Music at Smith?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
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<p>Can anyone tell me about the classical music scene at Smith? Is it easy to get lessons (violin?), play in an orchestra, do chamber music and possibly major in music? Not looking for a conservatory, but looking for a strong group of musicians and faculty. Also thinking about Amherst</p>

2

<p>nycm, Smith has a strong and vibrant music program. You should take a look at Smith’s extensive music performance schedule on the website; you will not be disappointed. Lessons are very much available; the orchestra is strongly supported, averaging probably about 60 members. I’m less knowledgeable about the chamber music possibilities but you can research that easily by simply calling the Music Department and asking some focused questions that can include how many music majors there are. My daughter chose not to play violin in the orchestra at Smith because she wanted to devote her energies in other directions, but she has kept her hand in for all four years by singing in the Smith College Chorus (for First Years) and the Glee Club (for upperclassmen) and she has truly loved it with multiple opportunities for performance. The music instruction at Smith is superb. The concerts (we only live 1-1/2 hours away) are always impressive and very often blissful. Her sophomore year they sang the Bach B minor Mass with Cornell Men’s Glee Club (1 hour, 45 minutes of constant runs!) and this spring in her senior year, they’re singing Carmina Burana with the UVA Glee Club. We brought a friend of ours (New England Conservatory-trained) to hear the Bach B minor Mass and he declared it was the best performance of the Mass he’d ever heard.</p>

<p>[Smith</a> College: Music](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/music/]Smith”>Music | Smith College)
[Smith</a> College: Music](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/music/calendar.php]Smith”>http://www.smith.edu/music/calendar.php)</p>

<p>I have seen the orchestra perform; there is something very powerful and empowering about all women making music, where ALL the sections of the orchestra are women, even the timpani and brass. You won’t get that at Amherst. </p>

<p>Although this may not be up your alley because you’re thinking of more of a performance /conservatory experience, there is a recent Smith graduate who’s getting her PhD in the highly, highly competitive program at Princeton. If you are interested in learning more about this student’s experience, you should PM Mini, whose daughter is at Princeton. </p>

<p>I hope this information helps. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>That’s my d. She is finishing up a fifth-year of a combined Ph.D. program in Musicology and Italian Studies. Smith had by far the best LAC program for her (she was heavily recruited by Williams and a bunch of other LACs). She double-majored in composition/Italian Studies, was secretary of the orchestra, played baroque chamber music, sang in the combined Smith/Mt. Holyoke women’s medieval/Renaissance music choir, had her chamber works performed, and, in her STRIDE project, prepared a performance edition of the first opera ever written by a woman (Francesca Caccini), which was performed at Smith in her second year (and which wrote her ticket to graduate school). There are so many musicologists coming out of Smith that they have an annual alumnae breakfast at the American Musicological Society conference.</p>

<p>The Smith program was about double the size of Amherst’s, which barely fields an orchestra, and some of the Amherst profs teach their courses at Smith, as they can’t find enough music students there (particularly true of ethnomusicology. Lessons can be arranged: as I remember, my d. did voice, and lessons in viola da gamba.</p>

4

<p>Nycm-</p>

<p>Congratulations that your daughter is at the academic level that she has Amherst College as an option.</p>

<p>I recommend that she also takes a peek at Vassar. When I visit Vassar, I try to attend the music performances. Whether I’m listening to the jazz or wind ensemble, orchestra, et cetera, I’m astounded by the students’ level of competency and professionalism. There are also student run groups that are as equally superb.
[Instrumental</a> Ensembles - Music - Vassar College](<a href=“http://music.vassar.edu/ensembles]Instrumental”>Music - Ensembles | Vassar College), </p>

<p>I realize your daughter is interested in the violin, but Vassar’s pipe organ is breathtaking. A must see. Another great organ at Vassar was built by Thomas Hall and it’s considered to be one of only two in existence. The organ is located in Skinner Hall, one of the most beautiful music buildings in the country. </p>

