<p>My son is a junior in hs and his requirements for a college are within driving distance (5 hours?) of Long Island, a marching band, and a music performance major. He is also considering a completely unrelated 2nd major or minor, so the school would have to have a broad liberal arts selection including good math and science departments.</p>
<p>So far on the list:
University of Rhode Island
Boston University
University of Delaware
University of Maryland
UMass Amherst
SUNY Stony Brook
Syracuse
and possibly Carnegie Mellon or Duquesne</p>
<p>Any comments/experience with any of these would be a great help.</p>
<p>I would really not recommend being in a marching band if you’re planning on doing a music performance degree. It takes away from focus on “real” music and if your son is a brass player this could be absolutely detrimental. Something to keep in mind, college marching bands take up a lot of time. And what performance majors I do know that think being in the marching band is a good idea wind up being the performance that are lagging behind all the other ones who are actually taking to the time to be in the right ensembles, like orchestras, wind ensembles etc. Not to mention professors and other students tend to look down on people in the marching band. Again, just things to keep in mind.</p>
<p>gms5287, I suspect you have opened a can of worms.</p>
<p>There are certainly many schools where the performance majors look down their noses at the marching band, but there are also some where the marching band is held in high esteem. If person’s main objective is to play classical music in an orchestra, then the time spent at marching band could very well slow down progress toward that goal. Thing is, some people (even some performance majors) find the marching band experience rewarding in and of itself. Playing in a stadium of 60,000 people several times a year can be a real rush for some folks, and it really does not matter to them if the style of music or the playing is not as subtle or nuanced as it might be in a symphonic orchestra setting. </p>
<p>At its foundation, music is about communication. Calling one’s own preferred type of music “real” and saying that other types of music are less worthy of another person’s efforts is kind of like saying that studying a language like Hungarian will prevent someone from learning Norwegian as quickly as they might. Undeniably true, but not of importance to the goulash aficionado.</p>
<p>This points to the fact that you need to talk to each school and determine from their music department what the philosophy is about the marching band. Some schools and some teachers do not want their students in any other performance group besides what the studio deems appropriate, some are more relaxed, some require participation. . You need to be exploring the issues with potential studio professors if at all possible. Sorry I don’t know about those schools specifically.</p>
<p>UMass has a very fine drumline, and their marching band is very popular. It considered to be one of the better collegiate marching bands, and certainly probably the best in the NE. That said, their performance program is not on par with Carnegie Mellon or BU, or probably UMaryland.</p>
<p>It seems that many kids in college/university marching band are not performance majors (marching band is very time intensive, which is prohibitive for many performance majors who need the practice time). However, it is a great way for kids in other disciplines/majors to keep playing music and be a part of a very connected group, without the practicing demands of a performance major.</p>
<p>Again, I’ll agree with what’s been said about a performance major and marching band. </p>
<p>It can be school (and instructor) specific as to what there exact mentality and outlook is. That being said, there are a few with exceptional marching band programs. My understanding is that a good portion of the participants are music ed and other music majors, not necessarily those in a performance degree track program.</p>
<p>My trombone performance major son chose his school entirely based on the quality of the marching band, everything else was secondary. His career goal is not an orchestra initially, rather a premier D.C. based military band.</p>
<p>As a football fan and marching band fan I’d suggest you broaden your geographic selection. If your son truly loves marching band then he needs to pick a university where the band is an integral part of the university and highly respected. There are so many lame bands in the country where a serious participant would lose his/her mind with the incompetence and screw off attitude’s held by the participants. It also is exciting to be a part of a great football tradition–perhaps Penn State. </p>
<p>To the OP - I noticed University of Delaware on your list. </p>
<p>A few years ago, S had applied, auditioned, and was accepted (with a decent scholarship) at UDel as a music performance major (brass). We found the folks in the music department to be very pleasant and enthusiastic, but not exactly forthcoming about the extent of his obligations as a music major. When we went back to register for classes, he was told he HAD TO be in the marching band, something he hadn’t planned on doing based on the recommendation of his private teacher at home. For that reason, he decided not to attend, instead taking a year to continue private study and take some transferable gen ed courses at the local CC before enrolling elsewhere. </p>
<p>Marching band is indeed a big deal at UDel and all music majors, whether performance or music ed. are (or at least were back then) required to participate. The members of the band seemed to take a great deal of pride in and pleasure from the experience - it just wasn’t my son’s thing. He was advised by his private teacher (someone who subs regularly for the Met and NYPhil) that he would be better off investing time and energy practicing technique and rehearsing the classical repertoire he so loves to play. He chose to follow that advice and doing so has served him well thus far.</p>
