Small Music School

Does anyone have an opinion on the size of a music school? For example, a small private chool of 325 music students vs. 500-600 or 600 - 1000. Let’s just assume the teachers are similar in quality. It’s possible the rankings of the smaller schools are not as high as the larger schools. Thanks!

That is one of those questions that can’t really be answered, because there are so many variables there. For example, there are people that will tell you a small music school is the only place to go, because “everyone knows you, you aren’t a number, the faculty cares about you, etc” as versus that big, cold, large music school. Like everything in music, it depends on a number of factors, and I am sure people will have a lot of opinions.

There are things that are common to all music schools, big or small. How good are the teachers, and especially on the instrument/area you are interested in? If the school doesn’t have great teacher(s), then it will likely be frustrating, if not a waste of time. Teaching music is a one on one thing, an apprenticeship, and it isn’t like teaching calculus or physics or whatnot. Another question, what is the general level of student? A big program where because it is big might have lower standards than a smaller school and that general level can affect how some students play/grow, if they are the big fish in the lower level pond they may not be driven forward as well as being the ‘lesser’ player in the pond (and obviously, standards of admission and school size have no direct correlation, there are larger schools of music, like Juilliard, that are extremely tough to get into, smaller programs that aren’t very good…how good are the ensembles? What kind of performing opportunities does the student have? What kind of networking opportunities does the school offer, or things like doing gigs?

There are general pluses and minuses to big versus small schools, my son faced decisions like that:

Small school

Pros
-You are a known quantity, not a face in the crowd
-Some smaller schools, to attract students, offer a lot more aid to the students they do admit, and can make them cheaper (again, this is not a general rule, not a plus across the board). Curtis and the Colburn school come to mind, but the same is true for some of the small music schools that have a reputation for good aid (there have been a lot of threads about that on here.
-The teachers across the board get to know you, in your instrument, other areas, and you can stand out a lot easier in an orchestra of 70 then a school with multiple orchestras each with a hundred kids. Plus I have had students and such say they get more attention at a small school, more lesson time and such, that I can’t confirm, but worth throwing out there.
-Some kids thrive better not being around crowds, and enjoy getting to be close with the rest of the kids, lot easier to do in a small environment
-Some feel smaller environments are less cutthroat (I throw that out there, that isn’t necessarily true IME, but some say it is…on the other hand, they never were at Curtis, which most definitely is)

Cons
-Often there is only one teacher in an area, so if that relationship doesn’t work out, you are kind of stuck
-Smaller schools can offer less in the way of performing opportunities and networking, simply because they have limited orchestra and ensemble , and their alumni network is likely to be smaller
-at a smaller program, it can be harder to find people like yourself. If you are like the other kids, then it may not be a big deal, but in a bigger school it may be easier to find kids more like yourself (on the other hand, even at a bigger school that can be a problem)
-Statistically, you may find the ensemble programs less challenging than a big school (and again, it depends on the school, chamber at Curtis or the Orchestra has elite level players). One of the challenges even at a big school is finding ensembles that challenge you,getting an ensemble where the kids click and so forth, and at a small school that may be even more difficult, since the pool is smaller. Likewise, a bigger school will often have a number of orchestras, and they generally have some that are for the best students (depends on the school, of course).
-A smaller school also will be more likely to be monolithic, what i mean is that the teaching style and the culture and such is more likely to be homogeneous at a smaller program, simply because of the small faculty size. It is a lot easier to filter hiring to be monolithic in a small group. Same with the student body, a smaller school is likely to be more homogeneous.

Bigger schools

Pros

-Larger student body, likely to be more diverse, and a lot easier to find kids like yourself to hang out with and so forth
-Generally have larger faculty, so you have choice with teachers. Go to a small school, and they might have 1, or maybe 2, violin teachers, go to a bigger school, might be 10 or more.
-Performing opportunities may be better, not only within the school, but the community. Larger schools of music tend to be in larger towns and/or part of a larger school, so there may be more opportunities in/outside the school
-Lot more diversity in the music school itself, so if you are a violinist, you may not be stuck with a Russian style teacher when your natural bent is towards Franco/Belgium, lot easier to find someone you can work with (and if it doesn’t work out, move on to another teacher)
-Usually larger alumni network, that can help with summer festivals, gig work and the like
-Lot more kids to pick from, when making up ensembles, to find the right fit
-Usually have multiple levels of orchestras, and if you are serious about orchestra, not forced to be in an orchestra with those less talented or more common, motivated.
-Likely to have a lot more kids playing at a higher level than yourself, so that can be motivation

