<p>I'm a junior in high school (in the United States) and currently looking at conservatories and music schools. Schulich School of Music seems very interesting to me, especially because of its excellent program and location.</p>
<p>I was wondering if anyone could share any info on the school, such as personal experiences, what the audition is like, living in Montreal, etc? I'm a soprano by the would plan on getting a BMus in Vocal Performance.</p>
<p>Thank you!!</p>
<p>Don’t let the titles fool you. Some are instrument specific, but there’s general Schulich and Montreal info in all.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/736501-mcgill-usc-bu.html?highlight=mcgill[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/736501-mcgill-usc-bu.html?highlight=mcgill</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/689159-mcgill-boulder-flute-performance.html?highlight=mcgill[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/689159-mcgill-boulder-flute-performance.html?highlight=mcgill</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/670610-mcgill-admissions.html?highlight=mcgill[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/670610-mcgill-admissions.html?highlight=mcgill</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/656212-mcgill-admissions-school-music-help.html?highlight=mcgill[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/656212-mcgill-admissions-school-music-help.html?highlight=mcgill</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/466311-schulich-school-music-mcgill-university.html?highlight=mcgill[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/466311-schulich-school-music-mcgill-university.html?highlight=mcgill</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/323403-mcgill-schulich-music-school.html?highlight=mcgill[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/323403-mcgill-schulich-music-school.html?highlight=mcgill</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/395384-mcgill-schulich-school-music.html?highlight=mcgill[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/395384-mcgill-schulich-school-music.html?highlight=mcgill</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/300060-mcgill-voice-performance.html?highlight=mcgill[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/300060-mcgill-voice-performance.html?highlight=mcgill</a></p>
<p>While I don’t know any voice majors at McGill, I know many others who have attended or are attending the Schulich School at McGill. They all seem happy there. Montreal is a wonderful city with great natural beauty and rich history and culture. The city has plenty to offer students outside the university.</p>
<p>McGill, of course, is an English-language university. While Quebec is officially Francophone, you will not have any difficulties in Montreal if you speak only English (elsewhere in the province can be more difficult). If you speak French as well as English, then certainly Montreal is an excellent place to enhance your linguistic skills. For its size, Montreal is a very cheap city to live in–considerably cheaper than many much smaller Canadian cities and large American cities like Boston and NYC. Even if the Canadian dollar reaches par, McGill and Montreal are great deals.</p>
<p>Even with out-of-country tuition, McGill is considered a bargain by many Americans. The Schulich School certainly has more international students (mostly American) than any other Canadian school of music. The Schulich endowment seems to have made McGill much more of a hot spot for music students. It is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, schools of music in Canada and compares favourably with most of the better American schools, but certainly is not as competitive admission-wise as the most selective American schools.</p>
<p>Academic/university culture and life are quite different in Canada from the US. If you end up seriously considering Schulich, I would encourage you to visit it to get a feel for things.</p>
<p>I am not the linkmeister - but a while ago WorryDad toured Cananda and had a good review of the visits there. Also Keyof H’s D auditioned at McGill last year as a soprano and if she is not posting much you could try PM or email to reach her. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/675555-my-experience-canada.html?highlight=Canada+visits[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/675555-my-experience-canada.html?highlight=Canada+visits</a></p>
<p>I can’t do nifty links like violadad, so I will cut and paste. I am not sure what you are looking for, but we visited McGill this summer. I posted a report in Music school visits. If you have any questions I will try to answer them, but I bow to violadad, bassdad and many others who have already been through this. </p>
<p>Here is my report:</p>
<p>We just returned from a trip to Montreal to see McGill University and the Schulich school of Music. My DD loved the school and the city and has now placed this school as a tentative 3rd on her list. We had toured BU in April and she was less than impressed, so this was a pleasant surprise.</p>
<p>We started with the academic tour of McGill. We saw the McGill gates and were shown around the campus. McGill feels much smaller than the number of students that attend. It does not feel big and sprawling like Penn State or suburban busy like BU. It is mostly contained in a campus with grass and trees. We saw the biggest lecture room (600 students) and were told that not many classes are that big. There was construction all over the campus…I guess they have to get it done quickly in the summer. The guide was knowledgeable but we tuned out some of the stuff on engineering and pre-med. Although she did say that they had a cadaver class that was open to any who wanted to take it, not just the pre-med kids! I asked about security and her answer was interesting. They have a program where if you feel uncomfortable you can call and they will send a team of 1 boy and 1 girl to your location to walk you home. This is nice, but I got the impression that it wasn’t used much because it just isn’t that necessary. Everywhere around the campus feels very safe. She also talked about tunnels from building to building during the winter to stay warm (didn’t see them).</p>
