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College Majors Music Major
441

<p>Hello All! Love the site, and have been lurking for a little now…</p>

<p>I have a D - freshman in hs - violinist - been playing Suzuki since she was 4.
The teacher has suggested she approach her four years in hs and work as if she chose to be a college music major, even if at this time she is not at all sure that is what she wants. She is probably going to at least minor in music. The strong preparation would be to increase her chances of getting in to MORE colleges whatever she decides to major in.</p>

<p>Both the teacher and this site has scared the heck out of me as far as her chances of being successful in getting into a school that we can afford.<br>
She is NOT the driven straight A student who will test above 2000 in SATs. I would not call her an over achiever, but she is a girl who knows what she wants. Working really hard at school is NOT it. She’s on the swim team, likes to be in school plays, and gets along really well socially.
I also have a DS, 9, who plays classical guitar since he was 3. He has already decided he would be a music major, rock star, etc. More on him later!</p>

442

<p>Thanks all for the info - very helpful! </p>

<p>A lot has changed in the past week or so - Visited a college fair and she found out more about the Arts Administration Program at UKY. I’m pretty sure App St has something similar too. Not really interested in Music business/recording like at Belmont or Middle TN.</p>

<p>UKY’s program is part of Academic Common Market for GA so more appealing with in-state tuition adjustment. After reading about some of the grad jobs, internships and practicums others have had it seems just what she’s looking for. Still gets theory and performance, lessons, etc. but not as intense as performance or Ed, and lets her add-in the other skills she has/enjoys (math, admin, etc). </p>

<p>Anyone know about the UKY Arts Admin program or App States? She is also still looking at Georgia Southern’s Ed program - any thoughts about it? (West GA is a possibility but older brother goes there, so…)</p>

<p>Thanks again - all the music-related posts are so very informative and helpful!</p>

443

<p>My son is a senior intending to apply for violin performance. My wife and I both studied music at university, but not in the US (and obviously a “couple” of decades ago). CC Music Major has been invaluable so far in getting a sense of what we are getting into during this next year of applications, prescreens, and auditions. College websites and brochures can only tell you certain things. The experience and wisdom of people here who have lived the application year have been incredibly helpful.</p>

444

<p>Kerrbo,</p>

<p>I live near Furman, Beautiful school and campus. Greenville is a cool town with tons or activity for its size. Has pretty high expectations on grades. We go to App State for a lot of vocal competitions. Boone is a neat little college town and the campus is really nice. The school has a lot on the ball. Don’t know the specifics of their program since we’re vocal.</p>

445

<p>What a wonderful resource and I’m happy to be a part of it.</p>

<p>Parent (Mom) with a high school son currently in the college-hunt mode. Key instrument is piano although plays others as well. Not seeking a conservatory program as classical (while an area he loves) is not his strong suit. Rather, contemporary is what he is exploring. Exceptional at improvisation so looking for an audition process that may allow for this as well. Going through our third-round of searches for possible schools knowing full well that there are far more conservatory-based programs available than what my child is seeking.</p>

<p>Any parents with recommendations for programs that might be beneficial to explore, please do share. Berklee, Ithaca, SUNY Purchase, McNally…all are currently being pursued. Also, not seeking necessarily a strong Liberal Arts program as his focus is…well, music, and this is what he wants to pursue with focus. Looking forward to learning plenty from the <em>veteran parents/students</em> in this community. Many thanks.</p>

446

<p>Pianomom12, welcome. There’s plenty of school and program specific info here, and if you can’t find what you need by searching I’ll be glad to pull some threads up for you.</p>

<p>Contempory, exploratory, or out of the box experiences are not my forte, but there are quite a few posters with experiences. In general, Berklee, Belmont, New School Jazz/contemporary offering, UDenver come to mind, maybe USC Thorton’s Popular Music (new) offering are worth a look if you haven’t already.</p>

