<p>I couldn't find the search function....did it go away? </p>
<p>Anyway, I work with someone whose daughter plays harp. I know nothing about the instrument or schools where she could go, but I know she wants to pursue it in college. She is currently a HS junior.
I mentioned Oberlin to the mother (b/c I assumed they probably have harp there!) and she'd heard of that. And I think she said Peabody. But honestly I know nothing about those schools.
I don't know anything about this girl's test scores, but I think she gets pretty much all A's, so she is good student. </p>
<p>Which other schools offer harp? They are hoping to go look at schools this summer and after talking to her a few minutes yesterday it seems like they could use some suggestions.</p>
<p>There are tons of music schools in the US. The girl needs to think about whether she definitely wants to get a BM degree and if so whether she wants to look at combined BA/BM programs. She and her harp teacher should talk about potential schools. Her teacher should be able to tell her the level of school she should be looking at. A good music teacher at that level should be preparing her now for auditions for the schools she's interested in and should know (or at least know of) many of the harp teachers at the different schools. There are generally two harp methods: French and Salzedo. She will not want to switch methods, so she should look at schools where her method of harp is taught. She will also want to think about whether she'd prefer a school with a very large harp program or a smaller, more intimate program. She should consider the teacher she would study with, instruments, performace opportunities, program focus, atmosphere, etc.</p>
<p>It is hard to tell from your post if this girl wants to major in harp and if she wants a conservatory or if she wants a BM degree or a BA degree. These are all very different paths. Since I don't know which sort of degree program she is seeking, nor do I know much about harp, I am just going to list schools from a source that says they offer harp (these include various types of degrees though) and hope this will at least serve as a starting point. But the big starting point is to examine the different degree options for someone in music as there are big differences in the curriculum, let alone admissions requirements (auditions vs. no auditions, etc.). </p>
<p>The Boston Conservatory
California Institute of the Arts
Cleveland State University
Eastern Washington University
Indiana University (Bloomington)
Juilliard School
Louisiana State University
Miami University
North Carolina School of the Arts
Notre Dame de Namur University
Queens University of Charlotte
Southern Methodist University
State Univ. of New York College at Potsdam
University of Alberta
University of California, Irvine
University of Denver
University of Oklahoma
University of Puget Sound
University of South Dakota
University of Texas at Austin
University of Utah
University of Washington
Walla Walla College</p>
<p>By the way, I began playing the harp when I was about seven, played my first paying gig right after I turned eleven, and thought about but ultimately decided not to study harp in college. So, feel free to ask me questions.</p>
<p>There are a number of directions someone who wants to continue an instrument can go in terms of college. For someone serious about the instrument and wants to pursue excellence in performance, a BM or BFA degree is a way to go. THis involves auditions. It would be wise to get a college search book for music/performing arts students that would list such schools along with schools that have strong departments in music performance though within a BA setting. Each year a number of kids at our highschool go to LACs and are music or theatre majors there. For a school such as Williams, if you want to pursue music as a major, you should send a tape that will be evaluated by the department. According to the college counselors at our school, the performing arts kids who are good enough to get into audition programs do get into schools without auditons at a higher rate than kids without this hook. It is a footnoted special on the data given for each appllication that has gone out in this high school and compiled in a binder for the community to peruse. When I looked at this a few years ago, it did seem that many kids with music or other performing arts hooks did get into selective schools more than kids without this activity, but it is difficult to be conclusive about this since so many of those kids were multi hooked and were excellent academic candidates as well. But I have seen professionals in music and drama who majored at LACs, and other schools without a BM or BFA, and not even a music or arts major, most notably two musicians I know who graduated from Williams and Amherst. So there are many routes this young lady can take, depending on the college experience she wants. A conservatory life is very different from a regular college life.</p>
<p>After thinking about this post, I got thinking that if this girl wants to go the LAC or non-conservatory route, it might be important to make sure the schools that she ends up applying to have a decent harp instructor available, as that will be much harder to find than more common instruments. </p>
<p>I guess what I'm saying is that even in schools with strong music programs they may not have a decent harp teacher...</p>
<p>You are right, Weenie. Wiliams does have a good harp instructor, in fact excellent instructors because they feed from the Berkshire music programs. In fact, just knowing that a school has a good instructor is not really enough if it is just a fluke they have him. They have to have a good feeder system such as an orchestra or music school or else it is catch as catch can. Most performance instructors at LACs are adjunct faculty and can come and go so you cannot rely on what is even there without a system behind it to find someone. An LAC in an area that is dry of music resources would not be a good choice unless there is a commitment to the instruments and performance program, because who they may have currently can disappear next year. That is why the reputation and record of the program at the school is important. I would be particularly wary of a program that suddenly becomes decent when someone joins it a few years ago. Without the*commitment to the program, it can be a temporary thing. There are a number of LACs with a track record of excellence in performing arts such as Skidmore, Conn College, Muhlenberg, Lawrence.</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon has a College of Fine Arts with a decent Music Department. According to the website, they offer majors in every orchestral instrument plus BAGPIPE. :) They have 2 faculty members that are harp specialists.</p>