<p>gms5287 - you are obviously are not a marching band fan nor a football fan. I am both. It’s okay that you are not. But I think you are really off when you say it is not mature/adult decision. Why? Because someone makes the decision to look for a school where they can do what they love. At my D’s college the marching band is very respected by everyone majors, nonmajors, and the general public. I have walked with my D out of the stadium. Is is amazing how many people stop to compliment her, tell her how much they enjoy the band, and thank her for her work.</p>
<p>It’s not the road to proper concert playing, whether it’s in an orchestra or a jazz ensemble or studio work, or what have you. Sorry, it just isn’t.</p>
<p>gms5287 - you are obviously are not a marching band fan nor a football fan. I am both. It’s okay that you are not. But I think you are really off when you say it is not mature/adult decision. Why?</p>
<p>I was watching football when I made that post, and I’ve done several years of “marching band” in some form, I have a pretty good idea of what I’m talking about. There’s more to this profession than gushing over your children.</p>
<p>This is your OPINION. Just because it is your opinion doesn’t make it correct. I certainly understand that is how some people feel. I can accept your opinion even though I don’t agree with it. Just can’t quite understand how you would call someone else’s opinion or goals to play in a marching band immature. </p>
<p>I suppose you consider Myron Rolle’s (the FSU football player just named a Rhodes Scholar) desire to play in the NFL some day immature.</p>
<p>Watching football while posting on the Internet doesn’t exactly qualify you for “fan” status. No more than someone holding an instrument makes him a musician.</p>
<p>Not sure where “gushing over your children” comment is coming from. Hmmm</p>
<p>If he will consider going a little further away, then I suggest James Madison University in Virginia. My D is there and has friends who enjoy being in the marching band. I don’t know whether they are performance or music ed majors though.</p>
<p>A little bit further away is The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH where they have TBDBINL! See if you can figure that one out! OSU has one of the best and well respected bands around. They do offer a performance major, but I don’t know anything about the combination of the two.</p>
<p>percussionny, can we assume by your screen name that DS is a percussionist? There seems to be more cross work between students we know in percussion. I know it is way far, but percussionist sons of 2 friends have found what they wanted at University of North Texas, successfully doing both. </p>
<p>Also there is a difference if classical or jazz. One S of a friend is looking at marching band and jazz and has found several good possibilities for applications this year. . BTW University of Maryland has a good music school and also good marching band. But do not know how good for undergrad percussionists. </p>
<p>But your best bet is still to talk to the schools and start to arrange sample lessons this year to talk to professors and get to know the programs. You want to go where he will develop well with a good professor.</p>
<p>On a different point the OP made–as we learned, at some schools the only music major offered is a B.M., which means that most of the courses are taken in the major (as opposed to a B.A.). This can make it hard to do a second major, unless you are in a five-year program. Also, at a lot of schools there is a music major, but not a performance major. Take a good look at what majors are offered and what they require.</p>
<p>I think the absolutely best advice (we learned from Bassdad) is to get to know the programs and to arrange sample lessons. I know my D learned a lot from sample lessons. She also learned a lot just from meeting the professors. She is a music ed. major and one of the professors was obviously all about performance and seemed to look down on music ed majors. My D was turned off immediately. She didn’t even need a sample lesson to know that it wouldn’t work even though she really liked the university.</p>
<p>University of Maryland has a great music program and a beautiful music building. But they are really about performance and from what I have heard they even discourage the music ed majors from marching. Also the marching band is just okay. My husband and I are both Maryland alumni and we used to think it was great. But now realize that they are a large band but just okay in their performances.</p>
<p>Well…Boston University doesn’t really HAVE a marching band. They don’t have a football team. The do have pep bands that play at the hockey and basket ball games…and maybe soccer too. </p>
<p>I agree that some students love marching band. However the time commitment for being in a major marching band like U of Maryland will most definitely take away time for practicing, rehearsing, etc that will be EXPECTED of a performance major. We knew a student leader at the UMDCP Marching band and she told us also…the marching band students weren’t all that wonderful musicians. She knew a few music majors who tried it for the first term but quit because of the time commitment and the less than challenging music.</p>
<p>I think the student needs to research whether performance majors can do marching band without conflicts with orchestra or wind ensemble rehearsals which are typically in the late afternoon…right at the same time as the marching band practices.</p>