Oboist Looking at Four Schools

College Majors Music Major
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<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I've been following this forum through a few late night google searches, in anguish for information. I just finished up my last audition this past weekend, and am soon to be faced with the choice that we all have to make at some point in our lives--where to spend the next four years! </p>

<p>Some general information, though: I am from the Midwest, studied with the late Mark Weiger at U of Iowa (and am sorely missing his fabulous teaching and advice), am very passionate about both music and english / mass communications. I have grown up singing, playing violin, piano, and tenor saxophone, but have come to put my main focus on the oboe and English horn. In college, I plan to pursue a BM in Oboe Performance, but hopefully with some of the schools I've applied to will obtain another, more academic degree to supplement and round out my education.</p>

<p>I have auditioned for:
Eastman / U of Rochester (Dual Degree program, AMU in Oboe & a BA in English)
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music / U of Cincinnati (BM in Oboe, still investigating possibility of double majoring there, since there is no specific dual degree program)
Hartt School of Music / U of Hartford (Dual Degree of BM in Oboe & Music Management)
University of Colorado at Boulder (BM Oboe, have been accepted to double major with voice, but may choose to do English or Journalism / Mass Comm instead)</p>

<p>I am officially in at CU, unofficially in at CCM and Hartt, and just did my Eastman audition, so am waiting to hear about those unofficial results and for scholarship offers. Does anyone have any insight in choosing one of the above schools over the other? My chief consideration is the teacher, before anything else. All have fantastic teachers that I would be comfortable working with, and I have had previous exposure (private lessons, camps, email correspondence) with all except the professor at Eastman. I loved Eastman and U of R, and combined with such a wonderful professor (even in the half hour, 40 minute exposure I got with him, I immensely enjoyed working with him), there's no question it's my number one. But, Eastman's high competition for admission could squash those dreams, even though I felt very, very good about my audition and my connection with the professor. But, I guess I will need to wile away these long days before I get those letters which will determine everything!</p>

<p>Sorry for the novel. Thanks for reading! (or skimming, haha) :)</p>

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<p>Try to picture yourself at each school. If you for some reason cannot, there is something wrong. You need to feel comfortable at the school - I think that is the most important factor.</p>

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<p>ottest09 gave you sound advice. Some are drawn to ambiance, location, architecture, size, in addition to the standard draws pertaining to selecting a music school. A number will feel comfortable across a range of options.</p>

<p>Each is a fine school. Not every school “feels” right.</p>

<p>My son is an '07 Hartt viola performance graduate. I’ve posted numerous thoughts and experiences. Search for Hartt threads, or you can ask me for specifics.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>If you have teachers you like at all the colleges, it may come down to Financial Aid. Go to the cheapest school to attend. Save your money for Grad School.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I agree, OperaDad. As long as the teachers are good, go for the cheap ones!</p>

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<p>Thanks, everyone, for the great advice! Financial aid will definitely play a big part in my decision. I should be hearing from CU Boulder by the end of the week about how much my scholarship will be. The other schools, though, will probably take another week or two to find out. I’m very anxious!</p>

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<p>Sorry, but I have to disagree with Operadad and ottest09 that you should choose the school that will cost you the least. While I certainly agree that you should not come out of undergrad with major debt hanging over you, you should carefully weigh the different schools/teachers/experiences/costs to figure out the best way to meet your goals.</p>

<p>Have you thought about your goals? Where do you hope to see yourself in ten years? Auditioning for major orchestras, perhaps? We have found that it is easier to set high goals now and scale them back, if necessary, than to set low ones now and raise them later. Which schools will help you reach your goals?</p>

<p>Of the four schools you are considering, D (an oboe performance major) and I only looked closely at Eastman. We were impressed with the teacher, the cooperative atmosphere, and the overall strength of the school. When we were looking 3 years ago, the oboe studio was large (about 20, I think) and performance opportunities seemed limited for freshman, but there are some really talented oboists there. I believe an Eastman alum just won the San Diego English horn position. I don’t know the professor’s position on double majoring, which is something you should investigate and ask the teacher about if you are accepted. You would be surrounded by a strong peer group there. My kneejerk reaction is similar to yours, oboe09, i.e. if you get accepted there, that’s where you should go.</p>

<p>What about the other schools? Questions I would ask of those teachers: What are your recent oboe grads doing now? (Don’t accept a vague answer! Ask for specifics) Have your students gotten into top-notch grad schools? Won auditions or competitions? What do your oboe students do during the summers? (Are they being accepted at the top summer festivals?)</p>

<p>Have you attended concerts at the school? Or perhaps listened to recordings? Can you revisit schools in April to sit in on a studio class? Talked to or communicated with any oboe students and double degree students at those schools? Have you heard the teacher perform or listened to a recording? All of these things can help inform your decision.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>I don’t know about the others, but if you are considering a dual degree at Eastman, I agree with ecmama that you need to ask the professor his/her feeling about dual degrees. I would also advise you to check out the class schedule for Eastman and UR on-line. It is very difficult to schedule coursework for a dual degree and while many enter with the intention of doing a dual degree, my understanding is that very few actually complete it. In the freshman year, the music coursework is very heavy and requires ensemble participation which are longer time blocks. For instance, S2’s course schedule on his worst day in his first semester was 8:35, 9:35, 10:35, 11:35 classes, 3:35-5:35 & 6:30-8:30 ensembles, and 8:30 to whenever studio. That leaves very little time for traveling to the other campus for other coursework. </p>

<p>If you are planning to do it, you’ll need to really plan ahead. English might be more workable than most subjects because there is probably a greater selection of courses. You might also ask for the BA degree if any of the English courses offered at Eastman would count, how many hours you could transfer from another institution (summer course work, general requirements, etc.), and what the options might be for independent study courses in English. The best way to evaluate this with any school is to print out the course requirements for the degrees from the school’s website as well as a current class schedule and to sit down and work out how you would do it. </p>

<p>Good luck with your decision. Eastman is a terrific school with a very supportive environment–if you don’t mind snow. However, as they say, all the snow & cold gives you more incentive to practice!</p>

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<p>I also agree with rcmama, that it’s important to find the right school where you can grow and develop your skills. Eastman is a terrific school, but also very very competitive, so perhaps the best advice I could offer at the moment is to take a deep breath and relax until you really have your choices in front of you, rather than expending too much emotional energy now on a decision. You should have some answers soon, and then you can get back in touch with the schools and the teachers try to narrow the choice. One caveat…the year D applied, Eastman was very VERY slow about responding, and then even slower providing information when she ended up on the wait list.</p>