<p>You have to audition for performance programs, and it is very competitive. This is a conservatory of sorts though attached to a university. Getting in is difficult and the program is very serious. If this is the route the harpist wishes to take, she should have a number of such programs and some back up as it is not an easy entry. In a college without a conservatory program/auditions, being a harpist could be a hook. It is harder to get in as a harpist at CMU than as an English major, by far.</p>
<p>A friend of ours has a D who is a very serious student of the harp and has looked into harp programs. The schools she has applied to are Indiana, Arizona, BYU, UCLA, USC, and Harvard.</p>
<p>Of these 6 school she reckons Indiana and Arizona to have the best harp programs and Harvard the weakest.</p>
<p>Again, I have to say that it really comes down to the teacher and the style. If the girl studies the Salzedo method, she should not look at schools where she would have to study the French method. </p>
<p>The University of Indiana is one of the best places in the world to study music, and there is a large harp program. Harvard has a new set up with the New England Conservatory. The NEC is a great Conservatory, and I know some wonderful harpists who have studied there. The current harpist for the Atlanta Symphony studied at Harvard long before the NEC program existed, so it is possible for a potential harpist to attend a school not known for music, as long as other arrangements are made to continue study.</p>
<p>In the end, there are very few harp jobs in the country, with even fewer openings. Most professional harpists will depend primarily on teaching and weddings. It is worthwhile, I think, for her to consider pursuing a path that is not only harp (such as not attending a Conservatory or looking at combined degree programs) in case she finds herself struggling to find work. A concert harp alone will run you at least $20,000, not to mention the other necessities such as a harp cart, a good quality harp bench, amplification equipment, and a van or SUV that can transport a harp.</p>
<p>She also needs to determine what kind of schools she can get into for harp. She needs to talk to her teacher and look over audition requirements (if she's going that route) ASAP. Auditon pieces should be ready in late Fall, so she needs to see what she knows already and what she can learn by audition time. </p>
<p>Without information on her level, desires, goals, and all the rest, it's difficult to recommend specific schools.</p>
<p>If the young lady wants to become a professional musician, she should know what it entails by now, and if this is a realistic goal for her. If this is her heart's desire, then , by all means, she should set out for that route. If the harp is a side dish, but something she enjoys enough that she wants an easily accessible program, that is something for her to investigate when putting together her school list.</p>
<p>I mentioned this to you on another college discussion board, but just in case someone here is also looking for harp programs, Indiana University has the largest harp program in the country. Northwestern also has an excellent harp program.</p>
<p>I don't know anuyhing about harp programs, but I do know that if she plays concert harp (as opposed to the Celtic harp, or another type that the name escapes me), she can some good money, even if it is sideline money. Our church searched far and wide for a concert harpist for a Christmas program, and had to book 6 months in advance - outside of major cities, they are few and far between! ]
Good luck to her, does she want to relocate South??</p>
<p>As I said, yesterday was the first time her mother talked to me about looking at schools. I don't have the faintest idea about French method vs the other one, etc. (I'm sure she knows, though!). The mother did mention Indiana as one of the schools they wanted to visit. </p>
<p>I'll try to find out more soon. I did refer her to this website, so hopefully she or the daughter will come here themselves and can ask more specific questions. </p>
<p>Oberlin has both a college and conservatory. They offer a four-year B.Music degree OR a five-year double-degree program which gives you a B.A. and B.Mus. Also the campus is socially integrated, in other words, she could room with musicians or liberal arts students. It is also possible to attend the college and major in music, in which case you take courses at the Conservatory, but that's quite different than enrolling in the Conservatory.</p>
<p>Hello all. I'm the mother of the harpist you've been discussing. To give you all a little more to go off, here's some info about my daughter Melissa. </p>
<p>*She has been playing the Concert harp since she was 5 years old.
*At age 10 she played her first paying gig and has been doing so on a regular basis since.
*She has competed in several regional compeitions and recital competitions. *She has placed 1st in the regional Solo and Ensemble competition for the past two years.
*She has played in the local Youth Orchestra for the past two years.
*She studies with Leslie Stratton Norris out of Couer d'Alene, ID.
*She has been taught in the French method.
*She feels that a larger school would be more her fit.
*She also is more interested in a bigger city, which always makes a difference in college choices.</p>
<p>Melissa has a deep desire to go as far as she can with the Harp. The only schools we have really heard of are Indiana, which is supposed to have the best Harp program in the world. Her teacher says that Melissa has a great amount of potential but needs competition to motivate her. Living in Spokane with hardly any harpists, she never gets this.</p>
<p>That is why we feel that a school with a large Harp program would be best for her. </p>
<p>Thank you so far for all of the suggestions and we look forward to more now that you understand her a little better.</p>