<p>On to the music school tour. The music school consists of two buildings located right on Sherbrooke by the welcome center and the main gates. One building is brand new (2005?) and the other is older but with a lot of charm. Our tour guide was a vocal performance major and very knowledgeable. We did not get to see the big concert hall because of an organ camp(?) that was in session. We were really really impressed by the music library. It has 3 or 4 floors and is brand new. There were recordings on vinyl, dvd …and 8 tracks. There were scores and research books. There were tons of computers and recording rooms. I am not doing it justice, but it really was lovely. </p>
<p>They have a state of the art black box that is suspended and completely acoustically protected from out side noise. They are in the process of getting lots of bids for hollywood recordings (and others). The interesting thing is that part of the contract to rent the space requires involvement from McGill students. Not sure how that will work out but could be interesting.</p>
<p>Then, we went to see the practice rooms. They were in the old part of the other music building. They were very nice and big. Every room had a window and sound insulation to block the sound from coming in from next door. Each room could easily accommodate a large instrument or even two. And most could have a quartet of small instruments. Compared to the small rooms at BU, or even the rooms at UMd they gave the feeling that a large instrument player would feel comfortable instead of cramped. It helped that the windows gave a sense of spaciousness also. There were (I think) 4 floors of practice rooms. The guide indicated that there were more rooms across the street, but we did not see them.</p>
<p>We then met with the teacher that my DD is interested in and saw some more of the old building…classsrooms etc. He said that the practice rooms were very warm during the winter. So much so that he often cracked a window while he was teaching or practicing. This pleased my DD as she likes to practice in a cami or tank (no long sleeves for her!).</p>
<p>We spent the rest of the next two days checking out Montreal. We loved the city and the people. The Montreal jazz fest was in full swing and we saw a great concert by Renaud Garcia-Fons. We toured old Montreal and the downtown area. Every where felt safe and clean.</p>
<p>If you have any questions I will try to answer them. I am not a great writer (math major!).</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the information!</p>
<p>I have two other questions though, (I should have included them in the original post but forgot to) is it possible for music students at Schulich to take any “liberal arts” courses at all? Or are they strictly limited to music classes? For example, if one wanted to cross-register at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and take, for example, a psychology or Russian course would that be possible? Are there any opportunities like this available?</p>
<p>And also, is admission to Schulich based primarily on audition or academic record? Or do both carry equal weight?</p>
<p>I am going to chime in with my usual comment about academics definitely playing a part in conservatory admissions.While the audition is critical, top grades can help set you apart from another similar applicant if it comes down to it. They also can make you eligible for more scholarship and aid (don’t know about this as relates to Canadian schools, but it has an impact on Federal Aid here). VP majors also take more Gen.Ed courses than instrumental majors, particularly when it comes to languages-Great idea with adding the extra language tigerlily, and you’ll have to take Italian, French and German at most schools- and tough courses like vocal pedagogy within the music curriculum, so an ability to keep grades up is a huge boost.
While many in Montreal do speak English, being conversant in French can really enhance your experience, so making every effort to improve fluency would pay off.</p>
<p>We did a tour of Schulich last April. We were told that grades and academic do not matter at all, it’s all about audition. Now, that would be just for admission, not for scholarships, or financial aid consideration, or any of that.</p>
<p>You do also have to take some electives in courses other than music. We were told that you are free to select what those elective credits can be in. </p>
<p>Our DD didn’t feel as though it was the right fit for her. But I agree with the above comments about McGill and Montreal having a nice vibe; and Schulich’s quality of facilities.</p>
<p>That sounds really terrific. Although I am planning to be a music major, taking some extra “elective” courses would be very interesting.</p>
<p>And are these required language courses just diction classes or is the objective to have students learn the language? I speak Spanish and French fluently, so would I be able to take languages that I am unfamiliar with?</p>
<p>Tigerlily—virtually all good VP programs involve language study. Usually French, Italian and German. IMO the better programs involve in depth language study as opposed to only diction classes. Call the school.</p>
<p>Again, it depends upon the school. If you have a 5 on an AP exam, you will likely be able to pass on that language or move to a higher level. They might permit you to sit an exam and get credit that way, but is it really something to discuss with the Registrar.</p>
<p>tigerlily74 – just back from vacation – SingersMom 07 is right again about my daughter and McGil. Give me a few days to catch up and I’ll be glad to share with you my impressions and my daughter’s (very different).</p>
