My daughter is a junior in high school. She has been composing music since she was in 5th grade, having won a few contests (national and 1 international, although I don’t think this seems to matter for college admissions). She works with a private teacher, and has done several thing musically at her high school (choir, Theory classes, some band). She plays piano and composes on piano and on her computer. She has attended a couple of summer programs composition programs, and is likely to be a National Merit Semifinalist. Her test scores are strong and has taken mostly honors classes. Her grades are good, but not perfect. How important are grades for admission to the music composition programs at schools like Oberlin (5 year double major), CMU (5 year double major), Michigan, Berklee/Rochester, Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Yale and Harvard? Any past experiences with and insight into the admission processes at these schools would be so appreciated.
My son is in a similar situation except in instrument performance rather than composition. You should post this in the Music Major section: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/ where I received many wonderful feedback.
A couple of options might be Indiana University Jacobs School of Music though it is quite selective. For a less selective school with a tremendous music program check out Belmont University in Nashville.
Will do! Thanks for the tip!
CORRECTION: I meant Eastman/Rochester, not Berklee.
There is another thread on the same topic…responded there with others…
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1886197-importance-of-grades-for-music-majors-in-joint-ba-bfa-programs.html#latest
My daughter is attending SUNY Fredonia for Composition in the fall. I’d encourage you to check out their program, we were really pleased with the level of instruction and exposure that she’ll be getting from day one there. For a state school, their comp program is incredibly robust and they are just a couple hours drive away from a lot of great music cities…Cleveland, Toronto, Rochester etc…
Looking for any feedback on Brown’s MEME program from people who have had experience with it. Also, thoughts on Harvard’s partnering with Berklee for a dual music degree from people who’ve had experience at Harvard in their electroacoustic music program. From Harvard Crimson '16: Harvard College and Berklee College of Music have formalized a new dual-degree program, marking the beginning of a partnership that promises to marry Harvard’s liberal arts curriculum with a more focused, advanced degree in music from Berklee. By the end of the program’s five-year cycle, students will have earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard and either a Master of Arts or a Master of Music from Berklee.