<p>gotcha.</p>
<p>Hey, thanks!</p>
<p>Hi rudysmom,
I haven't been reading cc much the last few weeks as I've been photographing and helping out with a local music festival. A group of musicians mostly from Juilliard played two nights--contemporary music including John Adams and Huang Ruo, a 30-yr-old graduate of Oberlin. The violist for the two nights was fabulous and young--23?--and she went to the University of Missouri-Kansas City for undergrad--the music conservatory there seems to do a fair bit of contemporary music--and has finished her first year at Juilliard. She's from Nebraska.</p>
<p>One night was a Handel piece and the countertenor (I'd say he's every bit as good as David Daniel) went to James Madison then the University of Arizona, both of which he loved. The baritone majored in English then got a degree at the University of Toronto opera division. An outstanding tenor went to University of Louisville, then Juilliard. The directors of the festival--both outstanding musicians--went--respectively--to Yale and majored in English (no grad degree yet) and University of Cambridge UK and majored in math (MM at Mannes). Both barely 30.</p>
<p>The reason I mention this is that I'm finding there is not one road to finding musical success as a professional. I find myself learning more and more that there are music schools to be had all over the place and that grad school is a completely new and open opportunity for someone who works hard as an undergraduate--and the undergraduate degree doesn't have to be a Bachelor of Music!</p>
<p>From your original list the schools that are strongest in cello are (in no particular order) Oberlin, CCM, DePaul, Roosevelt, SMU. Two others that you might want to look at that have decent cello programs and likely meet his stats are Baldwin-Wallace and Ithaca.</p>
<p>neumes,</p>
<p>You are absolutely correct that there are many paths to musical success that do not lead through a major conservatory. Singers (particularly male singers whose voices mature later in life) tend to take a different route more frequently than others. Orchestral instrumentalists seem to benefit more from the total immersion experience with four plus hours per day of practice and frequent ensemble performances starting from a young age. There are, of course, notable examples to the contrary in both cases.</p>
<p>I hope your music festival went well.</p>
<p>What about Lawrence for cello? (others can chime in too)</p>
<p>rudysmom- The Lawrence site lists only one cellist on faculty <a href="http://www.lawrence.edu/conservatory/bios/anthony.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.lawrence.edu/conservatory/bios/anthony.shtml</a> A link to the cello studio is on the bottom of that page.</p>
<p>Ithaca has an annual cello fest summer program.</p>
<p>I noticed that too. I thought some schools might only list (or promote) one professor, etc. <a href="big%20sigh%20on%20my%20end...">I</a>*</p>
<p>It's been my experience that all current faculty (including adjuncts) is normally listed on the school's faculty description/bio pages(s). </p>
<p>Depending on the school, it often takes awhile for recently hired faculty to actually get posted to the bio page. I've seen ads for prominent faculty additions highlighted in school ads in both Strings and Strad months before the bio actually appears on the school's faculty listing.</p>
<p>Don't forget that Lawrence is small so they may only have 1 cello instructor. They only have 1 for clarinet...</p>
<p>And we all know that small is by no means a disqualifier.</p>
<p>Since Lawrence is w/in driving distance, we are going to make it our first college visit in July or August, whether he decides to attend there or not. Then there is DePaul but I know he really wants to spread his wings a little. We know lots of CYSO kids that attend DePaul & DePauw. </p>
<p>We're also still considering NU (I'll still need to do more homework on this thought) but since he's starting private lessons in the fall w/ the Northwestern teacher, I suppose there's the possibility that he might be considered there. But then again, that would be a real stretch and since the GC has made us (rather S.) feel ever so slightly inadequate academically, I'm definitely feeling that's a real long shot. After reading NU's website and the Princeton Review, he's definitely a long shot. Plus, it NOT being a conservatory, he would have to be admitted to the university first.</p>
<p>Feel free to tell me I'm dreaming... and I need to come back to reality!</p>
<p>Northwestern IS a conservatory within a University, the School of Music has a separate admissions office, and you do not necessarily need to be admitted to the University (esp. if not pursuing a double degree) HOWEVER, like Oberlin, UMich and other schools where music school students take their non-music classes (eg. English composition, humanities, etc. ) with other students, Northwestern School of Music has fairly high academic admissions requirements. (their web site says "Undergraduates, on average, rank in the top 10% of their high school class and have an average composite SAT score of 1370") That doesn't mean that your son's news teacher won't have a lot to say about who gets admitted to his studio, however, so it sounds as though this is a good possibility. NYU is also really building up their conservatory program, so it might be worth a look as well. I believe other posters have noted that auditions will trump gpa's and SAT's there as well.</p>
<p>Re: Northwestern admissions--you must be admitted to both the university and the music school. I believe the music admissions department can pull you in if you are borderline, but the application definitely is reviewed by both university and music school admissions.</p>
<p>Rudysmom NU assessment accurate and the music departmant DOES NOT push back at admissions if a student is on the edge academically in terms of GPA, class rank, standardized tests and recommended courses. Music students, whether they be dual degree or not MUST be accepted by the university through the normal process.</p>
<p>D was told by admissions that since she didn't have 4 years of science she couldn't be accepted, although all other stats fine. Music department admitted they didn't have much, if any, pull with admissions even if they really wanted a student.</p>
<p>Unrelated to the above, I tend to be down on NU based on observations during my D's search for schools, as well as the summer she spent there at NHSMI. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do you really want to pay that kind of coin when you have other schools within driving distance like DePaul, DePauw and Lawrence that are probably on an equal footing for music performance and are a bit more reasonable and probably more generous with merit aid?</p></li>
<li><p>Consider the state of the music facilities at NU. The main music building, which has been slated to be replaced "next year" for the last 20 years or so, was probably "state of the art" around the time of the invention of stereophonic sound. The practice building (Regenstein) looked pretty neglected 3 years ago, the last time I visted there. The only buildings that are in reasonable shape are the music library and the performance hall, Pick-Staiger. The shape of these facilities speaks volumes to a lack of commitment by the university to the music program, IMHO.</p></li>
<li><p>They just put Jazz studies on hold there because they couldn't find a new director after a 2 year search! If they couldn't find someone to take the reins after 2 years, something really smells worse than the dead alewives along the beachfront.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Just my $0.02... NU is a fine institution and 50% of the music majors there are in a 5-year, double degree program. Obviously only you and your child know what feels best for your situation.</p>
<p>I pretty much agree with Zep's assessment, though in our discussions with the music admission reps, they were not quite so bleak on what they could do to boost the chances of a kid who auditions well but may be on the bubble with university admissions. My son's stats were similar to your son's, Rudysmom, and he had taken all the courses necessary for admission, but I agree with you that it was a reach for him. They told us that they could probably work with it though. In our case, since S is a jazz student and the state of the jazz department was dismal, it didn't seem worth it for him to prepare two auditions (they require a classical audition for jazz majors) when they could give us no information on where they were in pulling the jazz department back togehter. S pulled his application. I was sorry about it at first, but in hindsight, it was a good call as they have since discontinued the jazz major.</p>