<p>I'm not sure where to ask this question - maybe some of you more experienced cc folks can direct me to a thread that already exists.</p>
<p>My daughter is looking for schools that have biology, English, and music majors; she probably will not major in music but would like to be able to take music classes. It seems that many places we've looked at require you to be a music major/in the particular school of music in order to take anything more than the very basic music classes. </p>
<p>Is there a list somewhere of schools that allow access to lots of music classes (she's thinking about a music minor) even if you are a science or English/humanities major?</p>
<p>Schools would need to be in the Eastern half of the country.</p>
<p>Maybe too midwest for you but I believe that you can do this Lawrence in Wisconsin. We are looking for the same thing: probable non-music major but many musical interests.</p>
<p>Our daughter had playing in the college orchestra and continuing private music lessons as top criteria for her college search…as an engineering major. We looked at a LOT of colleges. Most allowed a music minor but many on,y allowed majors to play in the ensembles. A deal breaker for our kid. She went to Santa Clara (sorry…it’s on the west coast) where she played in the orchestra for four years and continued her instrument studies. Other schools that allowed this that WE saw…University of South Carolina, Drew University, Wake Forest.</p>
<p>Have you looked at University of Rochester? That would work. Also, most public universities have ensembles for both majors and non-majors…and allow students to take music classes. </p>
<p>Boston University has non-major ensembles, and allows a music minor.</p>
<p>hmm - so Lawrence, Uof Roch, Wake Forest… ok, thanks! She’d prefer something in the PA/OH/NY area, but we are also checking out some in Nashville - Belmont & Vandy. It’s hard to tell from the websites about access to those music classes!</p>
<p>U of Rochester is one that we’ve actually visited & liked. It’s just that our daughter would like to go somewhere that’s not colder in the winter than we are here in Ohio!</p>
<p>Well…then she wants to head SOUTH on the easy coast. It gets mighty cold (and damp) in the winters as far south as New Jersey. The northeast would be colder than Ohio (this native of Ohio says!).</p>
<p>My D was a writing/photo major at Bard but was able to take music classes, play in the orchestra and quartets, and take private lessons for all four years.</p>
<p>Some other schools that seemed welcoming to nonmajor musicians that she looked at were Amherst, Williams, Connecticut College, Skidmore…pretty much any place that didn’t have a conservatory attached.</p>
<p>What you need is a university that does NOT have a professional music major.</p>
<p>Most universities that lack professional music majors have music majors in their liberal arts colleges, and the music courses are likely to be open to nonmajors (although you might have to take the music majors’ theory sequence to be able to get in to some of them – but then again, maybe your daughter wants to take the theory courses).</p>
<p>Is your daughter a performer? At a school that does not have a professional music major, she will be very welcome in the musical ensembles. Without nonmajors who sing or play instruments, these schools wouldn’t have musical ensembles. And they know it. </p>
<p>My daughter was an all-state wind instrument player in high school. She chose a university that does not have a conservatory-type music major. She enjoyed participating in one of the university’s wind ensembles all four years, and she took at least one course in the music department (maybe more; I don’t remember) even though she majored in economics. She told me once that most of the musicians in the particular ensemble she belonged to were engineering majors.</p>
<p>Much depends on what you call “music classes”. If you are referring to private performance lessons, she might want to consider a university with a large music school where she can pay faculty members, independent private teachers or high caliber grad students for lessons.My D taught undergrad non majors at a top program while she was doing her MM. And even at schools with large music programs, there are opportunities for non majors.</p>
<p>Connecticut College offers free music lessons to students. My D at Oberlin has taken music lessons, first with a Con student not for credit for a minimal fee and last year for credit which was free.</p>
<p>UNC-Chapel Hill. My son is a biology major, and will end up with a music minor because he took enough music classes (for personal enjoyment) that he realized all he would need for a minor is an additional theory class. He has been able to play in a jazz ensemble as a non-music major every semester except one, when a chemistry lab interfered with the practice schedule.</p>
<p>“What you need is a university that does NOT have a professional music major.” - That is what I used to think. We almost ruled out Carnegie Mellon because I thought DS (an engineering major) would not have enough music opportunities due to all the music majors on campus. A campus visit proved my theory wrong. </p>
<p>I think you will be pleasantly surprised that a lot of schools fit the bill. But the one that especially impressed me was Case in Cleveland. The engineering schools said music was a poplular double major or minor. But there also was a great variety of music activities for the casual musician. Good luck!</p>
<p>Don’t forget public-flagship U’s. U of Wisconsin-Madison has an Orchestra (one credit class) for nonmajors- heard about it when son moved into his dorm freshman year and someone from his HS orchestra asked him if he was taking it (his viola has been virtually untouched for several years by now). Opportunity to continue one’s instrument but not compete with the musicians. They also have a top notch band- marching, sports events and concerts that don’t require being in the music department. I imagine many other flagship U’s have enough students to offer both the performance courses for the majors and others for the rest of the students. I took a two credit Symphony course eons ago- one of those great survey courses for those of us not in music.</p>
<p>I suggest you go to the music forum here on CC. It is very helpful.</p>
<p>Schools that have conservatories as well as college can sometimes restrict participation in ensembles to conservatory students, though that is not always the case. Bard is a good example of a school with a conservatory (BM) but also very good music studies in the college (BA). Oberlin has improved the BA in music too, and of course has the conservatory on the same campus.</p>
<p>In a college, music “classes” are often on music history, theory, aural skills, musicology, ethnomusicology and composition. The performance aspect of music studies varies, but some schools rely on extracurricular orchestra, ensembles, choruses etc, for performance.</p>
<p>Tufts has a nice music department on campus and an affiliation with NEC for those few who want a double degree. Clark U. in Worcester is another one. BU has a conservatory and I don’t know how things are for BA students.</p>
<p>I would check out each school.</p>
<p>There is a good book entitled “Creative Colleges” that I bought online several years ago that lists good schools for music, dance, art, theater, and writing (maybe film).</p>
<p>Boston University has ensembles for both majors and non-majors. The ensembles for the music majors are open to them only. The all campus ensembles are open to anyone by audition. Doa google search for BUMO…Boston University Music Organizatiions. You can do a music minor at BU. The only hard thing would be private lessons…but often the doctoral and masters students will offer lessons to non-majors for a fee.</p>
<p>Thanks for the book recommendation compmom. I talked to her again about this & she clarified that she wants access to theory/composition classes, possibly further voice/guitar lessons, and maybe even music business/production classes. She might be interested in vocal groups as well. She knows a a lot of theory already and writes her own songs and music (is putting out an album this summer) but wants to learn stuff she doesn’t already know and continue to progress with her music while in college. </p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s really possible to spend that much time on her music and major in a science. Realistic?</p>
<p>Thanks for the good information, everyone! I’ll check out the music forum too.</p>
<p>I hadn’t even considered suggesting Case - I always thought it was engineering/science with a tiny bit of humanities on the side. I’ll have her check them out!</p>
<p>My oldest originally considered attending art school, but she wisely decided that it was easier to do art " on the side" than science- her other interest. ( her undergrad degree is in biology)
She also found after freshman year that music was not as much of a time suck as pursuing studio courses and she took music courses & performed in vocal ensembles at her college. She even had the director of the vocal ensembles as her out of subject prof on her orals board for her thesis. ( Particularly appropriate since she had two degrees in chemistry)
Not on the east coast however but it was doable and there are many scientist musicians out there. It seems to be a natural pairing of interests.
Brian May is just one well known example.( astrophysicist who also has been called one of the greatest guitarists of all time)</p>
( her undergrad degree is in biology)