Hi all, parent here working with child on narrowing down list of colleges to visit. Son is a HS junior. . Looking for colleges with excellent music programs as son will minor in music. Major is undecided at this point. I won’t go into specifics on his grades and scores since I’m not asking for a chance me, but an Ivy is within reason …though we are realists so know for even the best students with amazing credentials it’s a long shot.
So let’s just assume he can’t get into Columbia,Penn or Princeton what are some other very good schools with solid music programs ( classic piano performance a plus ). Ideally wants to be on a green campus within a city or close access to a city. Thanks!
University of Rochester?
Look into the opportunities available at the University of Rochester for the students enrolled at its main campus (i.e., not in Eastman).
Though it’s just outside the Northeast, Oberlin’s arts-and-sciences college’s changing relationship with the conservatory may benefit non-conservatory students.
Several Northeastern LACs would be top-notch for music and academics — though, while often beautifully green, they tend to be offset from major cities.
Is he looking for only piano? Or maybe he plays another orchestra or band instrument?
I believe most of the ivies do, but Brown in particular has a great orchestra and it’s in a city with some green on its campus.
Many of the LACS have good to excellent music programs. Check out Williams and Amherst (not in cities, although Amherst has a town) and Vassar (next to a small city) in particular.
These are all reaches, of course.
The change in the Oberlin program sounds very promising for those who don’t want to be conservatory students but who want more access to the conservatory.
Tufts has one of the top small performance halls and pianos in New England and classical pianists on staff. The culture of the music department is very inclusive with a high participation rate on campus and a community outreach program for Boston area kids. There is also a joint degree program with the New England Conservatory that allows Tufts students to take courses at the conservatory without being enrolled in the degree program. The campus is green, located in a turn-of-the-century, “streetcar suburb” of Boston- adjacent to Cambridge.
https://www.newswise.com/articles/tufts-university-opens-27-million-granoff-music-center
https://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/archive/2007/february/corner/index.shtml
Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam
Berklee in Boston
College of St. Rose in NY
@juliamom3 Look at Brandeis - easy access to Boston, well-regarded music program. https://www.brandeis.edu/music/undergraduate/index.html
My now-freshman child was in this exact position. All of these schools have excellent music programs, except as noted. This was his application list:
Yale
Brown
Cornell
Williams
Middlebury (not great for classical music, but he threw it in)
Tufts
Vassar
Skidmore
Brandeis
Lawrence University
Ithaca College
With respect to Boston area schools, I recommend you look into BC’s music department.
Since you didn’t include them among the Ivies you mentioned in your original post, don’t overlook Yale and Harvard.
Tufts immediately came to mind for me as well. Their program with NEC creates great opportunities for their students.
Bard could be worth a look. Not exactly near a city, but it could be a fit and has access, if not proximity, to NYC.
I have known two very serious classical musicans who chose Haverford. I know very little about the music program there, but I suspect the vibrant music scene (including Curtis) in Philadelphia was an attraction in addition to what the school might have offered. That one, if the piano program works, should hit all the criteria.
I heard Lawrence University is also excellent - they have a conservatory,
Depending on your definition of Northeast - Carnegie-Mellon has a strong Fine Arts college, though the Music school is rather small.