<p>What do you think about Purchase? I heard it was good but it's not a strong academic school. ( My daughter is an academic snob- she will kill me if she reads this) She truely likes to engage in stimulating conversations about history and literature.</p>
<p>SUNY Purchase has a well established program, with excellent applied faculty across a number of instruments. Quite a number of faculty are doing double duty at a number of well known programs around NYC including Juilliard, MSM, Manhattan, Hartt, Rutgers/Mason Gross.</p>
<p>While the performance facilities have been described as "very good", many people dislike the rest of the facilities and campus in general. It's a short hop from the campus to Westchester Airport (HPN).</p>
<p>There are also mixed reviews of the academics. You might want to look in CC's SUNY section for more detailed examples.</p>
<p>Like most publics, I'm sure there are some exceptional academic departments drawing some very high achieving students.</p>
<p>If your D's desires tend more to the academic side and you want to stay in the SUNY system, why not give Stony Brook a thought? Charles Neidich teaches there, along with other Julliard and MSM faculty members, so you can get heavy hitting academics, along with heavy hitter teachers. The only thing to assess are the ensemble and performance options.</p>
<p>Thanks ImperialZepplin, We live close to StonyBrook and she doesn't want to go there. I think she may want to get away from me!!!! She did a precollege Jazz program there years ago and didn't really like the facility plus being to close to home.</p>
<p>Three kids from our hs this year were rejected from Purchase music and theatre conservatories. They are extremely selective. Our son was wait-listed and then admitted. We thought that if he did not get into his first choices of MSM or NEC, Purchase would have been an excellent place for jazz, and I think I got the feeling that it's even stronger for classical music. Our biggest concern was the feeling that 1) it seems to be a "commuter" school, with many students living in the communities around the campus or just leaving for the weekend. And, 2) the liberal arts quality did seem lackluster. Some people hate the campus--both my son and I thought it was cool. Interesting architecture and the whole thing surrounded by woods, nice facilities, epecially in the arts quad.</p>
<p>The life in the music school seems richer than the general campus life, which could be fine for those music students.</p>
<p>Jazzmomm has described Purchase well.</p>
<p>My son didn't apply, but we know several very strong kids who did (in both voice and jazz), so the quality of the program is well known.</p>
<p>We nixed it because academically it is quite weak, and because when we were visiting on a weekend it was DEAD! There wasn't even much of anyone in the music building, and at all the other good conservatories we visited, there was practicing, jamming, ensemble work, etc., from morning to night. It just seemed like everyone cleared out on the weekend, and that is a consideration for kids who are not going to be commuters or going home all the time.</p>
<p>But the conservatory does have a good rep, and for in state...a good deal financially too.</p>
<p>My former bass teacher teaches at Purchase and he's amazing. He's head of the bass dept at Juilliard. Purchase probably does have a pretty good conservatory, although I'd be hesitant to tell someone go there if that person were interested in studying academics seriously, too.</p>
<p>What would I do with out CC members!!! I wish I could say my daughter wants to STUDY seriously. Though she is very bright and likes to be around bright kids. I guess this would not be the place for her. Thanks</p>
<p>I don't know what your D plays, but I know that Oberlin is well know for its academic strengths. Sounds like she'd fit right in there.</p>
<p>Thanks Operhorn, Right now Oberlin is 1st on her list. Though she doesn't think she'll get in. I hope she's wrong. It sounds like the perfect place for her.</p>
<p>Make sure she visits early and takes a lesson with her teacher(s) of choice; also she must audition at the school. My D did not because she had performances on all the audition dates (she auditioned in DC), we definitely got the feeling that they were slightly offended (she took lessons after the audition during the week and they questioned her).</p>
<p>I've always grouped Oberlin and Lawrence into the same basic category based on their similar strengths of size, academic, conservatory and geography. </p>
<p>Oberlin/Lawrence may be culture shock for a LI Girl believe me (LI native), although Hawkins and Fein are great teachers. D (Chicago suburbs girl) would not hear of even applying to Oberlin even though she liked Hawkins, and his mouthpieces. She applied and got accepted with significant $ to Lawrence, but even that was too "rural" and Appelton is a thriving megalopolis compared to Oberlin. Both have decent sized cities and culture close by (Cleveland and Milwaukee), although Cleveland does have the distinction of "River Flambe" (I like Randy Newman).</p>
<p>Key questions for your D are: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>How important is easy access to a significant city?</p></li>
<li><p>Will she like living in the "deep" midwest? God's truth, but the first time I ordered a pastrami sandwhich out here in the Chicago suburbs, the blonde haired, blue eyed person taking my order asked if I wanted that on white bread with mayo!!! When I relayed this story to my coworkers they stared blankly at me saying "What's wrong with that?" To which I replied, "You mean one of the funniest lines in Annie Hall went over your thick midwest skulls?"</p></li>
<li><p>How often will she want to be visited by Mom and Dad and/or get home for the weekend? You're talking airplane rides here and a significant yearly Move In/Out trek. In the case of the annual Move In/Out trip, Lawrence will be another 8 hours or so further from LI, including the traffic/construction fest to get through/around Chicago; think of the LIE on steroids. It's an easy drive from Milwaukee's cute airport, just like Oberlin is an easy drive from Cleveland's airport. BTW, Appelton does have an airport so you can get flights from NY, maybe even Islip into Chicago or Milwaukee and connect to a puddle jumper into Appelton.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hmmm among the musicians I know Oberlin is more often mentioned... Maybe I don't speak much to clarinetists, though.</p>
<p>Just looked at the Lawrence website- clarinet teacher studied at Oberlin!</p>
<p>I also have not heard anything about Lawrence. Anyone care to share more info?</p>
<p>It's one of the "colleges that change lives". If you want to check out that website.</p>
<p>I have also heard wonderful things about Lawrence. I don't know about instrumentals, but Opera News featured an article a little while back showcasing a rising Soprano star who graduated from Lawrence.</p>