<p>Woodwinds, I think you know more than I do on this. Do you see a problem with an adjunct from a Local Symphony Orchestra coming in to teach Oboe? I would think I would have to make that a condition. There are some smaller schools that just don’t seem to have Oboe Professors from my research. The one school with an Orchestra is a small school but has a well know music program from all I can gather.</p>
<p>Perhaps you are restricting your search too much? Are you looking only at small colleges? Just about any large college will have both a good oboe professor and a school orchestra. It is understandable that a very small college (under 2,000 students) would not have oboe faculty; the cost would be prohibitive.</p>
<p>I don’t see anything wrong with an adjunct from a symphony orchestra giving you lessons. In fact, this is how even many of the “top” conservatories hire teachers these days. The point is that you do need those lessons if you want to progress, and you do need an orchestra to develop your repertoire.</p>
<p>Woodwinds, thanks. You are correct. My search is narrower than most. I am trying to go to college free. I play a sport and have been offered 50% at one of the schools for my sport. I am looking for the other 50% through the Oboe. I also am looking to go to a historically black college for my undergraduate. This does put me in a much narrower pool. I am trying to match my sport and my instrument to come out without debt. There are a few schools in my State that are better but they don’t need my services for my sport and I am not likely to get 100% from the Music Department. You have helped me to understand both the importance of a Teacher and a Orchestra. I think I can pull off the adjunct but am not certain I can make up for not having a orchestra.</p>
<p>Well, you are very smart to avoid debt coming out of college.</p>
<p>Do these colleges you are looking at have wind ensembles? You could play in that, and also look for an outside youth orchestra to join. Most youth orchestras allow participation until age 21.</p>
<p>Yes, for me it is too costly to have a music degree and $80,000 in debt. Yes, I didn’t realize the age goes to 21. I currently play in a Youth Orchestra and both schools have a wind ensemble and Symphonic bands. They also are near very established youth Orchestras. You have really help me with my concerns. Thanks</p>
<p>Is the HBCU a deal-breaker? If not, you might consider applying to other music schools, where there are likely to be scholarships available for oboe.</p>
<p>One national group offering black and Hispanic musicians scholarships is [Sphinx</a> Organization - Scholarship Programs -](<a href=“http://sphinxmusic.org/scholarship-programs.html]Sphinx”>http://sphinxmusic.org/scholarship-programs.html).</p>
<p>stradmom, the Sphinx scholarship is unfortunately restricted only to string players.</p>
<p>The deal breaker is the cost of College. Have you seen the cost of out of State Tuition, College fees and the rest? I don’t want to be broke forever. I am sure I can get a scholarship at other schools but nothing near what I have the potential to get at these schools. Its the cost!! At the end of the day, I will likely have to pay to go further but why start off in the whole with a music degree? As stated, I have 50% covered at one school in a sport. I am very lucky to land that deal because its really hard to get Athletic scholarship money.</p>
<p>There you go. To go to other schools put you in a pool of many more players where the likely hood of being at the top drops way down. For instance I found out that the University of Alabama has 14 oboes. Instructor said, “I don’t need any more Oboes”. So, I can go there because its a better music school, get no money and be broke for the next 20 years. Also, most of the black Hispanic scholarship funds out there are for NEED base families. Im not in a need base family. Dad makes too much money qualify for that. My options are academics, oboe, sports, loans. I am a few points away from an academic award on the ACT but am running out of time on that one.</p>
<p>goalsrreal, you must be a very good athlete to be offered that kind of scholarship today. Long gone are the full-ride athletic scholarships; that’s how I paid for college, 35 years ago. However, it may be worth applying to a few private out of state schools, on the chance one may offer you a Presidential scholarship, or more than you might find closer to you.</p>
<p>Well, it is very hard. My brother is a d1 soccer player who got a 100%. My dad told us right away how rare that was. He is really good. He also told me that 50% was the max a girl could expect. So, I am grateful. The hardest thing is finding a program that needs you the same year you are graduating. It’s so many girls playing and so many programs that coaches are recruiting 2-3 years ahead of time so by the time you find what you think is a good match they tell you “all the money is gone for that year”.</p>
<p>I found a private school in GA that wants me for the Oboe but Coach not in need of my position leaving me with over $15,000 a year. Great music school with Orchestra and Professor of Oboe. It’s just that they can only offer you so much.</p>
<p>Our daughter was NOT a music major…but she plays Obie and wanted to continue doing so in college. Her small university had both an oboe teacher and orchestra. She was able to have her oboe lessons at no cost as long as she played in the orchestra. </p>
<p>When my son, the music performance major, was looking at colleges, he did two things…scheduled a private lesson with the teacher on his instrument…AND asked to sit in and listen to an orchestra rehearsal. The quality of the orchestra was AS important to him as the quality of the private teacher.</p>
<p>Seems like it would be tough to be a music major and play a sport at that level. Both take a lot of time and there would be a potential conflict with games and rehearsals/performances.</p>
<p>I did both (30 years ago!) and it was tough. But, sports paid the bills. Some students just have to do it. Other students have to work full-time. I’d chose the sport over work, especially since the sport probably pays more than work that a student could find.</p>
<p>Thanks. Fortunately, the sport that I play is opposite of the most demanding playing for my instrument. This could be due to the fact that these are not schools with five orchestras as some have. The majority of my music demands will take place in the Spring. My Sport is a Fall Sport. That’s the one thing that i have discussed and cleared with both Schools. I have to practice of course but most of my playing demands for music will come after my Sport ends. I understand that both the teacher and the orchestra are important. I will have to join an outside orchestra if I go to the school without one. I will have to get an adjunct if I go to the school without a oboe Professor.</p>
<p>Schools that are solid in music performance and outside of music: Rice, Northwestern, UMich, USC. Also if you go to a school (like NYU perhaps) in a city with a major orchestra, you can take lessons with whoever is willing to take your money :P</p>