<p>I am the parent of a Schulich 1st year (they dont call them Freshman there). I am by no means an expert on Schulich or McGill, but can give you some basic information. Yes you can take classes outside of Schulich those courses would satisfy some if not all of your electives. Yes you can do language and interestingly if youre not already fluent (or close to fluent) in French Ive been told that the Quebec government will reimburse some, if not all, of your expense of taking French. You can minor in another faculty (a school outside of Schulich) and quite a few Music majors do. My 1st year has been considering a dual major with Management. </p>
<p>I realize that Im late answering your questions and you may not be following this link any longer. Sorry were not currently in the college search mode. Feel free to ask any questions you may have and if I dont have the answers Ill direct them to my son who is far more able to answer.</p>
<p>Some additional comments about Schulich, althought I’m sure that Momlooking is more of an expert than I. When my daughter applied, students were required to have a 3.5 average to be considered at McGill – almost all other topline music schools where my daughter applied stated that they required a 3.0 average. Since the music school at McGill is run like a conservatory and no academic courses were required at all, I asked why the standard was so high. The then admissions director (no longer there) responded that since the classes were so rigorous, the school wanted to make sure students had the brain power to keep up. Also, to get into the music school and a performance program, American students were not required to submit SAT scores. However, to be accpeted into the music education, they were required to submit SAT scores. The pre-audition cd requirements were more rigorous at McGill than any at any other school where my daughter applied. Whereas my daughter received scholarship offers from all schools where she was accepted, she did not get any offers from McGill. However the acceptance letter sounded as if she could be considered after the first year.</p>
<p>GPA: I had two separate conversations with parents of Schulich students in the last week. Their children (a 2nd year violinist and a 1st year baritone) are both loving the school. Both parents independently noted that the music theory courses were very very challenging for their children who are both strong academically. So the 3.5 gpa minimum seems appropriate. Academically average students would probably have huge difficulties with music theory courses. </p>
<p>Many Canadian students study music theory privately starting around the age of 12 or 13 taking Royal Conservatory examinations in theory once or twice a year, so that by the time they complete high school they have two or three courses in harmony, a course in analysis, a course in counterpoint, and two or three courses in music history. Having students with substantial background probably contributes to a higher difficulty level in the courses.</p>
<p>Scholarships: Canadian schools offer far less money and offer it to far fewer students simply because tuition costs are usually a fraction of those in the US. My son would pay just under US$5000 (depending on the exchange rate of the day) for a full year at the Schulich School as an out-of-province student. Hence the low tuition is effectively giving all admitted students a built-in guaranteed scholarship of about $25000 to $30000 relative to US schools that have tuition of $30000 to $35000. Many Canadian schools offer more money once a student is in 2nd year and has established a track record of success at the post-secondary level. </p>
<p>In general, Canadian schools do not use money to attract students to the extent that US schools do. Marketing is not a high priority. The schools will use money assist academically deserving students in upper years. With tuition so low, most students and homes can afford to fund the first year of university especially with a generous system of government student grants and loans which is administered entirely indepently of the schools.</p>
Hello, these posts are ancient. Is there anyone out there who could shed light on McGill/Schulich now? My son is interested in the composition program. Thanks!
Would also be interested in knowing more about Schulich/update.
My D is just finishing her first year in VP and loves it. She attended a traditional prep school and 3 years pre-college and felt well prepared. Placement tests are given at the beginning of freshman year and she was able to skip several first semester classes. Some Canadian students come from cejep, a junior college program, so students enter at different levels. The VP program requires 7 semesters language so she will use her available electives for language. I think an ambitious student who does not need language and might test out of some music classes would have time to take classes outside of their music program. The performance programs are conservatory progams. Reasons for choosing McGill: Well respected music program, urban environment, able to attend many concerts in the school and outside of school, performance opportunities - she already has a paid singing job outside of school, cost - Canadian tuition is about half the U.S. tuition, many new experiences including the experience of being the foreigner as Canada is a different country with cultural differences.
My S’s roommate’s younger brother is finishing his freshman year at Schulich on percussion. Family is very happy. He has had many performing opportunities. My D is a high school senior and the girl who is the best singer in her class chose Schulich over several other schools for jazz vocal performance. Everything we hear about it is very very good.
Thank you both for the updated responses! It sounds terrific. Harmonymom can you tell me more about the application process? I see they require a prescreening for VP but is there anything you can add-did your D have a lesson there first or just apply? What is the housing situation for students? Thanks again.