<p>Some general thoughts:</p>

<p>Berklee- plenty info here, including recent acceptances and students entering or already there. Highly competitive.</p>

<p>Ithaca, solid cello program, and a national rep for top notch music ed program. Not sure about contemporary or exploratory options there.</p>

<p>SUNY Purchase- typically a very competitive jazz and classically based conservatory level experience with noted faculty from NYC and environs. Not sure if contemporary focus is within their realm.</p>

<p>McNally (Smith?)- is a different animal. It is a for-profit institution, like Full Sail, Musicians Institute, and as such can have a far different focus that the traditional not for profit institutions normally discussed here. There are a few threads on these types of programs, and it may work for some, it may not. Do your research (as with any program), but realize you are comparing apples and oranges.</p>

<p>Enjoy the ride. Most folks here are happy to help.</p>

447

<p>I also have been lurking and gathering great information. My head is spinning with all of the information out there, so I decided to take the plunge to ask more specific questions. I appreciate each and every one of you who take the time to graciously answer these questions. I am pretty clueless about this whole music major odyssey. </p>

<p>D is a junior who has artfully avoided the college discussions until recently. She just took the PSAT and we visited a performing arts college fair last weekend, so she is starting to get into the process and has a very general idea what she is looking for. We learned some interesting little tidbits from the fair, came home and looked some of the schools up on Naviance and the individual school websites, but the more we learn, the more we realize how very little we know.</p>

<p>I’m not sure if I should post my questions on this thread, or start a new one, but here’s where we are:</p>

<p>-Junior, plays flute & piccolo, orchestra & marching, studying privately since age 10
-Right now thinking of BMusicEd or double major BA-Mus & ? (Spanish & Math are her other interests)
-Without getting into all her stats, since we have no SAT scores, currently has a 4.3 weighted gpa, good EC’s and CS, plus part-time job, will probably have about 6 AP’s by the time she graduates.
-Definitely wants marching band to be part of her college experience- currently section leader and likely drum major next year. Realizes that this eliminates most smaller & private schools.
-Really, really craves diversity, both ethnic and socioeconomic
-Is not interested in “elite”, just a place where she feels she fits.
-We’re in CA, but currently, she’s not sure if any of the CA schools would work for her. Add that to the current budget mess, and I have no problem with her going OOS. (USC is the most-attended college of graduates of her HS. She has zero interest in it, despite their amazing marching band.)
-I haven’t even begun to delve into the whole financial aid morass yet. I doubt we would qualify for need-based, but not sure what she would qualify for merit-wise.</p>

<p>The schools on her radar screen so far are:
U of Miami - learned from the rep. that foreign language majors aren’t allowed to double-major, so that rules out BA-Mus/Spanish. Knows it is very $$$$
U of Colorado- Boulder - so far liking the “vibe” of this place the best, from what she has read.
Arizona State - such a huge place, but good flute prof., and the admissions rep. at the fair was very, very helpful. Learned that Mus.Ed majors are required to be in marching band.
Boston University- because she loves the city, though thinks it’s a little odd that they have a marching band, with no football team.<br>
Maybe San Jose State and/or San Diego State as safeties?</p>

<p>She hadn’t really considered the midwest, midatlantic or south before, but I think she would be open to it. She has heard from her teachers that the marching band auditions at some of those schools are very competitive. </p>

<p>I apologize for the wordiness of this first post! </p>

<p>Any other schools that you can give us to add to the list would be most appreciated!</p>

448

<p>Marica—UCLA’s school of music is well funded and they have a great marching band. Arizona State and U of Colorado have also had funding problems, but I’m not sure how it has affected their music programs. " marching band auditions at some of those schools are very competitive."
By the way, if your daughter is competitive enough to get into a good flute studio, she should have no problem getting into marching band.
Try and contact CATHYMEE —i believe her D did a flute performance undergrad at ASU.</p>

