<p>Congratulations to your son! </p>
<p>The website for Shepherd composition and theory seems to offer favorable answers to your questions, as you have probably already seen. I would just add that there will be countless informal opportunities in that environment and, as Spirit Manager said, with so many talented peers around, your son will also be able to make his own opportunities, though it looks as though the school offers many formal ways to fulfill the need to sing, play, compose, and hear his pieces.</p>
<p>For singing: your son will sing in the Chorale, as another poster said: [Shepherd</a> School of Music - Rice University](<a href=“http://music.rice.edu/ensembles/choral.shtml]Shepherd”>http://music.rice.edu/ensembles/choral.shtml) Who knows what else he might get into, but the chorale should be satisfying. The website indicates it is by audition for non-music majors and quality is high, and they sing a cappella and orchestral choral works.</p>
<p>The composition course requirements include “secondary piano” or “concentration in piano,” and of course piano is a big part of theory study. If your son likes jazz piano, perhaps there will be a course he can take or an informal ensemble, or a theater or dance performance, where he can play, or even outside gigs.</p>
<p>It looks like there will be numerous opportunities to have compositions played
[Shepherd</a> School of Music - Rice University](<a href=“http://music.rice.edu/composer/index.shtml]Shepherd”>http://music.rice.edu/composer/index.shtml). And composition classes/seminars always involve performance of pieces. The site makes the point that not only visiting composers augment the program, but visiting musicians, and there seems to be a lot of interdisciplinary work going on: films to compose for, for instance. Looks great.</p>
<p>Your son might like to use his technological interests and skills in computer/electroacoustic music, an area of study that is now very prominent in grad schools. Rice has an excellent resource for this: [Shepherd</a> School of Music - Rice Electronic Music Studios](<a href=“http://music.rice.edu/composer/ems.shtml]Shepherd”>http://music.rice.edu/composer/ems.shtml) My daughter is not a techie at all but has developed a passion for this, and even asked for two books on Pro tools for her birthday. She has also developed some experience in the technical aspects of recording during an internship, where she helps out with the recording of CD’s of compositions by some well-known composers, who play for the orchestra where she works. None of this was even on her radar screen in the beginning.</p>
<p>At many schools, there is a lot of intersection between music composition and technology. (My son, a CS major now in his late 20’s, has a boss who majored in CS then got a PhD in music theory! In college, he did sound design for theater using student electronic compositions, working together with composers throughout the production, sharing skills both ways.) Shepherd may not have a separate program like Oberlin’s Timara, but the electroacoustic lab is there for use in classes and no doubt outside of classes. There will be opportunities to take computer-related classes within and outside of the music school, no doubt, that will enhance composition experiences.</p>
<p>I noticed on the composition page: " A wide range of electives in musicology, performance, and ensembles are available, and students are encouraged to take courses in areas that interest them outside the music school. "This would seem to indicate more opportunities in playing piano, singing -and academic classes outside of music as well. Electives could include CS classes. I don’t know Rice personally, but as someone implied, once the first year foundational theory classes are done, often students in conservatories and college music programs have more flexibility of choice.</p>
<p>The only thing I would say about the double major idea is that both CS and music are sequential majors with rigorous and numerous foundational courses, and that a double major would seem to indicate more years to fit it all in. Or a stressful life. But I could be wrong.</p>
<p>Basically, what I have learned is that it is hard to ascertain or even imagine what is going to happen in these next 4 years, as long as your son is in a pot with rich soil, so to speak. I don’t know what his other choices are or will be, but he is in good shape with this possibility already!</p>