<p>So, I was accepted into MIT and Caltech EA, and it is going to be a hard choice. One thing that does make me lean towards MIT, though, is that I have heard that Caltech does not have a very expansive music program. Still, if I am not mistaken, I know that there are chamber groups and some music classes. Does anyone in CC participate in these or know somebody who does? I would like to continue playing piano in college, and I am curious to hear about Techers' experiences playing in a chamber group, orchestra, taking music classes... anything like that? How often can you and do you practice (do you have time to practice)? How much material do chamber groups cover? Can you take individual lessons (and how much would that cost)? Are there any performance opportunities?</p>
<p>Caltech is a smaller school than MIT, so the music program isn't going to look anywhere near as <em>big</em> on paper, but there are many students who participate in it and some (though not all) of the groups are very good. There definitely are performance opportunities throughout the year for chamber, orchestra, and choirs. I do hope somebody can comment more on this.</p>
<p>Ditto. In addition to string chamber groups (I play violin), does anyone know if there is acapella (pardon my spelling) going on/a good chance I could get some started up?</p>
<p>When I was at Caltech, there were <em>several</em> A Capella groups, and an annual A Capella event where they would give a joint concert with groups from other schools. You should Google "Out of Context" and "Ecphonema" -- I have no idea if they still exist.</p>
<p>If I am not mistaken, A Capella is not directly supported by the music department, but rather it is organized as student clubs that are somewhat subsidized by ASCIT (the student association). There were also various popular music (rock etc.) groups that used Tech facilities but were not affiliated with the music department, and although such things come and go over time I am sure that some exist at the moment.</p>
<p>So.....I play flute in Caltech's concert band... I must say it's a lot of fun: there are faculty members, JPL people, Oxy students, community members, and, of course, grads and undergrads playing in the band. Besides the music, you also get to talk to and know all those interesting people. Oh, and not to brag, but we are going to perform at Carnegie Hall this Spring (:D)</p>
<p>Fluid</a> Dynamics and Out</a> Of Context are the two active A Capella groups right now. There are quite a few videos of both (particularly Fluid Dynamics) on YouTube.</p>