<p>My son is weighing acceptances, including Amherst’s. The campus music scene is important to him, specifically current quantities and qualities of opportunities to play. He’s a fine guitar player in many styles - rock, blues, funk, R&B, old time, bluegrass, jazz. He would likely be interested in a faculty led jazz group as well as informal bands in such styles and solo acoustic play. How lively is the scene? How diverse and deep the styles? How welcoming the musicians? How easy for the musicians - especially freshmen - to find each other? What kinds and number of opportunities to play for people?</p>
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<p>I heard from a friend whose son is considering Amherst that he learned that they are starting an additional program in the music department in 2010 that is supposed to be great! I don’t know about music so I can’t give you particulars, but I’d have your son call the department chair of the music department.</p>
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<p>I think it would be generally a bad idea to assume that colleges are still going to be starting any new programs in 2010. Doing so would ignore just how severe the coming budget cuts will be. Amherst has serious cash flow problems, serious enough that they just had to borrow $100 million in taxable bonds to cover operating expenses, unheard of for a huge endowment college like Amherst.</p>
<p>The appropriate question to be asking, and this is for every college and university in the country, is which of the current programs are gong to be cut over the next three successive years of budget reductions.</p>
<p>■■■■ <em>facepalm</em>
Thank you for reminding us that Amherst has a “huge endowment!”</p>
<p>We have a yearlong existentialist jazz program where a series of nationally-renowned artists and musicians visits and offers personal workshops to any interested students.</p>
<p>Musically talented students get together and form ensembles all the time, and it’s easy to reserve a space. The turnout is always great. On a more casual basis, “jam sessions” are nightly occurrences here. I guess that’s how musicians chill out after the daily grind.</p>
<p>You can find more information here:</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/performances/jazz[/url]”>https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/performances/jazz</a></p>
<p>The Amherst Symphony Orchestra is one of the most popular and intense extracurriculars at Amherst, and it’s definitely a great way to find common ground and form close friendships quickly.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/performances/orchestra[/url]”>https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/performances/orchestra</a></p>
<p>You can learn more about Amherst’s music opportunities by exploring the many links on the left-hand margin.</p>
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<p>You are welcome. At the end of 2007, it was the third largest LAC per student endowment.</p>
<p>Doesn’t really matter when it comes to funding new programs over the next three years. Not happening for any school with any size endowment. Potential students should base their decisions on what’s there now (best case scenario), not on programs that may, at one time, have been planned to start two years from now.</p>