<p>Hi Everyone,</p>
<p>I just checked out NEC again. Great program and great teachers, but there’s a HUGE ongoing construction project near the school which concerns me. We’re going to visit in May. I told my son that it wasn’t a college, even less so than Oberlin Conservatory and Eastman, but apparently this is what he wants (or thinks he wants). He also likes Boston.</p>
<p>If your son is serious about both music and academics, you might consider checking out the Tufts/NEC dual degree program. DS is due to graduate in May from the program with a BS in Cognitive Brain Science from Tufts and a BM in music composition and music theory from NEC. He also played lots of violin and viola along the way.</p>
<p>You are correct that NEC has major renovations underway. They’ve been ongoing the entire 5 years of our son’s attendance. Other than being unsightly, it hasn’t been a problem for our son. </p>
<p>The dual degree program has been a perfect fit for our DS in that it has given him the opportunity to take a very wide variety of high level courses in both music and academic disciplines. In addition to all the music he got at NEC he also integrated himself into the music department at Tufts and has made very close connections there as well.</p>
<p>The dual degree students form a tight little community and are very supportive of one another. They mount their own concerts twice a year in addition to performing in the various NEC ensembles. There are typically a handful of students who enroll in the program each year, though my son’s year he was the only one. The older students in the program do a fantastic job showing the new enrollees the ropes and integrating them into the community. In addition to the two dual degree concerts they mount, they also organize several dinners and other get togethers each year. </p>
<p>Dual degree students are housed at Tufts and receive Tufts financial aid which in our experience is quite generous in the mix of grants to loans. I have heard but have been unable to confirm that Dual Degree students are not eligible for merit aid from NEC. Don’t let that scare you away though as Tufts offered by far the best financial deal of the 9 programs to which DS applied. He was able to obtain 2 degrees at top flight schools for just a tiny fraction more than the very good deal he was offered by our flagship state university.</p>
<p>The commute between the two schools is challenging at times but it is also a bonding experience for the students. Tufts runs a shuttle for both the NEC dual degree students and the museum of fine arts dual degree students numerous times per day. DD students ride the shuttle 80 - 90% of the time and the T if the shuttle schedule happens not to work for them on a given day. After completing the dual degree program and navigating the intricacies of class schedules, degree requirements and transportation between the two schools, dual degree students have executive function of Fortune 500 CEOs. I kid you not. They are a very impressive lot!</p>
<p>Wow! Your son sounds amazing. Not sure my son could navigate all that. The more I read about NEC, the more I like it!</p>
<p>Thanks, Bachmom. I suspect he is no more amazing than many of the kids whose parents frequent this forum. I do think the double degree program has provided him with some wonderful, challenging and formative opportunities. So far he’s risen to the challenge and has, as a result, grown in countless ways over the last 5 years.</p>
<p>Echoing what lastbird said, my DS is an advanced pianist but was not interested in conservatory. Shenandoah gave him a HUGE scholarship. Unfortunately, he does not want to attend such a small school. I am really trying to convince him to at least audition with John O’Conor, but it doesn’t look like it is going to happen.</p>
<p>WAstamper, I understand your son’s reticence: I feel similarly about Shenandoah. But John O’Conor is worth it - if he was accepted to Shenandoah into his studio, I urge you to arrange a lesson with him. He is simply world-class. Bachmom, your son might enjoy a taste of O’Conor’s teaching: search Beethoven Bootcamp on Youtube to get a feel for his inspirational and pragmatic nature.</p>
<p>WAstamper,</p>
<p>Shenandoah is on our radar too, but I’m not crazy about the campus – it looks a little blah. It’s good to know about the scholarship offer. What do you think about the school/program overall? </p>
<p>Rachnroll,</p>
<p>I’m also very impressed with John O’Conor!</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Not to discourage you, but I know a number of students at/who have attended Shenandoah, and have not liked it. It is remote, and many of the students are not happy there. Many instructors are great, but for many students it’s not enough. Really do your research before committing there; meet and talk about this issue with current students.</p>
<p>Woodwinds – Thanks for the tip. I agree that all factors have to be considered, especially quality of life.</p>
<p>You should definitely have a look at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford. They have a special program with an associated scholarship for chamber music. This is from the website:</p>
<p>The Performance 20/20 program, Hartt’s Honors Chamber Music Program, is made up of a select group of gifted undergraduate and graduate instrumental performance majors who share a strong commitment to chamber music. Through an intensive schedule of rehearsals and weekly coaching, participants perform on regularly scheduled Performance 20/20 chamber music concerts throughout the year. Performance 20/20 members are offered significant scholarships and the opportunity to study and perform chamber music in a professional atmosphere in addition to their other degree-required courses.</p>
<p>In the interest of full disclosure, my son is in the Music Management program at Hartt with a concentration in Jazz Bass. He is very happy. No matter what school you apply to, it will have its pros and cons. </p>
<p>In my opinion 8-9 auditions is really ambitious. Many of the schools schedule them on the same weekends, since the audition season really runs from mid-December until the first weekend in March. We did 5 auditions and it was exhausting. </p>
