Music Dept

<p>I would appreciate any insight into the music program at Wesleyan for someone who wants to major in music. How large is the dept student wise? What do people do when they leave?</p>

<p>no takers I guess</p>

<p>You might search for Wesleyan in the Music Major Forum. I have seen a fair number of posts there about the music department and its reputation. Generally, quite favorable.</p>

<p>My son is a senior music major at Wesleyan, a classical pianist. I can’t answer either of your two specific questions, but I can tell you that my son has had a very positive experience there. </p>

<p>The music professors have been uniformly excellent and have been very supportive of my son’s work in piano and in the classroom. </p>

<p>He’s been disappointed in the practice room facilities and in the low number of serious classical musicians, but those are his only complaints. </p>

<p>Still, he has played chamber music with wonderful players and has had lots of solo performance opportunities. He has a great piano instructor and will be auditioning for graduate school in piano performance this fall. (One of his music major friends is applying to grad school in musicology and another is pursuing music administration.)</p>

<p>The orchestra seems quite good for a small school and there are a few choral ensembles, including a Collegium Musicum that is excellent. </p>

<p>I get the sense that the private teaching and coaching for instrumentalists is better than for voice students. At the concerts I’ve attended, the most advanced students have been from the piano and guitar studios, and I’ve heard at least one terrific cellist and a couple of good violinists. </p>

<p>Wesleyan has a great reputation for jazz and world music, with lots of students involved, but I don’t have any experience with those areas.</p>

<p>Son is Soph at Wes and Music is one of his double majors…he is NOT classical, however, but more jazz/rock, etc. He LOVES the department and access to world-class professors/teachers as well as the overall music scene…</p>

<p>In summary, he is involved with 3 performing bands on campus, promotes events, he DJ’s, he is musical director at the campus radio station (and is on air) – so far, he has/is taking jazz vocal lessons with reknowned jazz singer, jazz guitar and drums.</p>

<p>He studio records many of the popular bands on campus, including his own…</p>

<p>Overall, a very vibrant music scene on campus regardless of genre…</p>

<p>He loves the other academics as well – thus far, he has taken English, Arabic, Film and Economics trying to figure out the other half of the double major…</p>