<p>I've played clarinet for seven years, and I'm looking for a college with a rigorous, prestigious academic program but the opportunity to participate in music as a non-major.</p>
<p>If someone suggests Oberlin College, could they answer three questions for me?
Is the orchestral music program any good? Is it open to non-majors? Do faculty from the conservatory teach at the college?</p>
<p>Since you haven’t been too specific in terms of what types of college you’re looking at other than rigorous academics the question becomes LAC versus university, public versus private, (I assume NE= northeast), urban versus rural, large or small. Is a specific major or academic focus a concern? </p>
<p>Some prior threads with a number of options. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/386212-non-major-music-opps-colleges.html?highlight=non+major[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/386212-non-major-music-opps-colleges.html?highlight=non+major</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/546606-not-music-major-but.html?highlight=not+a+music+major[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/546606-not-music-major-but.html?highlight=not+a+music+major</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/468613-music-liberal-arts.html?highlight=music+and[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/468613-music-liberal-arts.html?highlight=music+and</a></p>
<p>You normally can find participatory experiences at most any school with a music department or school, but participation requirements are institution specific, and are normally detailed within the music department’s webpages. If you’re looking for continued private instruction, the policies there will vary as well. It may be out of pocket, with a grad student, or applied faculty, or you may have to arrange your own.</p>
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<p>Well…if a prestigious academic program with an abundance of music opportunities is what you want…Yale would be great (if you can get accepted there). They have tons of music ensembles, AND if there is nothing you really like, you can start one. The music majors (performance) are grad students and their ensembles are not open to undergrads…but they have more than one ensemble for undergrads that has clarinet players.</p>
<p>It also depends upon what your major will be?</p>
<p>Hi Chocofreak,</p>
<p>At Oberlin College, AFAIK, you audition for lessons. If you’re good enough, you may be placed in a conservatory faculty’s studio. If you’re not that good, you may be assigned a student-teacher. There are a couple/few orchestras at Oberlin - I believe non-conservatory students can audition for them. Not clear on what you could possibly mean by “Is the orchestral music program any good?” at Oberlin.</p>
<p>Some other relatively strong music + relatively strong academics places my daughter considered:
Brandeis, Wellesley, Smith, Skidmore, Barnard, Columbia, Swarthmore.<br>
Poster Mythmom has written about the music opportunities at Williams.<br>
Bard might be interesting as well.<br>
Emory also has some music opportunities - i don’t actually know how good the orchestra is, also it’s def not NE (if by that you mean northeast).</p>
<p>Oberlin’s orchestral program is very good. Here are some quotes from the national press concerning a Carnegie Hall performance two years ago. The Bartok mentioned is the Concerto for Orchestra and the other pieces on the program were the Mozart Piano Concerto #25 in C, K.503 and Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral.</p>
<p>"Vivien Schweitzer of the New York Times praised the Oberlin Conservatory Symphony Orchestra’s Carnegie Hall appearance with Robert Spano, especially their performance of the Bart</p>
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<p>A slight correction: if you audition for lessons, you will be placed with a faculty member or a student. Either way, you receive 2 credits and the lessons are free. If you sign up for lessons without auditioning (e.g., on a new instrument), or if you can’t spare 2 credits for lessons, you’ll receive lessons with a student for no credit, at a fee of $7.50/half-hour. (This is based on my experience auditioning for piano lessons last fall; I’ve been told lessons on other instruments are arranged the same way.)</p>
<p>Thanks for the correction quaere. </p>
<p>I believe the semester hour limits are 16 for those in the College and 17 for those in the Conservatory or in the Double Degree program. There are hefty tuition surcharges per credit hour beyond that. There are some dodges to get around that, like taking an ensemble class for 0 credit, but if you have to pay the surcharge it might be cheaper to approach one of the teachers about private lessons outside of the school’s jurisdiction.</p>