Our HS senior has been accepted at Bard College. S/he did not apply to the Bard Conservatory because the Conservatory is exclusively for classical study, and they wish to study other musical forms and composition. When we visited, we saw that the Bard Music Department and the Bard Conservatory of Music are distinct separate entities, even though they share some faculty and facilities. Our concern however, is that the Conservatory (classical) program gets more resources/attention than the Music Department. Can anyone speak to this difference? The Conservatory seems to have it own fundraising for example. Does the Bard Conservatory pull rank over it’s sibling Music Department?
Our kid faces a very difficult position because they have also been accepted to Oberlin Music Conservatory TIMARA program, with scholarship. Any thoughts, advice, insights much appreciated.
Congratulations on two great choices, and I can see their dilemma! If they know for sure they want to do electroacoustic music exclusively, then TIMARA might be the better option. But if they want to explore lots of different areas, and be encouraged to go whatever direction they might discover, then Bard College is a terrific musical education.
The music department in the college at Bard is fantastic. Wonderful courses. Fabulous professors. And, yes, it’s much better for a student who doesn’t want to exclusively classical than the conservatory would be. The composition opportunities are almost identical to those in the conservatory - the same professors, the same composition seminars, the same performance opportunities (or, at least very very close - it’s possible now there’s an opportunity for an orchestral performance in a conservatory composer’s final year by the conservatory orchestra or T.O.N. that wouldn’t be offered to the college composers - but they get an orchestral work read, and they have a performance at graduation.) The college composers are invited to summer programs, go on to grad schools or professional careers, win major awards like ASCAP, get performed on the Music Alive concerts. The major differences are these:
- The money. Yes, the conservatory students have access to merit scholarships not available in the college. My feeling is if they really would go to Bard instead, you could appeal your financial aid with the college - the college does offer merit informed financial aid grants. Perhaps they would increase it for them. However, there are not more financial resources for the composition student once enrolled conservatory vs college. (It's different for performance students as there are world tours and outside concerts for the conservatory orchestra.)
- The double degree. This is pretty obvious, but the conservatory students spend half their class time on music and half on another subject. And it takes five years. A music student in the college could, in reality, spend more time on music than the conservatory student in terms of academics, although not in terms of hours of the day.
- For composers - in the college, I think, (and I'm not absolutely sure) that the first semester or year one would study composition in a group class. In the conservatory - private lessons are one academic course per semester from the beginning. However, the professor's studio is made up of both conservatory students, and college students.
- Composition, as you've surmised, is exclusively classical in the conservatory, and is wide open in the college - electroacoustic, jazz, world, early music, rock & roll, classical etc. These courses and ensembles are open to the conservatory students, but they may not have as much room in their schedule to fit in the classes - and the work they're doing for their degree would be expected to be classical.
- The theory sequence is different in the conservatory versus the college - with different professors. This is not necessarily an advantage. The conservatory sequence is focused around the music that the conservatory orchestra is performing - and the fourth semester is composition, which the composition students don't need to take. The theory sequence in the college is, in a way, more traditional, and taught by great professors.
I would recommend that they email the head of the electroacoustic department at Bard, Richard Teitelbaum; the head of the arts program (Kyle Gann); and the head of the music program, James Bagwell, with their questions. Bard professors tend to be quite open and honest with their answers! And feel free to PM me. My son graduated from the conservatory in 2014 as a composition student.
If they are also interested in composition, Oberlin is a great choice, which has a top notch composition program. As an example, two Oberlin’s composition alumni ('01 and '04) have just won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Music.
I responded in the other thread on the parent’s forum. But wondering why he applied to TIMARA in the first place. Is he interested in that kind of work?
The Bard Conservatory actually requires a 5 year double degree as you may know. Because of this I believe some conservatory students switch to the BA in the music department of the college- Spirit Manager could confirm this. Spirit Manager knows the school and says that opportunities for composers in the college are equivalent to those in the conservatory, but still, it is always a consideration for a musician doing a BA program, when there is a conservatory on campus as well.
What do you mean by “other musical forms?” Jazz, rock, vocals, multi-instruments, or electronics for instance? I think this really depends on what he wants. Also, w important are academics to him? For a BM there would be 2/3-3/4 music classes and a BA in music tends to be 1/4-1/3 music classes. Double degree has both, obviously, and takes 5 years. A BM at TIMARA would have some excellent classes as gen eds but fewer liberal arts classes than the Bard BA (or Bard BM).
If he has other interests, he can do a double degree at some point at Oberlin, or try to get into the Conservatory at Bard for a double degree there.
If he got into Timara clearly he is talented and has done some work in the areas that Timara focuses on. Does he want to continue in that vein? Look at grad programs like Brown’s MEME, Dartmouth’s Digital Arts, Bard’s BFA. NorthTexas, Harvard’s HYDRA or McGill for electroacoustic work. or UCSD’s programs in composition, computer music or integrative studies. Do these appeal to him?
Bard does have electroacoustics in the college but TIMARA is tops for that, absolutely.
Both schools offer courses in jazz, and other genres. Both schools offer creative freedom.
I don’t think we know enough about what he wants to comment helpfully.
But if he wants to do electroacoustic, electronic. and computer music or interdisciplinary work, I would suggest going for Oberlin. TIMARA is a top program and the students produce very cool work. They end up doing very well with admissions to certain grad composition program, sometimes to direct PhD’s.
Here is Bard BA info for the information of others:
The Bard Music Program allows students to explore their talents for vocal and instrumental performance as well as composition through the modalities of classical, jazz, electronic, experimental, world music, and historical and theoretical analysis. Students develop their talents as performers through lessons and participation in large and small ensembles. In addition to weekly ensemble rehearsals and open concerts offered monthly, students present at least two or three full-length concerts of their own work by the end of their fourth year.
Here is TIMARA:
The major in Technology in Music and Related Arts is intended for those students who desire a career where traditional musical skills and understanding are combined with the exploration of the very latest techniques for musical expression. It is expected that students who qualify for this major will demonstrate musical proficiency comparable to that shown by applicants in other areas of the conservatory.
The major prepares a student for specialized graduate study in electroacoustic music, digital media, and interdisciplinary performance. For those who go directly into professional life, this major offers a structured course of study that stresses the application of technology as a special resource in composition, new media, and performance.