<p>Currently a sophomore in high school, I've just started trying to find some good colleges for me. I have been playing piano for a little over 10 years now, and am interested in having piano performance a minor or a double major, but not making that my only main focus. So basically I want a school with very good academics, and a good music program (specifically piano performance for undergrad). Money is not an issue (both parents work at Johns Hopkins, which means that I get 100% tuition off any school with tuition less than Johns Hopkins tuition =DD). And so far, it looks like my grades aren't an issue either (all GT classes, straight A's freshman year, 217 on my PSAT this year), so I would really like to go to a school of Ivy League-caliber. The problem I have is that Ivy League colleges seem to not even have an undergrad music performance option at all! And I know about the Columbia/Julliard and the Harvard/NECM combinations, but those seem very difficult to get into, and they seem like a ridiculous amount of work. I'm not sure how difficult it is to do both JHU and Peabody, but although that seems like an interesting choice, I'm hesitant to do that because that would mean staying in Maryland (where I live currently).
Anyone have some input?</p>
<p>you should be posting on the music forum, where there is a lot of information.
Harvard-NEC, Columbia-Juillard, Yale-Yale School of Music all have BA/MM options, but are tiny and not "realistic" options for that reason; the music departments at Harvard, Columbia, and Yale offer academic, not performance degrees.
Johns-Hopkins and Peabody have a BA/BMus. program, also small, highly competitive for entry (you need to be accepted at both), and a tough thing to pull off, but possible -- and it sounds like the price is right if you are admitted to both.
You should definitely look at Oberlin, too, where the double degree program is well supported and there are lots of students doing it (about 30-40 a year). For other ideas, check the threads in the music forum.</p>
<p>There are a lot of schools with decent music programs and great academics; Northwestern is one that comes to mind. Similar to the Ivy League school with a reputable school of music, too. And to clarify, Yale's School of Music is only open to graduates, and none of the Ivy League schools have particularly noteworthy music programs.
As the above poster mentioned, the music major forum is a great resource with plenty of knowledgeable people willing to help. I'd recommend posting any future music-related questions there.</p>
<p>Yale might offer certificates in music performance. vague recollection.</p>
<p>Princeton has certificate programs, including one in music performance; they are like a minor.
Yale has a 5 year BA/MM program that you can audition for in junior year.</p>
<p>I would say look into University of Rochester-Eastman School of Music. It may not be the Ivy League but still really good.</p>
<p>Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois should be a top choice for you. If admitted to the School of Music, you can double major &/or minor in the college of Arts & Sciences. Median SAT scores for matriculated Northwestern students is above that of four Ivies & tied with a fifth.
Harvard 1400/1600
Yale 1400/1600
Princeton 1390/1600
Columbia 1360/1600
Northwestern 1360/1600</p>
<p>Penn 1330/1600
Brown 1330/1600
Dartmouth 1330/1600
Cornell 1290/1600</p>
<p>Also, graduate music students--like Yale--attend Northwestern tuition free.</p>
<p>Consider Oberlin and the U of Rochester, both of which are associated with conservatories and are excellent academic schools. Tufts has some kind of program with either the New England Conservatory or the Boston Conservatory, just like Harvard. You might also want to look at NYU, which has the Tisch School.</p>
<p>Music performance + top-level academics for talented scholar-musicians is a very difficult proposition. Be sure that you understand the difference between a B.A. degree (liberal arts) and a Bachelor of Music (pre-professional) degree. Music performance B.A.s are rare, and B.M. degrees will usually demand all of your courseload with the exception of the mandatory core curriculum. If you were to study music performance at Carnegie Mellon for instance, you would take one English course, one Math course, a one-hour computer skills seminar, and the rest of your four years would be pre-ordained music classes. Be sure to count up the number of required academic hours for the performance majors that you investigate. NWern is a good choice, and UMich may be a possibility. Oberlin and Bard offer the dual-degree option. I have a D who's a college junior in your situation who opted for Harvard undergrad with private study under a local conservatory professor on the side.</p>
<p>The Tufts/NEC program is a 5 year BA/BMus. -- Harvard/NEC is a 5 year BA/MM. Harvard's program is extremely small and costs an additional $6000. Of course, as gadad's daughter has done, you can arrange for private lessons -- there are many conservatories in the area so lots of possible teachers. I also know a student who deferred Harvard for a year and spent a year at NEC.</p>
<p>ahh why has nobody mentioned this certificate program at princeton until now?? that looks like a fantastic option!</p>
<p>depending on the quality of the piano faculty..</p>