<p>I've been going to the college prep program for 2 weeks now, and I've been thinking a lot about colleges. I really need to get down where I'm going so I can start prepping for the auditions (ah!). I haven't visited any colleges I want to go to yet, but I plan doing that in August. I want to go into Music Education and I'll be auditioning on piano.
Here are the schools I've been thinking about:
-Peabody at JHU
-Steinhardt School at NYU
-Ithaca
-Hartt School at Hartford
-Schulich School of Music at McGill
-a SUNY (Purchase, Fredonia, Potsdam? Not sure which has a Music Ed program)
-potentially Eastman School of Music?</p>
<p>So, a couple of questions:
1. By listing them, which do you think is the highest rated to the lowest rated? (in other words, best to worst? I know each school is good in its own way, but looking at them overall.)
2. Any other suggestions for me to look into for Music Education?
3. How many schools do you think I should limit myself to? 5 or 6 I was thinking.
4. For the pianists out there: For the required repertoire, how long did it take you to learn the pieces? Or did you mostly use pieces that you already know?</p>
<p>Thanks so much for reading- and please reply, I could REALLY use some suggestions! I'll be the first one in my family going to college for music, my other 3 siblings went for computer engineering, neurology/biology, and art, haha. Thanks again!</p>
<p>For the SUNY schools, Potsdam and Fredonia have music ed majors. Purchase does not. Do you want input about which of the listed schools is better for piano or music ed?</p>
<p>If music ed is your primary goal, then think about in which state you would like to teach and concentrate on schools in that state. Each state has different certification requirements and it is easier to attend a school in that state since the schools would be preparing their students for the state requirements. Also, if you are primarily interested in music ed, look for schools that you can afford because you do not want to start a career in music education with a lot of debt especially since you will need to get a master’s degree to be permanently certified in many states.</p>
<p>Another excellent school you should look at for your major and in that area is Westminster Choir College, part of Rider University at the campus in Princeton. It is a great school for music education, piano and voice. With the New Jersey certification, you will have reciprocity for the teaching certification in New York, Connecticut and other states. Since, as a piano music ed graduate, you would likely be directing choir as part or all of your job, you will get excellent training and experience. Of course they also teach elementary and instrumental methods as well.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about any of those schools, and I don’t know much about piano, but around here you would need to be a wind or string or percussion or chorus person to do music ed because our schools don’t teach piano. </p>
<p>Of course it may be different where you are at.</p>
<p>If your goal is to privately teach piano, then maybe a piano performance major with electives in teaching piano would be an option.</p>
<p>Chorus teachers also have to take a lot of piano classes.</p>
<p>I think you should ask for advice from some piano teachers and pianists in your area who know your playing, or whom you could play for so they could become familiar with your playing. There may be some piano teachers who might not have a regular slot available for you in their studio, but who would give you an evaluation sort of lesson. You could also do something like that with a piano teacher at a nearby college music department.</p>