<p>Hi, I'm a prospective piano major looking at several different schools. As of right now, my top schools are:</p>
<p>(in no particular order)
Bard
Oberlin
NYU
Lawrence
Rice</p>
<p>Could anyone give me some info on what differentiates the music programs at these schools? And certain professors as well? I'd also like to get a better idea of double major programs (if they have one) at these schools. Any others I should consider? Also, I'd love if anyone could tell me what a good visit day looks like (what I should do). Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>For u , i would think that Rice, Oberlin and Bard has the better piano faculty in my opinion, i might be wrong, please correct me.</p>
<p>But i heard great stories about Robert Roux (rice) and Bard (peter serkin) … all the best in your piano auditions, i am doing mine too this year too for fall 2010 admission.</p>
<p>Bard conservatory is all double-degree - you get a BMus and BA. Last I checked, the faculty is small, and some come for occasional lessons (Peter Serkin) or master classes only (Richard Goode). You should certainly visit. When I saw it, I was underwhelmed by the deadness of the conservatory building - a few practice rooms in the basement, nobody around the common areas. Perhaps it has picked up a bit. The campus is very large and the music facility (they plan to build a conservatory building but don’t have one yet) is shared with other departments and is quite far from the Gehry hall and the center of campus. You should definitely visit before applying. Bard has a very unique atmosphere overall - which may surprise you (it did me). There is a regular contributor here from Bard who can give you more information.<br>
Oberlin has a double-degree option, which is well supported by both the college and conservatory and very workable, though about half the students who start out in the double-degree program eventually opt for one or the other, for any number of reasons, but not because there isn’t support for doing both by advisors, etc. Some double-degree combinations are more workable than others, but for piano it is particularly doable because the ensemble requirements are easier to accommodate than orchestra requirements for strings, etc. There is a large piano faculty. You should visit and take lessons with one or more, if you can, before applying; tour the conservatory and the college, get a feel for Oberlin as a place to be for several years; it is a suburban campus with a rural feel, while also being cosmopolitan in terms of its cultural offerings (cornfields, yes, but it is only 35 minutes from Cleveland; on the other hand, most students don’t go to Cleveland very often; there is a tremendous amount of activity on the campus, loads of music of all kinds (jazz, with a new jazz conservatory building about to open; rock; blues; bluegrass…you name it); very lively conservatory, always hopping. Lots of practice rooms, all with windows and all Steinways. Lots of opportunities for ensembles, including much new music stuff going on, if you like that.</p>
<p>Some ideas for a good day visit (you won’t be able to do all of them due to both time constraints and what the particular school can or will make available):
Get a lesson with one or two teachers with whom you might study. Most teachers and schools are okay with you taking a lesson with more than just one teacher.
Sit in on a lesson or two. Some teachers either will not allow this or would discourage it, but I think it is an excellent way to see how a teacher operates without using more of that teacher’s valuable time. Obviously the student in the lesson would need to give permission.
Sit in on a studio class if the teachers have these. Here you can get a fuller picture of whether the teacher would be a good fit for you. You also get a picture as to your peers. Are they skilled enough to provide a challenging and engaging atmosphere?
Sit in on a lecture or two in some music classes (theory, aural skills, music literature, history) or in some non-music classes.
Observe some chamber music coaching that involves a pianist. (If you played an orchestral instrument or were a singer, I would recommend observing an orchestra, band, or choral rehearsal.)
Spend some time talking to an admissions officer that can answer your questions.
Get a tour of the music school and larger university. Be certain to see the practice rooms and the dorms: you will spend more time in these than almost anywhere else. While tour guides like to show off the new multimillion-dollar concert hall, you really won’t spend tons of time in it.
Eat where the students eat. Obviously food is an important thing, but more importantly you will have the opportunity to observe and perhaps interact with the students to get a feeling for the overall atmosphere.
Spend some time just hanging out if there is a spot for that. Bring a book and sit and read (or pretend to read) while you are a “fly on the wall.” If there is a central lounge area, you can often gain a sense of the overall climate.
Talk to students within your major. Ask them what their experience has been like. Take many grains of salt with what they say because each person’s experience is highly individual.<br>
Check out the surrounding area if this is important to you. If you are driving, take 10 or 20 minutes before or after your time on campus to meander around the environs. Are there places (restaurants etc.) that you would want to hang out at? Is the area safe for venturing out at night?
If you know anyone at any of the schools, contact them ahead of time (facebook/email) to find out if they could spend a few minutes with you or if they could connect you with someone who could. Even if it is a friend of a friend of a friend, most students are happy to help a prospective student out by having lunch with them or grabbing a quick coffee (offer to pay!).</p>
<p>Ask the admissions office or the music office what options are available for a visiting prospective student. They usually have a staple list of suggestions. If there is something that they don’t suggest which you would like to do, it is easier to ask them about it than it would be to ask your prospective teacher. For example, it might be awkward asking your prospective teacher if you could sit in on a studio class or another student’s lesson: if they are uncomfortable with this, it is difficult for them to turn you down. The admissions office will likely know whether this sort of thing happens regularly and if it does not, then they will either say no or they will do the asking (and it will be easier for the teacher to say “no” to anything that they are uncomfortable with).</p>
<p>Take some time before the visit to generate a list of things that you want to find out about and questions that you want answered. I wouldn’t use items in that list as things to be checked off; I believe that you will just gain more from the visit if you have done some deliberate intentional thinking about what you would like to gain from the visit. As well, when admissions or your teacher asks you, “Do you have any questions?” you can either confidently reply “No, you have done an excellent job of answering those questions that I came with” or reply with “Yes, could you please tell me about . . . .” A long silence following their attempt to solicit questions from you might imply that you are not very interested or not very bright.</p>
<p>If you read some of the campus visit reports by music students/parents here on CC, you will get an idea as to the range of things that happen.</p>