Music Scholarships

<p>Hi. My son is a junior in high school and has been playing the cello for 12 years. He has won many awards and has appeared as a solo cellist on wfmt Chicago etc.,etc., etc. His GPA is a 3.7. Working on ACT scores.</p>

<p>He would like to double major and we do not have a lot of money for college. I would like to know the dollar amount of music scholarships the kids are receiving in this day and age. I know it is a personal question but I need guidance.</p>

<p>His short list is:
Oberlin
Lawrence
Univ. of Cincinnati-Cons.
U of I
IU
Bard
UCSB
Illinois Wesleyan
UIUC
USC
Univ. of Miami</p>

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

<p>We can’t give you any useful answers because every student is so different - in terms of ability, the programs need at that moment, and the student’s financial need. Even in the same program scholarships vary widely from small amounts to full tuition, or even, rarely, a full ride.</p>

<p>There are some specific scholarships at different programs for specific instruments. Bard has some of those. Miami does. I’m sure some of the others do too.</p>

<p>Do know that most students on this board have been admitted to programs which they’ve been able to attend financially - through scholarships and financial aid - although, sometimes, they’ve had to choose a different school than they might have if money were no object.</p>

<p>A good place to start is here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1427644-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2013-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1427644-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2013-a.html&lt;/a&gt;
There is a spreadsheet that has some scholarship information from this past year’s applicants. It’s not complete and may not have financial aid awards plus merit but you can at least get an idea. You can also contact those schools and ask about their criteria and previous awards. There are so many variables though that it can change greatly from year to year and so much depends on where he stands in this year’s class. </p>

<p>We found that the real numbers weren’t availble until after negotiations that ocurred after acceptances. So it is best to go in with an open mind and make sure he understands financial issues will play in the final decision so he does not get his heart set on one that is not viable. With luck he will have several good acceptances and at least one will work out.</p>

<p>There is no set number for scholarships, and how schools give out that aid varies. Juilliard on their web site and from what we were told by their admissions people pretty much do it on a need basis, both straight financial aid and the merit aid (part of the reason for that is most of the kids admitted to Juilliard are pretty high caliber, so when making merit awards they look at need because they prob have a lot of kid who could get it on talent alone). </p>

<p>Other schools will give pretty good merit aid for kids at high levels because they want to attract them to their program, so a top cellist might have to make the decision between going to the high prestige program, with less aid, or a really good one at another school. Merit aid is often a function simply of how much they want you, how good the student is compared to the program and often, how much a teacher wants the student. </p>

<p>For the music school side of things, there have been long arguments on here about awards and music competitions and whether it helps with getting into a school or getting financial aid. The answer is that depends on the school, if they see being able to say "we have students who won the tchaikovsky, queen elizabeth’ or like competitions, then they may push out the aid awards to help the student, but at the very top level of schools, that likely attract a lot of kids like that, not so much, after all, a Curtis or a Juilliard et al already have the reputation…</p>

<p>I think the best answer anyone can give you is to find the programs your child thinks they want to go to, based on teacher and so forth, apply, and then see what happens. I would hazard a guess some of the schools on your list would give better scholarships than others for merit, simply based on my understanding of the strength/reputation of the program. I have heard that if they like a student, Bard will give pretty decent scholarships, and they have formal free ride scholarships if I read their website correctly, and with Bard you have the added advantage that students have to dual major (it is a 5 year program), so that could be a strong candidate for your son, for example.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that once you get in, you can negotiate aid. One thing looking at the list, are you sure all of them have decent cello faculty? The biggest factor of all is the teacher, which is why I am asking the question. I know of some of the schools and their faculty (Bard, USC have strong strings programs, for example), but there are schools on that list that may not be good for cello (or might be, which is why I am not mentioning specific schools). Check the faculty and see if you can find people knowledgeable about the cello world, and see if they know anything about the teachers at the schools your S has picked out. </p>

<p>Barring that, if at all possible try to find ways for your S to perhaps do a sample lesson with the teachers ( I realize some of those schools are east coast, some west coast, number in th e midwest, so that may not be easy). Lacking that, do some research and try and see if you can find students who studied with the teacher who have become successful, look at the rosters of major orchestras, for example, and see where the cellists came from (most post bios online), or look and see if anyone has posted anything about them. While net postings are always kind off worthy of being skeptical, it might give you ideas. </p>

<p>Once you find the schools with teachers that your S thinks might work, apply, audition and then see what comes back. I will add that if he is really talented, the odds of getting good money from at least some of the schools is high, so I suspect if he is pretty talented he will find a place where he can study cello and be able to afford it.</p>

<p>One other thought, one that has been talked about, is the dual major idea. Bard makes their students do it and as a result it is a 5 year program, but in many you might need to finish the dual degree in 4 years, and given the amount of work for a BM Degree, that isn’t easy. </p>

<p>One of the reasons I ask this if he is willing to take a shot at music, he might be interested in something like the Colburn school in LA. It is small, but has fantastic facilities (you should see their cafeteria and practice rooms), and is generally pretty well regarded. I don’t know their cello faculty that well, but the kicker is you get in there, it is totally free ride, room, board and tuition, and because it is right across the street from the LA Phil/Disney concert Hall, there is a lot of cross mingling with the Phil and other musical groups as well.</p>

