<p>Oberlin is a bit complicated in this regard. The Conservatory does not offer a BA, only a BM. The College offers a BA in Music with a performance emphasis, but you are not eligible for that program if you are also in the Conservatory. The Music major in the college cannot be declared until after you have earned at least a B- in one of a number of specified music classes and after you have auditioned into a faculty member’s studio. As a College student, you cannot be certain that the Music department will accept you as a major until you have been there for a semester or two.</p>
<p>The Con and the College have separate admissions offices, but work through the same financial aid office. Enrollment in the Conservatory is something like 80% based on the audition and 20% based on academics. Enrollment in the College is by the normal academic and other criteria that they would use for any student enrolling there. An audition is not part of that process, although they might accept a recording of your playing as a supplement. The school has plenty of great horn players in the Con, so a music supplement may not help all that much unless you are playing at a level that would get you considered for the Con. If you are playing at that level, perhaps a double degree would make more sense because you will know before enrolling whether or not you will be able to get a music degree there.</p>
<p>To my knowledge, there are no musical talent-based scholarships awarded to incoming College students. Likewise, the Con does not offer academic scholarships. You would be eligible for both academic and talent-based scholarships in the double degree program, however. The College has some very generous academic scholarships and both the College and Con offer need-based grants that meet 100% of demonstrated need.</p>
<p>There are sufficient ensembles for pretty much any student of the College or Con. If you cannot audition into one of the top groups in the Con, there is a pretty good College-Community Winds group led by Conservatory faculty, and lots of informal ensembles always forming.</p>