<p>[Google</a> Image Result for <a href=“SEARCH, QUICK-LINKS, RESEARCH HELP - The George Sherman Dickinson Music Library - Libraries at Vassar College”>SEARCH, QUICK-LINKS, RESEARCH HELP - The George Sherman Dickinson Music Library - Libraries at Vassar College](<a href=“http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://musiclibrary.vassar.edu/photos/building.jpg&imgrefurl=http://musiclibrary.vassar.edu/history.html&h=198&w=300&sz=18&tbnid=JijPfMvE-1rYyM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=136&zoom=1&usg=__J7aNB08zCUNQB9sRIGi91I4dlnM=&docid=KNIyBgP5mT-BEM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dpYIUaGyE8mC0QGNooG4Bw&ved=0CH8Q9QEwDg&dur=724]Google”>http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://musiclibrary.vassar.edu/photos/building.jpg&imgrefurl=http://musiclibrary.vassar.edu/history.html&h=198&w=300&sz=18&tbnid=JijPfMvE-1rYyM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=136&zoom=1&usg=__J7aNB08zCUNQB9sRIGi91I4dlnM=&docid=KNIyBgP5mT-BEM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dpYIUaGyE8mC0QGNooG4Bw&ved=0CH8Q9QEwDg&dur=724)</a></p>

<p>[An</a> Illustrated History of the Music Library - The George Sherman Dickinson Music Library - Vassar College](<a href=“SEARCH, QUICK-LINKS, RESEARCH HELP - The George Sherman Dickinson Music Library - Libraries at Vassar College”>SEARCH, QUICK-LINKS, RESEARCH HELP - The George Sherman Dickinson Music Library - Libraries at Vassar College)</p>

<p>Mini, when was the last time you had any direct contact with Amherst’s orchestra? It’s a fallacy that Amherst barely fields an orchestra. The orchestra is fabulous and

<a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/performances/orchestra[/url]”>https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/performances/orchestra&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Mini said:

</p>

<p>There aren’t any Amherst professors teaching music at Smith this semester, nor were there last semester. Music is alive and well at Amherst</p>

<p>In the end, it matters little how great a college music program is if the student ends up disliking the college and all that entails. Decide which colleges that she will be happy and the rest will take care of itself.</p>

5

<p>I have not had contact in five years. I do know that they have five tenured faculty, one of whom is on leave, and one assistant professor. (Their well-known ethnomusicologist, who used to teach mostly on the Smith campus, has left.) And one assistant prof. Five years ago, the orchestra had around 35-40 members (from Amherst, supplemented primarily by UMass students). They also seem not to have replaced their composer (and opera guy, which is why - now almost 10 years ago, my d. had considered Amherst, but then didn’t apply.)</p>

<p>But you are absolutely right. The college matters more unless the student has very specialized interests.</p>

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<p>Add a visiting professor. There are also three senior lecturers/conductors, Mallorie Chemin, Director of the Choral Music Program, Mark L. Swanson Director of Instrumental Music, and Bruce P. Diehl Senior Lecturer in Music and Director of Jazz Performance. Contributing faculty adds another five professors/lecturers.</p>

<p>You’re far more knowledgeable about music than I, but it seems to me that fourteen music department faculty at a college as small as Amherst is impressive.</p>

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<p>You can perform in a number of ensembles (including orchestra, jazz band, and choral groups) that are run by the Music department, as well as many student-run groups (a cappella, Celtic, jazz, ukelele, etc) without taking classes or being a major/minor. The department is definitely skewed more towards classical music than jazz or contemporary, but that sounds like it might be a plus considering your interests.</p>

<p>Also note that if you are a declared major or minor, you can get voice lessons for free (a $~700 value per semester). Not sure if the same is true for instrumental lessons, but I figure it would be lowered, at the very least.</p>

<p>I am friends with a few music majors, so feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about the major.</p>

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<p>Many thanks to everyone for these thoughtful replies. Yes, Crewdad, we may be reaching at Amherst
, but hoping that strong musical talents might help with admissions? Vassar is certainly on our list as well (and maybe she can take a look at the pipe organ when she visits!) Congratulations Mini on your daughter’s stellar trajectory from Smith to Princeton’s PhD program! I also know of some other Smith grads, including a great young woman conductor, who have been pursuing musical careers, which is one of the reasons we started looking there. Will certainly PM you as visiting time approaches (probably late spring) and will also look forward to touching base with teenage_cliche then as well.</p>