Hello! So I’m applying to some academically difficult schools (Columbia, Harvard, etc.) along with some conservatory-style programs in Vocal Performance (BU, Carnegie Mellon, etc.). Next year, these are the course I’m signed up for:
AP Calculus BC
AP English Lit
AP Spanish Lang
AP Music Theory
Honors Physics
Chorus
Will highly competitive colleges penalize me for taking only 4 traditionally “academic” classes? I am pretty sure I’m going to be a music major if I choose to attend a liberal arts school. Does it show special interest in my field, or does it look like an academic cop-out? I tried to take other difficult classes to balance my music classes out.
It’s in your best interest to have a light class. The last thing you want is to reach the end of the year and you hve no energy left to sit in classes that you have no interest in. Music will be good to break up the boredom of your day. Keep it.
You look fine. I assume you’ve had 4 years of history/social sciences? Even if not, you are still fine since music is your potential major. You don’t have to have all 5 core classes since it’s perfectly clear that you aren’t slacking from your schedule or avoiding the liberal arts.
I have the same problem as you here. I’m a senior taking AP music theory, band, choir, music history, and this year. (I originally wanted to major in music therapy, but eventually decided on psychology.)
I was told by my counselor that colleges would love it. If that’s what you want to study for the next four years and do the rest of your life, it makes sense to want to immerse yourself in it. It’ll be more useful to you in the future anyway than taking chem or calc or whatever.
Plus, AP Music Theory is one of the hardest AP’s. And it probably doesn’t make sense for you to drop chorus. So you should be good.
If you only apply to music majors, that would be fine. In general, the audition is much much more important than anything else for music performance major.
Senior year, DS had four music classes (concert band, jazz band, concert choir, select chambers choir), plus AP Bio, Calculus, Econ/Government, AP Lit, photography. He couldn’t fit Spanish 5 in because of Government, which is a required course for graduation in our school. (The meant he got a daily lunch period for the first time in his high school career!). He will major in engineering in the fall, and was EA deferred/RD rejected at MIT, accepted Cornell. I think your schedule is fine, especially as it reflects your interests as a future music major.
