Performing Arts Class of 2015

lake4 · October 1, 2010, 10:48am

Senior Son is looking for classical composition programs, most preferred CalArts and Julliard (ha) and more realistic maybe Columbia College in Chicago. We are familiar with the conservatories but wondering about programs that might be harder to find but with very good classical composition professors. Any advice? I'd love to hear others experience. He is very passionate about music, but recently switched his preference from performance to composition, so he is going to have to work hard to get the technical background between now and the audition stage.

violadad · October 1, 2010, 10:55am

lake4, I’m going to request the moderators move your post here [Music</a> Major - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/]Music”>Music Major - College Confidential Forums)

These will get you started.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/990497-realistic-college-list-music-composition.html?highlight=composition[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/990497-realistic-college-list-music-composition.html?highlight=composition</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/497283-best-schools-music-composition.html?highlight=composition[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/497283-best-schools-music-composition.html?highlight=composition</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/936458-composition-major-okay-list-schools.html?highlight=composition[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/936458-composition-major-okay-list-schools.html?highlight=composition</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/749881-best-liberal-arts-college-music-program-composition.html?highlight=composition[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/749881-best-liberal-arts-college-music-program-composition.html?highlight=composition</a>

There’s plenty more. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/892168-search-tips-other-insights.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/892168-search-tips-other-insights.html</a>

lake4 · October 1, 2010, 11:42am

thanks so much, I couldn’t find that (new to this type of communication)

JEM · October 1, 2010, 10:49pm

thread moved as suggested, with a redirect

Thanks, violadad, for the report and for your helpfulness on this forum.

Best wishes to your son, lake4.

SpiritManager · October 2, 2010, 1:01am

I can’t imagine applying to both CalArts and Juilliard for composition - the aesthetic and gestalt is so different. What attracts your son to each?

If you tell us more about what your son wants out of a composition program we can guide you better. What does he listen to? What kind of music has he written? Does he study privately? Has he had his music played? And, what kind of college atmosphere is he looking for? Does he want academics or no academics, big or small? Does he want to be one of many composers, or one of a few? Undergraduate only, or grad students. All these things can help him narrow down the list.

As all we composition parents have said in our many posts - there are many different paths to take and they are all valid. There are lots of great programs out there. But they don’t fit all.

My son, for instance, wanted a supportive collaborative environment with fascinating and stimulating composition professors who would guide and nurture him without imposing a stern aesthetic upon him. He wanted to be sure there would be opportunities to hear his music performed, and a reliable source of high caliber student musicians for him to work with. He did not want to compete for those opportunities with too many grad students, nor a huge number of undergrad composers. And, in addition, he wanted a traditional college environment with students who were not all musicians. And he wanted challenging and exciting academics.

So, tell us more about your son and what he feels he needs for the next years of his adventure.

lake4 · October 5, 2010, 9:12am

Thanks for the helpful questions. He is inspired by Wagner, he is also enthusiastic about film, but doesn’t want to attend a scoring program. He is aware he needs some academic, but has very little interest in a gen ed program, wants a performing arts school. He wants to be somewhere that has a theater program also. He only has a 3.0 He was falling through the cracks, I think its called “at risk gifted”, in 9th grade, so he moved to a performing arts cyber education program in PA. It has helped us survive high school. He has just started to study with a piano/composition teacher in a private weekly lesson, in addition to his high school composition teacher. He has already scored a feature film and he finds it difficult to pull himself away from his music for academics. He is a guitar performer, has written some open mike type songs, also a little piano and a school band knowledge of percussion. He has had one composition performed at his school (its also the music for his film’s trailer). He wants to be around passionate people who are single mindedly driven by music. Why Cal Arts? Because they encourage collaboration among the disciplines and they understand that for some creative minds, the passion is so consuming that the rest of life falls by the wayside. It is in their mission statement, in fact their mission statement describes his life experience. We toured and liked it overall. If he gets in I might not be able to afford it, but hopefully I can work it out. Julliard is on his list because of the faculty, he has studied their work. He is requesting a private with one of the faculty, as mentioned on their website as something to do if so inclined. Admissions there said that they are looking for a certain type of creative mind, as well as technical knowledge. If he even makes it past the initial screening…well I’ll let you know. In addition to all of the above, he has written a screenplay, which he has filmed part of, has a trailer finished. He also is good on stage and when he can make the committment he is in school and community theater plays.

My oldest is a soph at Columbia, civil engineering/swim team. It was all measurable-GPA, SAT and swim times. He was not looking for an IVY but for a good fit. Columbia was the only IVY he applied to because it was a good fit for him. Loves the coach and team, and they have civil engineering that will get him the degree he needs to make a living. We visited over 20 schools in all categories for him and it was tough, down to the wire decision. This situation is so different because I don’t know the classical comp theory music at all, so I totally have to allow my son to find his way. He only wants to go to college to learn from people that will make him better at expressing his creativity. He lives eats and breathes his ideas, and he is looking for a school that fits. He will buckle down and do the life requirements, such as go to a job to make money, or mow the lawn or do enough work to get a B in Algebra 2, but only enough to meet the life requirements so he can get back to his music/writing. It is very frustrating because he has the mental acuity to be more marketable to a wider range of schools, but he doesn’t have the patience or hasn’t chosen to be that kind of person. Of course, looking at statistics, a kid like him might be better off not spending the money on college or taking the 150k that college might end up costing and doing something else with it.