449

<p>An Addendum to my last post re ASU.
Your daughters good grades will certainly enable her to enroll in ASU’s well regarded Barrett Honors Program and I believe they are also generous with merit aide. A lot of the music students are in Barrett as well. You also mentioned diversity—I don’t really think diversity is ASU’s strong suit.</p>

450

<p>My daughter (#3 of 4) is a senior applying to conservatories for violin performance. She has 9 schools on her list: Curtis, Juilliard, Colburn, CIM, NEC, Indiana Jacobs, Peabody, Yale SOM, and Mercer/McDuffie.</p>

<p>One thing we’ve noticed is that this process seems a lot more difficult and complicated than her older siblings applications. The oldest went to a liberal arts school and the second to an art school.</p>

451

<p>glassharmonica…your daughter will not be able to do a music performance undergrad degree at Yale. The Yale SOM performance degrees are for grad students only. </p>

<p>That is QUITE a rigorous list…</p>

452

<p>glassharmonica, welcome. Yes, the process is a bit different and has many nuances. If you haven’t already, please read <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And I’ve got to agree with thumper1, that is quite a list. I’m assuming you’re considering Mercer a “safety”? Without knowing background, training and experience, the list could well be fine, but you might want to think about an additional safety or two. I also assume you have discussed the list with her private instrutor.</p>

<p>Yale SOM is a grad only program as thump cites. There is a combined BA/MM that requires undergrad acceptance at Yale (with all the necessary parameters of academic admit criteria) being met, and acceptance into the MM as a junior. If you need a link, just ask.</p>

453

<p>Hi, Violadad,</p>

<p>Thanks for replying! Actually, Yale SOM has an undergrad program, but it is only a 3-year certificate program, not a BM program. My daughter’s teacher recommended she apply there, but it’s not on her hot list. Mercer’s McDuffie program is only a few years old. It’s run by Robert McDuffie and my daughter has attended his Labor Day Strings Festival for a few years. The high school festival draws top talent-- kids who go on to Curtis, Juilliard, etc., but not many of these kids have taken the bait and gone onto Mercer. My daughter says the teachers there are really excellent, but she does not see herself as thriving in a small, Southern city (we are from the East Coast.) FYI, McDuffie is completely free- tuition and room/board are covered by grants. Same for Colburn. Yale SOM and Curtis are tuition-free although r/b is the student responsibility. CIM is known for generous merit scholarships. We know students there who are essentially spending less than they would to go to Curtis because of generous grants.</p>

454

<p>I understand the need for financial considerations, and just wanted to make sure you’re comfortable with the list, the instructor’s assessment and their ability to equate your d’s skill set within an extremely competitive national and international audition pool.</p>

<p>Even for those within the best of the best, the audition process is a crapshoot.</p>

<p>On the subject of talent based awards, those at the top of their game typically get the “mostest”, so as long as the instructor selection and peer quality will meet your d’s needs, I would not rule out the likes of Oberlin, USC/Thorton, Rice/Shepherd and a few others. NEC is not known to be overly generous, unless you are at the very top of the heap.</p>

<p>“We” (well, at least I) tend to over react to the uninformed perception that Yale offers a performance option. The certificate program through the SOM is of course an option, but from the list presented my assumption was that it was a list of typical BM programs, and did not include the certificate options. You did your homework.</p>

<p>It’s still a formidable list. Best of luck to you both. Plenty of info available here. Hang on tightly. It can get a bit bumpy.</p>

