<p>Anyone know anything about the Longy School of Music in Boston?
For violin.</p>
<p>Rumor has it that Longy is being absorbed by Bard. Graduate students mainly. No dorms. Very small and a bit contentious at the moment, as things are being sorted out.</p>
<p>Small and intimate, which can be nice, but can’t support a full orchestra and has no major concert hall.
If you can get in with Malcolm Lowe, that’d be great. The others, I can’t really recommend; even Rosenblith is very much at the end of his career, and unless you’re a very developed player is probably not a wise choice in my view.</p>
<p>Any opinions on graduate program (flute)?
Bard absorbing Longy??</p>
<p>I’m a musician in metro Boston and know a number of folks who’ve studied or taught at Longy over the years. The one thing that I’ve heard really sets them apart is that they have (or used to have, anyways) an excellent graduate program in Early Music Performance. I’ve never heard anything particularly impressive about their undergrad programs, but if early music interests you, it might be worth looking into.</p>
<p>(By the way, if early/baroque music is your intended focus, Boston is a fantastic city in which to study. Regardless of which school you’re actually attending, many of the colleges offer masterclasses, seminars, etc. which are open to students at other colleges. There’s also a thriving amateur and professional early music community that extends out to Cambridge, up the North Shore, etc.–very easy to find teachers, make professional contacts, attend concerts, etc.)</p>
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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/895938-longy-may-become-satellite-bard.html?highlight=Longy[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/895938-longy-may-become-satellite-bard.html?highlight=Longy</a></p>
<p>Fiddlefrog – Longy’s orchestra has been growing significantly (I believe that conservatory enrollment has risen from around 130 ten years ago to closer to 240 now), and their conductor Julian Pellicano is an up-and-comer. They are now performing larger rep and moving away from chamber orchestral pieces.</p>
<p>In my experience, the size of a school’s concert hall has very little correlation to the level of education provided. </p>
<p>MommieC – Robert Willoughby, a true flute legend, still teaches at Longy, and they also have Marco Granados now.</p>
<p>Like choryphee, I have a number of colleagues who went to Longy. It seems to be a really good environment, and I have been impressed by a number of their free concerts.</p>
<p>Longy had been on my son’s early/tentative list for piano - he received a canned E-mail from them by Alex Powell dir of admissions who looks like he is 24. Had read about Bard in NY absorbing their students then read that the profs union had some injunction going on, then read they had a massive piano sale scheduled??? What’s the latest? Since Boston Conservatory extended their applic date from Dec 1 to Dec 15 a bout a week ago (was surprised two weeks ago that there were so many open audition slots when my son booked his date), why would Longy keep a Dec 1 date and the hefty (though pretty standard for conservatories) $100 admission fee?</p>
<p>I may query them directly just to see what they say.</p>
<p>I now remember from reading some of the threads the reason we removed it from his list - only a diploma for undergrads - maybe a BA if they took courses at Emerson that is now no longer associated with it.</p>
<p>MAasamom,</p>
<p>I’m sorry to be late in seeing your message but figured it would be worth replying anyway. Longy has been going through a merger process with Bard College, and we are extremely excited about the future. Our relationship with Bard will open new opportunities for our students and alumni, and it will make possible many things that a small, independent conservatory cannot always do by itself. In becoming the Longy School of Music of Bard College, we have no plans to move from our wonderful location near Harvard Square, and Longy will maintain a distinct student body, faculty, staff, and board. I hope that you will stay tuned to further developments regarding the merger.</p>
<p>Longys faculty did choose to form a union last year, and a new contract has already been successfully negotiated. The level of teaching and collaboration here has never been higher.</p>
<p>The piano sale is an annual occurrence based on a relationship with Kawai; they provide new pianos for our practice rooms and then sell them once they have had a few years of use. Longy has a mix of Steinway and Kawai pianos which are kept in great shape by our staff piano tuner.</p>
<p>Our joint BM program with Emerson remains an option for our undergraduates, although we are already exploring other possibilities with Bard College at Simons Rock.</p>
<p>Longy sets our deadlines early in order to leave plenty of time to schedule live auditions, set up student files, gather supporting documents, etc. We certainly have flexibility regarding this and are happy to make individual arrangements if necessary; all you need to do is ask. We are a small school that prides itself on individualized attention, and we try to get to know our applicants throughout the admissions process. The Longy staff (including the Dean) know each of our students by name, and we strive to provide a supportive atmosphere that promotes excellence, exploration, creativity, entrepreneurship, and complete musicianship. In my experience (having studied at four other schools for my BA, MM, GD, and DMA), very few schools allow students to have a voice in their own education in the way that Longy does.</p>
<p>I would be happy to answer any questions any of you may have about Longy. I truly believe in the school and know that it has a very bright future. Please feel free to contact me at <a href=“mailto:alex.powell@longy.edu”>alex.powell@longy.edu</a> or 617-876-0956 x1521. </p>
<p>Best,
Alex Powell
Director of Admissions and Student Services
Longy School of Music</p>
<p>@LongyAdmissions - Welcome to CC. It’s always wonderful to have a conservatory admissions’ poster on here to provide perspective.</p>
<p>As for Longy and Bard - since I have a son (composition) at Bard Conservatory I’ve been very interested to find out what this merger will bring.</p>
<p>SpiritManager,</p>
<p>Thanks for the warm welcome.</p>
<p>The Bard Conservatory program is, from everything I’ve heard, a wonderful and intensive experience. They have an incredible composition faculty, and I hope your son is taking full advantage of the opportunities there. Since it is a dual program, what is your son’s interest outside of music?</p>