Thanks for asking. I hope that explains why Julliard and Cal Arts? He also applied to a music industry/film minor, maybe a backup plan. He was thinking a local state school because of the comp teacher, but he might not get in there because of 3.0. Right now our list is slim, was thinking Smith McNally but kind of discouraged because of location and now after reading some info on CC thinking probably not, they also don’t have a theater program. I don’t know exactly why he is not into Berklee, I might try to make him visit. In addition he likes Mannes and will apply to Manhattan School of Music. He knows he will be happy at those programs also. He is reworking a movie score right now on a deadline, but when he is done I want him to research some faculty from Hartt, that might be an option too. I also want him to apply to Clumbia College in Chicago, another potentially good internet research fit. A gap year to study with his comp teacher might be the answer, but I’d rather have him get in and defer…I am not confident that a gap year is wise.
Of course I need to apologize for this rambling post. I feel like I should pay you for therapeutic listening…assuming this gets read at all!!! I am new to blogging, I read a lot of posts on CC when my oldest was applying but I never shared anything personal before. thanks, i am open to any feedback. it seems like a lot of CC posters are high GPA types, and it is a little intimidating to post here with a lower GPA. Oh yeah, his SAT scores are decent, he only wants to take them once and they are high enough for most of the schools mentioned.

violadad · October 5, 2010, 9:43am

Just to touch on a couple of points:

One needs to be cognizant of the different academic admittance parameters at the attached conservatory/university & college offerings, and how each weighs both the academic and audition factors. Grades and stats will matter, but how much requires lots of digging. Some reading that will help clarify:

Be careful with this. While a number of institutions will offer a deferral/gap year for academic admissions, this is not typically the case with audition or portfolio driven admissions. Declining and not matriculating will most often require a new application and audition, and can have far different results. The only way to be sure is check school policy going in. Music admissions is a whole different animal.

kmccrindle · October 5, 2010, 10:31am

Hi there. Your son sounds fascinating and similar in his likes to my own son; however his program might be a financial reach as its OOS tuition is very very high (University of Michigan, SOM, either composition OR Performing Arts Technology…in which you can dual major with film, etc.) It would also be a bit of an academic reach, but the SOM does give clearance at 3.0, which is lower than the average 3.7-3.8 admit, so if he had a knockout portfolio, he might very well end up getting an interview. However, that still doesn’t address the whole fiscal issue.

On that front, check out Humber College Contemporary Music program in Toronto, ON, Canada. Not academically-focused but well regarded and exceptionally cost effective compared to many programs. No disrespect to Columbia Chicago, but I’d personally send a kid to Humber before Columbia.

violadad · October 5, 2010, 11:12am

A few more academic parameter threads:

SpiritManager · October 5, 2010, 11:20am

I think Mannes is a good idea. Also San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Does he want old fashioned traditional composition training - counterpoint, fugue etc? Because that’s what many of the conservatories teach. Unlike CalArts. CalArts is going to be much more electroacoustic avant-garde, unless they’ve changed dramatically in the last few years. If Wagner is his model, the place will be a bit of a shock.

For all the conservatories check out the curriculum - what’s necessary to graduate and what actual courses are offered. See if he actually wants to study the route they offer.

My son did not look into stand-alone conservatories - so I have no direct knowledge. I do know the composition department at SF Conservatory is quite lively right now.

lake4 · October 5, 2010, 12:13pm

Helpful, after viewing I visited various websites of schools mentioned and I liked Chapman and SUNY Purchase, as two more he can visit faculty webpages. I will continue to follow up on your threads.

lake4 · October 5, 2010, 12:36pm

previous posting was for violadad,
kmccrindle - I think I avoid U of Mich because it is a larger school, so its safe to say he probably isn’t drawn to larger schools; I will look up Humber, though I must say I haven’t considered Canadian schools. I am not looking on price alone either way, I think a good fit trumps price at this stage of the game. I will cross that bridge when I come to it, right now worried about a good fit, although plane rides across the country for an 18 year old first year of school will add up so I try to be aware of that while looking.
and to Spiritmanager, thanks for giving me a little language to put to the styles of classical music. Mostly I am unable to properly articulate what he might say and then he is unable to take the time to pore over these sites, so there is a bit of lost in the translation involved here. The music being described by the admissions counselor at CalArts did seem to interest him, but like I told him, you might change from August to December, and you might even change from December to April, so keep that in mind while looking at your options! I will follow up on SF also.

SpiritManager · October 5, 2010, 1:15pm

Have your son look into Hartt and NEC, as well. And Boston Conservatory. There are so many good programs out there, but most of them come with some academics attached.

lake4 · October 5, 2010, 5:21pm

Thank you all so much, I had a productive day of looking into all of your suggestions, I really think NEC and Boston should be on his list. U of Mich SOM is so impressive, I am happy I took the time to research their website. I think it’s a better reach school for him than Julliard. We are possibly a little late, I think an application Sept 1 would have been wise. Congratulations to all of you, your children are at some impressive schools. And thanks for offering your suggestions.

kmccrindle · October 5, 2010, 7:41pm

Let us know if we can help you in any way, Lake4. If he pursues PAT at UMich or Comp, there is no real advantage to submitting before Dec. 1 as they usually wait til after then to review portfolios and they typically don’t interview until Feb and March (there might be one early date in Jan.). If he’s already done some scoring, then that would be the natural submission for at least PAT (don’t know about comp).
If he decides he’s serious about applying to Umich, also have him visit this area – he can download the full curriculum for all four years in each program, and have a very specific sense of his preference. Here’s the link (it’s under Current students, so prospective students never seem to find it; but I believe it helps to see exactly what one would study BEFORE applying ): [UM</a> School of Music, Theatre & Dance - Student Handbook](<a href=“http://www.music.umich.edu/current_students/student_resources/StudentHandbook.htm]UM”>http://www.music.umich.edu/current_students/student_resources/StudentHandbook.htm)

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