455

<p>Thanks for the info! My daughter’s teacher at Juilliard Pre-College was the one who recommended Yale, but because it’s not a a BM program she is not highly interested. She sent in an application anyway. Rice and Oberlin are not on the list for a number of reasons, mostly having to do with faculty in her instrument. But yesterday a friend of hers told her that he’d read that students at Rice have been rated the “happiest” in the US. :slight_smile: The program there is very orchestra-focused and although orchestra is not unimportant to her, she is highly interested in chamber music. She is applying to a very difficult studio at NEC and has a small scholarship there waiting for her if she is accepted but I don’t think it’s going to be the place, despite its reputation for chamber music. That teacher has not returned her email; another teacher there whom she studied with at a summer program has pursued her actively, but she had to turn him down because she felt for various reasons it was not a good fit-- that alone will probably prejudice part of the committee against her. She has a couple of lessons set up with Jyard faculty; the teacher she is applying to at Peabody does not like to see students at all before auditions. She’s had lessons with faculty at Cleveland and has a few more set up. As for the other schools, she is going in cold. Right now the big hump is to get the recording together-- Bach on Tuesday, and Yale needs a Paganini. The admissions officer at CIM advised us to get the DVD in quickly and said please not to go to extra length to make a new video. Our date with the pianist and hall was late November, so she advised us to sent a concerto recording from last year. My daughter doesn’t like the recording, but I think it will be good enough to score an audition.</p>

456

<p>Hi all!</p>

<p>I’m a senior in high school who is looking to pursue an undergrad degree in vocal performance as a countertenor. Not sure where I’m going yet, but I have faith that I will make the right choice.</p>

<p>I have to thank the ACDA for peaking my interest in music. This year will be my third year in the high school honor choir, and once again, I am excited. I participated in the National honor choir last year as an alto.</p>

<p>I signed up for this site, because it had the few posts from students I have seen regarding finding a college for a countertenor. I hope it can help me do just that.</p>

457

<p>welcome musicman…look around and ask any questions…hope we can help</p>

458

<p>First post. Our son is a Junior and we are beginning our search. He has studied classical piano since he was four and some Jazz in the last few years and also loves school. At present we are looking at smaller schools with conservatories or very strong music departments where he would also enjoy the smaller academic classes. On the top of our list at present are Bard, Oberlin, Lawrence, Rice. NYU also holds interest although much larger a school than the others. Would love to hear from people who are ahead of us in the process and some pros and cons of each of these schools in terms of the piano program, the faculty, quality of the academics as well as quality of life. Others that were looking for a similar fit and have made their choice might let me know where they applied, where they got in and where they chose and why. I know this is a big question. Sorry if I have missed posts that already address this question.</p>

459

<p>Pianofam. welcome. One of the best ways to find specific info is by looking at (the last post) the master list threads </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/618208-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2009-a.html?highlight=master[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/618208-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2009-a.html?highlight=master&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/424909-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2008-a.html?highlight=master[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/424909-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2008-a.html?highlight=master&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/310197-master-list-music-school-acceptances.html?highlight=master[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/310197-master-list-music-school-acceptances.html?highlight=master&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Acceptances are listed by poster, program/discipline, and school. Looking for specific posts by a particular user within a school or discipline can be very helpful.</p>

<p>A few piano specific threads you may or may not have seen:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/787493-prospective-piano-major-needs-help.html?highlight=piano[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/787493-prospective-piano-major-needs-help.html?highlight=piano&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/658327-these-best-studying-piano.html?highlight=piano[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/658327-these-best-studying-piano.html?highlight=piano&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/304705-piano-major-bard-college-new-york-conservatory.html?highlight=piano[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/304705-piano-major-bard-college-new-york-conservatory.html?highlight=piano&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

460

<p>I kept an eye on this website in the past as we were searching for a college for our middle daughter, who is now a sophomore at the College of Wooster. Our youngest is now a junior in high school, and her voice has developed in leaps and bounds. She was leaning toward MT as a possible major, but has really fallen in love with opera, has the “pipes” and the range to realistically look into it. At this point, we have an initial visit planned to Oberlin, and will probably visit the Cincinnati Conservatory when Heidi sings with the Ohio All-State Choir in Cincy at the end of January. Heidi’s choir director suggests looking at Indiana. I’m looking to enhance my knowledge of the programs out there so that we can give her the best options possible.</p>