorm.
doschicos mentioned this school briefly, but Connecticut College is a private LAC that has a music technology program. It’s pretty small, has no Greek life (not 100% sure, but I think so), and is near a small city. I went to their presentation in the 8 of the Best Colleges thing, and they also discussed helping fund a lot of cool internships, so that could provide some cool connections in the recording / production industry.
I’m also looking at options in music tech / sound design / etc, and I’m most interested in LACs, so I’ve put some research into this. (Funny enough, I’m also a rising junior who might decide to go to law school if music doesn’t turn out well … I’m in kind of the same predicament.) I’ve found that there are some schools that don’t necessarily have a program specifically dedicated to tech or production but do have a good range of classes in those areas. What’s worked for me has been finding a school that fits all the other things I like first, then looking at their course catalog to see if I’d have opportunities to study some of the tech related things within a music major. As long as it’s not a performance degree or at a conservatory, most of them don’t tend to expect you to want to perform your instrument professionally. I’ve found that I like a lot of theory and comp programs that give me room to take electives in more specific things.
It looks to me like the music technology program at Connecticut College is more what I was describing as part of a traditional composition program. Like TIMARA and Brown. Electroacoustic music requires composition experience and skills. Studio production is a little different from that. These terms are a little confusing. But unlike conservatories,many LAC’s won’t require a portfolio so if you wanted, you could work toward this kind of compositional work once there.
Studio production tends to be more vocational than a general music major and very specific in its focus. There are programs for that, for sure. But you can do that at schools that have studios/labs and even a few courses that fit your interests: you don’t need a whole program. And if you want liberal arts, better to find music depts. that have offerings in this area or facilities you can use, plus a few courses, rather than a whole music production program perhaps.
Tensummers and I have, I think, suggested the same thing. From what you write, it seems you should start with colleges you like for other reasons and then check out their music department courses (not just majors, actual courses).
You can go to law or med school with a music major by the way.
Clark U. has a good music dept. From the schools you list, it seems that Loren Pope’s book and website Colleges that Change Lives would help you.
Kenyon, Grinnell, Hampshire, Oberlin, Lawrence, College of Wooster, Carleton, Williams…lots more.
One of my kids went to Bennington and there were students composing electronic scores for dance performances there. Very intriguing works.
Thanks for all the suggestions! That’s generally what I’ve been doing - looking through the course catalogs and facility descriptions of the other schools I already know I like. I just wanted to see if there were some other good options out there that I hadn’t considered. I hadn’t seriously considered Conn College before, but it sounds like a great program and I’ll definitely look into it! It’s interesting that we’re in such a similar situation @tensummers! Just out of curiosity, what other schools are you thinking about?
Right now I’ve become pretty infatuated with Kenyon for the whole package - campus, small environment, good writing program (something else I’m looking for). I’ve kinda drifted away from the idea of focusing on music tech, which was what I thought I’d want originally, and have instead been looking at good LACs with music majors in composition. At most big universities, I’d have to submit a portfolio, and I haven’t done much work with production or scoring, so I doubt I’d get into programs there. But, like compmom said, LACs don’t often require portfolios and I think, in one, I could actually have the opportunity to learn the craft and build upon the music foundation that I have. I definitely still make sure the schools I’m looking at have some music tech / sound design classes, though! I’m hoping to eventually get some job in the industry, whether that’s producing, mixing, recording, playing, or writing… With the way the music industry is, I really want to keep my options open.
Other LACs high on my list are Colorado, Whitman, and Knox, though not necessarily for the strength of their music department, just for overall fit. But I’ve also looked at Grinnell, Davidson, Kalamazoo, Carleton, Lafayette, and Muhlenberg. Some of these have better programs than others, but since it’s really early on I haven’t narrowed it down much.
Dartmouth actually has a lot of options in sound design and music tech – it offers a degree in music and sonic arts, with a lot of varied classes. But, it’s Dartmouth. So I haven’t gotten my hopes up too high for that.
Tufts and WashU are bigger research universities that also have big music departments but don’t, as far as I know, require auditions or portfolios.
After that really long answer – what other colleges do you know you like at this point?
Check out Bard College. Not the conservatory program, but the music program in the college. One of the best composition faculties in the country, and non-audition - at least for the first two years of basic courses (you would need to moderate into the Music program after the first two years, however, which is essentially an audition, if you chose to major in Music.) Bard’s writing program is also one of the best in the country.
@tensummers Vassar has kind of been my dream school for a while because of the student body, beautiful campus, and music department (it’s also an all-Steinway school, and I’m a classical pianist, so that’s a definite plus!) I also really like Wesleyan, Brown, Macalester, Skidmore, and Scripps. Skidmore offers three different classes related to production and recording, which definitely stands out - most of the others only have one. I’ve also been looking at Pomona, Tufts, Brandeis, Sarah Lawrence, and Occidental. Swarthmore and Reed were also on my list, but it doesn’t seem like either of them offer a single course in electronic music or recording arts.
Dartmouth has a grad program in Digital Arts and Brown has the MEME grad program. They are both very strong in these areas for undergrads. Tufts has a nice music dept. and a very good composition teacher.
You both have some great schools on your lists tensummers and lalalemma. The thing is, I would bet you will make your way to a campus that offers a lot of new avenues for your creativity, and other classes that feed into it.
Tensummers I think you are very wise to open up your focus a little and go for composition, which, these days, comprises a lot of different genres and styles. LAC’s will definitely give a chance to develop over the 4 years.
For anyone who wants to work in the industry, make the most of school offerings- and facilities- but also do some internships. You can pick up a lot of skills, experiences and connections that way.
At the grad level, you can further focus. Not a bad idea to get a foundation as an undergrad.