<p>(I post this in the parents section because it seems like there is quite a number of music parents posting...)</p>
<p>My problem is quite a bit different than the average music school applicant. For the past couple years, I have been developing a strong intrest in musicology, and decided that is what I would like to pursue in college. So this year I ended up applying to the major musicology programs in the midwest (UW-Madison, UM-Ann Arbor, UChicago, UIllinois- Champaign, Oberlin, and Lawrence [Lawrence as a backup school, not much program there.]) Well, around the time of auditions, certain circumstances made it so I was without a teacher (I play percussion) and thusly I was convinced my college decision would be decided for me by barely getting into one of those schools.
Well, much to my surprise, I was admitted everywhere except for Oberlin. </p>
<p>Now I'm faced with a very hard decision. Basically, the problem arises when the school with one of the best musicology faculties in the nation (UChicago) has no significant performance study (and I do want to continue playing, just not as a performing major.) I would have to go off campus for lessons, chamber music might be a struggle, and it seems that percussion facilities are limited. Plus, the only music major they offer is academic, (i.e. no Ed. program, no performance program...) I've already ruled out Lawrence because it really lacks a program, and I didn't especially like the campus when I visited. With the remaining schools, (the Big U's) I believe I could figure out a preference fairly easily (they all have -great- percussion faculty and resources etc) after I finish another tour of them. Thusly I pose the UChicago v. Big Ten school problem....</p>
<p>Basically, if anyone has info on the UC music program please let me know. Plus, how much should I value ample performance opportunity when the degree I seek is academic? Arg, my apologies for rambling, I hope you understand my problem... Thanks!</p>
<p>PS: Try to evaluate this situation as if money was not a factor =)</p>
<p>Big Ten. You've already described the conundrum as well as it could be described. </p>
<p>You SHOULD value performance opportunity. It gives you much wider exposure, and if you ever become an academic, which I assume is where you are headed, that experience will stand you in good stead, and put you in good position as a future TA in percussion. Musicology (graduate school) at Chicago is terrific, but I think it would be a big mistake.</p>
<p>Mini: I noticed on another thread that you were at grad. school at UC (right?) Are you involved in music at all/were you at UC? Do you think that doing an undergrad. in musicology all together is a big mistake, or just doing it at Chicago?</p>
<p>Reidm: UM is approaching the top of my Big Ten list... However problems arise in it being far (comparatively) (I live outside Chicago,) and quite costly (even though I said to evaluate without cost in mind...) I'm fairly firmiliar with their performance opportunities, do you have any insight into musicology opportunities? (Particularly as an undergrad.)</p>
<p>I sing opera (amateur - but I'm in Cavalleria and Pagliacci at the end of this month - had my debut at 52! today I dye my hair) - and have two very musical daughters, one a composer currently at Smith, the other an extraordinary 14-year-old pianist (whom I coach - that's a story!) I don't think there is ANYTHING wrong with doing musicology or anything else in which your heart is set. And UChicago is a fine college - undergrad or graduate. But if grad. school in same is in your future, I think you will regret not having pursued substantial performance experience. I know the LACs a lot better than the Big Ten (the little I know - totally from other people - is that UM and Indiana are famous.)</p>
<p>Musicology! It's a trade off. It sounds like if you go to Chicago, you'll have to work to figure out how to fill in the gaps to get what you want performance wise. I'm sure it can be done, but will require some creativity. How does the core there fit into your plans? I agree with Mini here, in thinking you are more likely to get all of your needs met at a different school. But if you go to Chicago, you will get a lot of personal attention. They'll love you as a music major there, since there aren't that many of them! And if you do well academically, you'll be able to get recommendations for grad school from some of the most well known musicologists around.</p>
<p>My H graduated as a music major from Chicago and went to grad school for musicology at Berkeley. He is an organist/Bach lover and now works at a bank. Builds clavichords in his spare time.</p>
<p>Everyone takes the same music history courses for at least the first two years, ditto theory. After that you would have more music history/musicology requirements. There are doubtless other co-ordinated humanities topics which are invaluable to musicologist. My vote (I have performance BM, music history MM, performance DMA) is to go to your pick of big ten schools (Michigan is great, but pricey; another may do just as well for less), get performance and music history, but make sure you get all of side courses for musicology. You might change your mind as your percussion skills increase, and then you can pick. Percussionists have to be musicologists, with great emphasis on ethnomusicology: the performance media for percussionists expands by the hour, and it is both creative of new "instruments" and investigative of old of many cultures. Probably you could figure out a way at one of the schools to combine the two, but at least you can cover the basics, so that for graduate school you will not have deficits. What a great candidate you will be for a job which would take advantage of your interests and obvious skills. I think percussion is the most challenging performance area: there is no mastering anything, because there is another instrument to explore in the next piece. Good luck.</p>
<p>EK - my UMich recommendation comes primarily from the strength of their performance opportunities and excellent teaching faculty. Also they have 13 musicology profs. . .U of Chicago has 21 profs to cover everything. Granted, UMich is a bigger school and the music school is pretty large for a music school, but still. . .</p>
<p>If you were coming at this from a history or anthropology framework I guess I would flip a coin, or maybe even lean toward U of C. But coming at it from an instrumentalist's perspective, an instrumentalist with performing interests, I guess I would lean toward U Mich.</p>
<p>One other way to cut this would be to try and determine which Big Ten school has percussion faculty that would be most sympathetic to your combined interest in musicology and performance.</p>