<p>The amount vary widely from school to school, from program to program, from student to student and even from year to year. At some schools, incoming students are given larger amounts which then go down in subsequent years as more is offered to entice potential students. But, that being said, the amounts awarded can be appealed and often, more funds are “found”.
If he’s looking for a performance degree, he may find it difficult to double major because of the sheer amount of time spent in rehearsals for orchestra, small ensembles, practice and classwork. Since he’s looking at Oberlin, he should consider CIM/Case Western- in theory, a double degree there is listed as 5 years, but most complete them with just one extra semester and graduate in December. There are some special financial awards at CIM for double degree students.</p>

<p>I admittedly do not know the classical music scene that well, but you might want to add University or Rochester/ Eastman to your list. Two years ago they told applicants that they were committed to meeting their students funding needs and the students I know who go there are indeed getting generous financial assistance. Uof Rochester has a specific scholarship for students who are liberal arts majors who are also interested in music and performance.</p>

<p>A select number of Oberlin Conservatory students are offered merit aid in the form of Conservatory Dean Scholarships. The amounts vary and are based on the audition. Our experience with Oberlin has been that it is generous with its financial aid grants apart from the merit aid.</p>

<p>Just to help clarify terminology: a double degree is different from a double major. Here is a good essay on different ways to study music:
[Double</a> Degrees | Peabody Conservatory](<a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html]Double”>http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html)</p>

<p>Is your son thinking of getting a BM and BA in 5 years? That would be a double degree. Oberlin, Lawrence and Bard, for instance, offer that. At Bard, BM conservatory students are required to get a BA as well, in another subject.</p>

<p>Tufts and Harvard have double degree programs with NEC (BA/BM for Tufts, BA/MM for Harvard). There are others.</p>

<p>Conservatories that are not affiliated with a college/university tend not to have much financial aid but do have some merit aid. Conservatories/music schools that are on a college campus or part of a college/university institution (whether on a separate campus or not) have the same financial aid as that institution, and some also have merit aid. And, colleges/universities have financial aid, and some also have merit aid, as you know.</p>

<p>Merit aid will vary tremendously.</p>

<p>Have you done the financial aid EFC calculators on the sites of any of these schools?</p>

<p>Also be aware that often merit aid is simply subtracted from financial aid, meaning it will not add to the aid amount. Same thing is true of outside scholarships.</p>

<p>This looks like a great list, and as far as I know (correct me if I am wrong) all these schools would have financial aid. None of them are freestanding conservatories. My only question is whether it is “short” enough for a student who is going to be doing auditions. My daughter was pretty stressed with four audition schools (plus two non-audition).</p>

<p>Has your student taken the PSAT? If admitted to SC, a National Merit Scholar can receive a half tuition scholarship. This will continue all four years providing the student takes the regular number of units and does well in the classroom. A student may receive financial aid in addition to the scholarship.</p>

<p>There is a long list of merit scholarships on the SC website. These are generous, but highly competitive. </p>

<p>SC uses both the FAFSA and CSS profiles to determine financial need as well as tax information.</p>

<p>Ralph Kirshbaum holds the Gregor Piatigorsky Chair of Violincello at USC Thornton. You can find the names of other cello professors on the SC website.</p>

<p>I am confused about the CIM double-degree option with Case Western Reserve mentioned by Mezzo’sMama. Is there a way to study with the great faculty at CIM while getting the good scholarships at Case Western if you do the double-degree option? If so, which school does one apply through? Both?</p>

<p>Mezzo’sMama - I am trying to PM you but I don’t have enough posts yet:)</p>

<p>Hi MWstringmom, </p>

<p>My S applied to both CIM and Case Western 3 years ago so I think I can help answer your questions. You can apply to either CIM or CW as they are seperate institutions. If you are accepted as a student at CIM you can take classes and get a double degree through CW and it is not necessary to apply to CW seperately. In that case any scholarships or financial aid comes only from CIM, merit scholarships would be based on the audition and academics are not considered. (Incidentally you would pay an extra tuition surcharge to CW, I think it was about $3000/year for the double degree.)
You can also apply to CW and be accepted as a music major, but in that case CIM is not
open to you except to take academic music classes, i.e. music history and music theory. CW has their own music dept. and you would be in ensembles and take lessons through CW, not CIM. There is very little cross over of the music depts. For example, Annie Fullard, who is a violinist with the Cavani String Quartet- the resident quartet at CIM, runs the Chamber Music program at CW, but the students don’t mix. The CW students are in groups with other CW students and have their own facilities, performances, etc.
In that case you are eligible for the CW scholarships and financial aid. As another example, my son took a sample lesson from Bryan Dumm who teaches Cello at CW. He is a member of the Cleveland Orchestra and also teaches at Cleveland State and has a few students as an adjunct professor at CIM. He said that he tries to hold a studio class with all his students together from each institution about once a month. So there is the potential for a very small amount of interaction, but not really extensively and it is more informal than institutionalized. I hope this helps answer some of your questions and hopefully it still pertains, I don’t think this has changed much in the past few years.</p>