<p>As soon as the schools schedule the auditions dates, usually in early fall, you should make a spread sheet to see what is feasible. Also, some of the earlier dates require that you get the application in by a particular date, so you need to put those on your calendar as well.</p>
<p>Thanks, Electricbassmom. I will take another look at Hartt – I didn’t know about the Honor’s Chamber Program. I agree that 8 - 9 schools is probably a stretch (in terms of auditioning) and am trying to whittle it down to 7. My son will probably do at least one off-campus audition in New York and perhaps one early action audition. I did do a quick spread sheet based on this year’s audition dates and think 7 is probably feasible. Two of his choices are in March, so they will not conflict with the auditions in Jan. & Feb. I guess my concern is that too narrow a search will result in less financial aid and scholarship options. This is the list as of now:</p>
<p>Eastman
Oberlin
CCM
NEC
Stony Brook
North Carolina School of the Arts
Lawrence (or Ithaca)
Curtis (Maybe)
Rowan, Montclair State University or West Chester (safeties)</p>
<p>Again, thanks to everyone for their feedback. I hope I will be able to help others in their search along the way as well!</p>
<p>Oberlin Conservatory has an early review option that provides for an early December on campus audition with a late Decmber notification. The application and supporting materials must be in by November 1. It is non-binding. In addition, if the student is applying to the College as well, the Conservatory decision comes out in time to apply for ED II to the college. ED II is binding. Most early review applicants are either rejected or deferred.</p>
<p>Bachmom, I cannot speak to the classical piano program at CCM, as my son is a jazz piano major, but he has loved his first year there, meeting a great variety of performing arts students, gigging, and appreciating the excellent facilities there for both practicing and performance. It’s an all Steinway school of course, but more than that is the plentiful number of practice rooms (with outside windows!) in addition to the key-access “piano students only” practice rooms. Regarding scholarships, CCM and UC offer music merit and academic “stackable” scholarshisps, in addition to financial aid.</p>
<p>Jazzpianomom1, Thanks for sharing your experience. CCM is also strong for classical piano, plus I’ve read that the campus is very attractive. Looks like your son made the right choice!</p>
<p>My daughter is a bassist so YMMV but she did 9 auditions and was just fine. We did a spreadsheet early on with all the audition dates and requirements and she navigated it all just fine. Granted, it was a boatload of travel and she was auditioning from October until the end of February but she did it. Oh she also auditioned on tuba at two of the schools and did separate jazz and classical auditions at three schools. Again it all came down to getting applications in as soon as they were available and getting audition dates scheduled early as well. With planning it can be logistically done. I can’t speak to your child’s temperament though. Like I said, I have a bass girl and she is pretty darn laid back… But she did get stressed sometimes during the process.</p>
<p>My D very nearly went to Shenandoah and has many friends there who are very happy. The piano studio is phenomenal and the school has a very family like environment. She got a very generous scholarship there but got a full ride at another school and had to choose that instead. She had a very hard time emailing Shenandoah to let them know but they were nothing but happy for her. She will still be there this summer for NJW.</p>
<p>As to Harrt, I must caution you about relying on the chamber scholarships. If you look at the web page you will see that most recipients are grad students. Harrt is different in how it is set up and all studios do not have to accept undergrads each year… And some do not. D was accepted there with what we are told was a nice amount for the bass studio/ music ed major but it wasn’t enough. It is still on her radar for grad school though as she liked both Robert Black and Nat Reeves. </p>
<p>Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using CC</p>
<p>Bachmom - I was not able to visit Shenandoah with my son. My husband took him. It is very small, and it felt very much like his high school to my DS. (He currently attends a high school for the arts.) He is really opposed to going there because of the location and size as well as the fact that the academic standards were not as high as at other schools to which he has been accepted (CMU, Vanderbilt, FSU). When you look at their stats, they also show a high number of students who transfer out of the school (46%). I don’t think I will be able to change his mind on this one.</p>
<p>Alexmariejp,</p>
<p>With careful planning, I agree that 7 to 8 auditions is feasible. Also, thanks for your feedback on Shenandoah and Hartt!</p>
<p>WAmstamper,</p>
<p>Is your son applying for 2013-2014 or 2014-2015? Has he had any sample lessons? We’re also interested in FSU and CMU, although the size of these programs is a concern. We weren’t thinking of going as far as Florida, but the program and teachers appear to be topnotch and there’s also the lure of substantial aid. Thanks!</p>
<p>Bachmom,</p>
<p>My son will be enrolling this fall…Still making his decision! What about the size of the programs concerns you? I believe CMU is smaller than FSU. He had a lesson at CMU, not FSU. FSU does seem to give a lot of aid especially to OOS students, and I have only heard good things about their piano program. DS just isn’t crazy about the location. Please private message me and I can share more.</p>
<p>BTW, he did 7 auditions. Busy, but I think just about the right amount.</p>
<p>Hi WAstamper,</p>
<p>I can’t private message you because I don’t have the requisite 15 posts yet. I’d love to talk more. My son isn’t crazy about the idea of going to school in Florida or the idea of trimesters. That said, FSU looks beautiful and is certainly a more affordable option than many of the conservatories on his list. I also like the program. Decisions, decisions! </p>
<p>Best of luck to your son.</p>