<p>My son is very interested in Pomona. He LOVED the atmosphere when he visited and thinks it would be a fabulous place to go to school.</p>
<p>His stats are SATs - 700/720/780 and a WGPA of 4.2. He has taken very challenging courses,and while he has mostly A's, last semester got some B's in his AP classes. He is quite worried about what that might as far as admission to Pomona. He also has a really excellent tenor voice and is passionate about signing, although doesn't want to make it a career. He has been the lead in his school musicals since his sophomore year, and has taken first place in vocal competitions in our state. He would like to minor in music, and is looking for a school that would allow him to participate and study performance art and also has a good science program. </p>
<p>One other factor - he has traveled the world, and represented his state and city in various conferences.</p>
<p>So, what kind of school is Pomona for vocal studies. How much of a problem are last semester grades?</p>
<p>Any recommendation and help is very appreciated. Thank you.</p>
<p>Welcome to CC! Your S’s SAT scores are right in the ballpark. Pomona will look at his unweighted GPA rather than WGPA. Depending on the AP subjects, getting Bs may not be all that big a factor, especially if his AP test scores are high.</p>
<p>I’m assuming you’re talking about second semester senior year grades. If so, Pomona will look at those grades closely. They’re looking for students who aren’t going to rest on their laurels once they’re accepted into college. A slight tick downward isn’t all that much for concern, but dropping way below what a student has received in the past will be a red flag.</p>
<p>Pomona encourages students to participate in the arts even if they’re not majoring in them. D danced all four years but didn’t minor in the subject.</p>
<p>Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have further questions.</p>
<p>I’m a student at Pitzer College (another member of The Claremont Colleges) but I am involved in the Pomona Music Department. I too am a tenor, and have found in my short time in the department so far that the faculty and instruction is excellent. Besides music classes such as theory, Pomona has the College Choir and the Glee Club as their choral ensembles, both excellent. The Professor that runs these groups, Donna M. Di Grazia is wonderful! If your son is interested in singing, especially in a choral setting, I would recommend getting in touch with her. Pomona also offers a voice lesson program that is graded and for some credit. I look forward to my first lesson today. </p>
<p>If there are any other questions you have pertaining to the Claremont Colleges, just let me know. </p>
<p>Dear Erdnase808,
Thank you for your reply. I am very pleased to hear that the Claremont community is involved in music at the various campuses. I saw from Pitzer’s website that music studies are are offered at Scripps College. Have you studied there, and if so, what is your opinion?<br>
RBF</p>
<p>Does anyone know how good the instrumental music program is at Pomona? D is a classical musician who wants to continue her passion at college without majoring in it. She is looking for many performance opportunities. She is a flute player.</p>
<p>She is also looking to major in Biology, how is that program at Pomona?</p>
<p>My son is not a music major but is involved with several aspects of Music at Pomona. You and your daughter my want to look at the following. <a href=“http://www.music.pomona.edu/musicdepthandbook.pdf[/url]”>www.music.pomona.edu/musicdepthandbook.pdf</a> This describes the opportunities for performance and lessons on her instrument. I leave the biology question to someone with more knowledge than I. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Music seems very good here. So many students asked for violin lessons that they hired a new teacher, and when I went to my first lesson I was awed to discover that she studied under Heifetz and has played in major movie soundtracks (Narnia, Pirates 1-3, Indiana Jones, Toy Story 3, etc). I think it’s amazing that they can just get people like that when there is the demand.</p>
<p>Our son(second year) has had good experiences in both the biology and music departments at Pomona. He takes private lessons on his instrument and plays in the Pomona College Orchestra. His private teacher has really helped him take his playing to the next level, which is exactly what he was looking for without having to be a music major. </p>
<p>He plans to major in Neuro which involves a lot of classes with professors who teach in the bio department. He has also found advising to be very helpful. When he had the unfortunate last registration time last December his advisor took time to help him find classes to fit his interests and schedule. They also kept in contact throughout the year and summer to discuss internships and research opportunities. </p>
<p>Anyone considering continuing music at Pomona should try to observe a rehearsal during their visit. The orchestra is very good for a school this size without a conservatory. (Our other son graduated from Oberlin with a BMus so we understand what “conservatory level” is.) This means that those musicians who have achieved a high level in high school who do not want to attend a conservatory, can still have an opportunity to play in a musically satisfying ensemble. Our son says the choirs are also very good.</p>
<p>It would be very important for him to fill out an arts supplement with his application. This can certainly help (and almost never hurt) the applicant, and may make it easier to overlook some perceived weaknesses in his application.</p>