<p>Hello--
I am a junior in CA looking to apply to college for fall 2012. I am considering majors in engineering and/or religion, but music is an important part of my life and I want to continue it in college.
I have played saxophone, classical and jazz, since middle school. At my high school I'm in the marching band and the jazz band and the wind ensemble. I've gone to the Stanford jazz camp and been in the Santa Clara County honor band. I also play piano and I'm starting to compose my own music.
I want to find a college with a good music program where a student who is not necessarily a music major can have the opportunity to take lessons/classes in saxophone, piano, jazz, improvisation, chamber performance, composition, etc. I would love to find a place where there are musicians who just get together to jam/write music together.
I have a 4.0 and have taken honors and AP classes, so the schools I'm looking at are on the competitive side academically.
If you know of any schools that might fit what I'm looking for, please let me know.</p>
<p>You probably want a school where the music department is part of a college of arts and sciences, not a separate, conservatory-style school of music. In such places lots of kids are majoring or minoring in music, or pursuing it as an extracurricular activity, while getting a broad education and often planning a career in a nonmusical field. Even a school of music allows cross-registration (as, for instance, Peabody Conservatory does with Johns Hopkins students) it can be very difficult to participate in groups with conservatory students when you don’t have the same time to devote to practice, or possibly the same singleminded commitment.</p>
<p>Cornell University used to have separate undergraduate “tracks” for serious preprofessional musicans and for those who were doing music for their own enjoyment/enrichment but who wanted, say, to go to med school. I don’t see these listed on their current website so perhaps things have changed there–but the same distinction is made informally at many liberal arts colleges and universities. At UVA, where it’s easy to double-major, a lot of the music majors also have a more “practical” major but are fully involved in the life of the department, and many nonmajors participate in ensembles, lessons, and so on. I don’t mention these places because they’re unique, but because they’re pretty typical and I happen to know about them. Different universities have different strengths, though–Cornell has long had a strong program in historical performance, while UVA has a strong jazz performance program. Schools in big urban areas can often hire local orchestra professionals as adjunct performance faculty; this isn’t an option in more rural schools.</p>
<p>Liberal arts colleges vary in the amount of emphasis they place on performance: some such music departments focus almost entirely on music history, music theory, and composition. It sounds as if performance opportunities are important to you, so you should make sure the places you apply to make these available. You should be able to find out by checking departmental websites. If you are going to be taking private lessons (which typically cost extra, above the stated tuition fee) make sure you will be able to get academic credit for them. Otherwise you will have to take the lessons and practice in addition to a full academic load, instead of as part of one. You should also check on the kinds of ensembles offered–you sound as if you have eclectic musical tastes, so you will want to be at a place that offers jazz, etc. as well as classical options.</p>