<p>I am just starting my college search as a junior in high school. I have been playing clarinet since 4th grade, and now I play nine woodwind instruments total, but my primary instrument is soprano clarinet. I want to go to college for music and major in Music Education with a possible minor in English, so I am looking for a University type setting over a conservatory. I am looking for any advice as far as good academic schools with respectable music departments. I am currently first chair clarinetist in my high school marching band, first chair bass clarinetist in concert band and PMEA district band, first chair tenor sax in jazz band, and first chair Contra Alto clarinetist in PMEA district band. I am looking for a school that will challenge me and force me to practice hard and improve as a player. I am also in the top 10% of my class.So strong academics are also important for me. </p>
<p>So far I have been considering:
U Indiana (Bloomington)
HARTT School
Ithaca
Duquesne
Boston University
James Madison University
Penn State
West Chester University
Michigan State University</p>
<p>VanderCook College of Music and Berklee College of Music are also on my list, but they are more conservatory type settings. </p>
<p>Any advice considering my list so far, and any additions would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>bassclar10, welcome. There are a number of prior music ed threads here, and a sampling below. I suggest searching or paging through the forum and read as many as you can, as well as any threads pertaining to selecting teachers, trial lessons, the audition process and role of academics versus audition at various schools and programs.</p>
<p>Don't let the thread titles dictate what you read, as many threads have tangential discussions on a specific aspect or school.</p>
<p>My son was initially a performance/music ed major at Hartt, graduating with just the performance BM. He decided last minute to opt out of the ed, as performance is his driving force. You can search for the various Hartt threads, as well as my posts for our experiences there.</p>
<p>Your list includes schools with outstanding and very good reps as music ed schools. The academics vary, Hartt's often being described as "light". A lot will depend on exactly what you want academically, as there are options available such as honors programs, schools that allow music majors to take academics within the general university population (as opposed to those academic courses specifically geared to music majors).</p>
<p>I'm not familiar with Vandercook other than a passing knowledge. It occupies a unique niche. Perhaps those in the midwest can comment.</p>
<p>I quite honestly would not recommend Berklee as a school for music ed, given your instrument and scores of other options. </p>
<p>In general, a straight music ed degree is usually most cost effective at your instate flagship or a specific public university within your state system. There can be benefits to looking at privates, or OOS, but if teaching certification is your goal, then do not discount your publics. I'm assuming you're in PA.</p>
<p>Lot's of info here. Feel free to ask me specifics about Hartt.</p>
<p>Eefer is an interesting choice as "primary" instrument. You can distinguish bass clari from clarinet as a primary choice, but I've never seen a school call the Eb a primary. There just aren't enough Eb parts in the normal repertoire to do so.</p>
<p>Regardless, if you like playing multiple instruments, you'll have to find a school AND a primary instructor and a "secondary" instructor that will allow that. Most schools will say fine, but some primary instructors at said institution will want you to focus only on primary instrument, while some "secondary" instructors may feel insulted that you don't consider their instrument important enough. You'll have to visit and ask lots of questions. This takes a special situation to wire.</p>
<p>The only school on your list that I've had experience with is IU and they didn't seem so keen on multiple instruments. That being said, you can apply for a Performance Major on 2 instruments there, but you have to audition on both instruments. It is one of the few undergraduate schools to offer this; most schools don't do this until graduate school. I don't know if they offer this option to Education majors. </p>
<p>I'm guessing that your best bet is to open the net wider to include more LACs with decent music programs as they may be more welcoming to people interested in multiple instruments. One example would be Illinois Wesleyan. Another school to consider would be Lawrence in WI, and they do have a conservatory there. I'd put it on a par with Ithaca musically, although their academics are probably a bit more challenging than Ithaca; I don't think that school will ever live down Road Trip.</p>
<p>Final piece of advice. In a school with a conservatory, broach the multiple instrument question carefully. Many places consider it an anathema, second only to a BM student asking about marching band, and you may put yourself at a disadvantage. However you still must and should ask the question. At the LACs you can be more direct in asking the question.</p>
