<p>I've dabbled through different instruments all my life (saxophone, violin, voice), but only recently decided to stick with piano.</p>
<p>I don't intend on becoming a professional musician but I really, really love it and would like to study it in college (I'm a HS sophomore). Obviously, because I am somewhat new to piano (and because I have other interests), I wouldn't major in it, so I'm considering minoring in music.</p>
<p>A couple questions:
Do you have to audition for lower level college music classes? Will I be really far behind everyone else who's been playing since they were five? Would it be better just to take outside school private lessons or a few elective classes?</p>
<p>Halie, alot will depend on your choice of schools. I would choose your potential schools, then spend some serious time on their music department/school webpages. Requirements vary widely by school. You will find options with and without minors, lessons included or at extra cost, audition and non/audition based programs and ensembles, and various levels of performing organizations.</p>
<p>Halie, every school is different, so there is no easy answer. At some schools, a music minor doesn't require an audition at all. Some schools don't offer minors, but do offer BAs which are similar - meant for those who want to double major in something else. At some schools the music minor is not performance based, but based on a number of credits earned in music courses like theory and history.</p>
<p>By declaring yourself as a music minor (or BA) it may be possible at some schools to take private lessons free. At other schools, you would have to pay for the lessons, and therefore, may or may not save money by taking private lessons on your own. </p>
<p>Here is a for instance:</p>
<p>Miami University of Ohio offers a BA and a minor. The BA doesn't require private lessons, the minor (performance based) does. The minor requires an audition. For the BA, which is liberal arts based, an audition is required - if you reach "junior standing" via audition, you don't have to take lessons.</p>
<p>If you don't get music lessons via your major at Miami-OH, then you pay a nominal fee for them. (Something like $80 per semester.) On the other hand, at Emory, private lessons are more like $80 EACH.</p>
<p>Probably what you need to do is start hunting for colleges that offer the major you're interested in, and other extras (size, location, cost, etc). Make a long list. Then start investigating their music department and weed your list down.</p>
<p>[cross posted with Violadad - great minds and all that! :)]</p>
<p>Another quick question: how easy would it be to double major at a school where the music major is theory-based? On CC I've heard that at some top schools it's near-impossible to double major (or possible but extremely time-consuming), but on some college websites (larger schools with presumably less selective music programs), it is recommended that you double major.</p>
<p>The dual major or double degree criteria is school specific. A theory based major should be a bit less intense (in terms of credit hour requirements) than a performance major, but each school has different policies... some welcome it, some frown upon it, some pay lip service but have few students actually doing doubles.</p>
<p>Again, identify your long list, and start your research based on the priority of your "wish" list.</p>
<p>Halie, I can only speak for my school, which is a small liberal arts college in Massachusettes. </p>
<p>My school offers both a music major and minor, the major requiring a lot more units than the minor. Because my school is a liberal arts college, no audition is necessary, in fact, the major and minor are more focused on music theory and history; music lessons don't count towards the major! I am a music minor, and I've taken one theory course, and a whole bunch of music history classes. Essentially virtually anyone can minor in music just so long as they take the required courses (and pass them, at that!).</p>
<p>And to answer your question, at my school, it is very doable to double major in music and something else, granted that you fulfill all the requirements for each major (which calls for some careful planning to make sure everything gets fulfilled on time). This is more work than doing a single major, but people who double major are the ones who absolutely love studying their fields. </p>
<p>As far as music lessons are concerned, at my school, anybody who desires to take lessons are allowed to. There is a fee, but for students on financial aid (like me), we don't pay anything. You can take lessons for no credit (30 min lesson), or credit (45 min-1 hr lessons). It all depends on the student and how seriously s/he takes music.</p>
<p>But echoing what everyone else said, it depends highly on each school. You still have so much time to figure out what kind of school you want to attend and what you want to study. Good luck!</p>