<p>Zep brings up a good point about doubling, and multiple instruments, particularly from a performance candidate standpoint at conservatory, conservatory level top notch programs. Many instructors are inflexible and do want total devotion to the primary instrument. Many also apply this "total devotion" theory to their outlook in assessing and advising students who want to double major. Some take it so far as to exclude dual majors in music disciplines (performance/ed, performance/composition), and woe be the prospective student who wants a cross discipline music AND academic double degree route.</p>
<p>Others are far more tolerant, and will recognize high level proficiency across two or more instruments, like violin/viola and may be highly supportive. A lot will depend on the school/departmental philosophy, and the application of that philosophy. </p>
<p>The truth of the matter for a strict music ed course of study, there is coursework and an expectation of rudimentary knowledge and applied skill levels across all instruments, including vocal/choral applications even among instrumental music ed students. In reality, for a straight music ed aspirant, basic knowledge and a degree of intermediate to advanced proficiency across a number of instruments going in can be nothing but a plus.</p>
<p>There may be more ways to skin a cat here should you want to hone skills on a second instrument. Realize that even at the programs that may encourage a second instrument, your tuition will most likely cover the cost of the primary instructor only. An instructor for a second would most likely be directly out of pocket, and billed as an additional line item at their fee structure. Alternatively, you might arrange private lessons directly with faculty, an upperclass, grad or doctoral performance student.</p>
<p>Now, I won't necessarily recommend it, as it is a function of the student, the level proficiency on their primary, and their pecking order within the seated peer group. Do not pursue a secondary or tertiary instrument at an undergrad level unless you are at the top of the food chain on your primary.</p>
<p>First you work on your BM in performance with some of your electives chosen to meet the requirements of the teaching program. Then you get an intensive 14-month program (the normal fifth year, plus the summers before and after) that results in a Master's degree in Music Ed that is designed to meet licensure requirements in all 50 states.</p>
<p>Most of the teachers at Oberlin are on board with the whole double major concept, because at least a quarter of the music students there at any one time are pursuing a second major. There is no charge for secondary lessons, provided that you do not exceed the 17 credit hour per semester limit (normal load is 15 and a secondary lesson would add 2 more, but you can also take ensembles for 0 credit instead of 1 to effectively take 18 credit hours without getting charged extra) and provided that you can audition into a teacher's studio on the instrument. You also have the option of studying an instrument with a student in their junior or senior years for something like $10 per week.</p>
<p>I would still agree with violadad's statement that you had better be near the top of the heap on your primary instrument before getting too involved with a second, third or, heaven forbid, a ninth instrument.</p>
<p>Just one more caveat, which is stated in the threads within the links I posted:</p>
<p>music ed is a highly structured and sequenced curriculum, so you have to be extremely careful in schedule planning. Missing a prereq in one course will exclude you from being able to take the next sequence level; there can be MULTIPLE prereqs for higher level courses as well. Depending on the school, not all courses are offered every semester. Missing one course can add a semester or year, equating to both additional time and money. There are not too many music ed courses offered in the summers, and transfer of music/music ed credits even among peer institutions is not always possible.</p>
<p>It is definitely true that no one really is out recruiting double instrument musicians, and most top conservatories won't even acknowledge in their literature that it is allowed. In fact, at a couple, students can audition on two instruments, but only pursue one, at least initially (per the literature). However, we found most schools more open minded than that, even those that claimed not to allow it ( three initial contenders, and one he kept anyway, were totally rigid though). There are conservatories and music schools that will accept and let a student pursue both, although it is still somewhat unchartered territory, so the student has to be willing to forge the way a bit as well. This calls for extra initiative on their part, which isn't for everyone either.</p>
<p>There are clearly some drawbacks to trying to pursue two instruments at a very high level (double practicing being one of them), but it can be done.</p>