Cons
-Larger school can be expensive, if you are a face in the crowd, a smaller school trying to recruit good players may offer more aid and such
-At a larger school, you won’t be as well known, by teachers and coaches and so forth necessarily (depends on the school)
-Some large schools operate on the “Lord of the Flies” principle, they admit a relatively large number of students, then expect attrition to whittle down the numbers, so it can give someone hope who isn’t necessarily that good, and I also have seen where it leaves kids fretting about whether they got in because they were good enough, or because the school admits numbers
-Some kids don’t want the diversity of a large school, they would prefer something more smaller and like themselves.
-Sometimes it can be hard to navigate a larger program, with a smaller one it can tend to be more structured, like for example, with ensembles, a smaller program might be more likely IME to create the groups, rather than have the students do it, or there is one orchestra, only.

In the end, like everything in music,it is what drives the kid forward, so there is no one rule here.

It also depends on what your concentration is.

If you have an academic focus (composition, musicology, ethno, etc.), then a smaller school might offer you a higher quality instruction and pedigree if you are looking for a future in academia. For instance for my PhD in composition I was accepted to a very small program, and one of the largest programs in the country. I eventually decided to go with the smaller school because the teachers are at a high quality, they have more financial resources, and they have a great reputation placing their graduates in teaching positions.

On the other hand if you’re a performer, and need more experience playing with a variety of high quality ensembles, as well as competition with your peers to sharpen your skills, a bigger school might be better positioned to offer you that.

There are pros and cons of both (as well covered by the list above), but it really depends on the specific programs you’re considering. I attended a medium sized school for my BM, a VERY large school for my MM, and am going to a VERY small school for my PhD. I didn’t think too much about size necessarily when I was deciding, but instead focused on what the program itself could offer me.

So I guess the general answer is, it depends on the program itself, as well as what you’re trying to get out of the experience.

Here are a few more things to consider.

Do you thrive with lots of attention? Do you want to be nurtured? Are you hard on yourself or get down if “everyone” else is getting “stuff” and not you. Will you think “why bother trying” if you keep getting overlooked even though your teachers says you are fine. Does constant competition get you down? If yes to many of these a small school may be a better fit.

Are you fairly confident and independent. Are you self reliant and need little direction? Do you have a long view? Is it ok to not get a lot of attn (outside your studio) for the first 2 years? Do you thrive around a lot of talent to look up to? Do you like a competitive environment to push yourself? Then a big school may work fine for you.

As always about schools it’s about the right fit. Know thyself.

I was offered a very generous scholarship to a private university with a small music school (piano performance). The professor is very well connected and a wonderful teacher. I haven’t heard from other big name schools yet, such as UMich, IU, Eastman. I’m not sure if the scholarships offer by the big name schools will be generous enough for my family to afford it, compared to the small school. So the issue is affordability vs. the right fit. Does the name of the school matter for future employment? I would think it does. I see some professors with BM from Curtis, MM from Juilliard, and DMA from IU, etc. All look very impressive for getting a job.

The general adage in music is that the private teacher is the first consideration. If the professor at the small school is excellent and you’ll primarily be working directly with him/her, you may be in a much better position there than you would be as an undergrad at Michigan or Indiana, where you might have most of your lessons with a grad student, or series of grad students.

For performance jobs (as well as admission/scholarships to graduate programs), your audition typically trumps your resume. Go where you think your playing will improve the most.

If this student has auditioned for a BM at the above schools- UM, IU, etc. and is accepted s/he would be taking lessons from a professor in their instrument not a grad student.

Really? That’s not the case on oboe at IU.

Really? I’m super surprised. My S just finished his BM at UM and all performance major students are taught by professors. Non majors are taught by grad students. At least as far as I know, all string performance majors are taught by professors at IU, but you’re right that I can’t attest to that being the case for an oboe major specifically. Would be unusual though.

Hmmm…maybe oboe is different.

All IU students I knew (including my D) had a professor for studio. I’ve never heard of a grad student running a studio (maybe true for oboe). My Ds coach was also a professor. A few of my daughter’s grad student friends did TA for theory but never private lessons. Still a professor did the main theory class weekly and the drills section was done by a grad student.

I do agree that a small school with a teacher who is a good fit can be a very good idea particularly for undergrad. And watching the dollars is smart. But saying that most lessons were taught by grad students at IU as a reason not to attend a big school was not the reality in my D’s case. But she’s was in VP. So maybe instruments are different.

@bridgenail is correct. DS is a BM student at Jacobs and his girlfriend is an oboe player also doing a BM. All of the BM oboe students are taught by a faculty member and not grad students.

I am confident if I were to attend one of those schools, like U-M, IU, CCM, Eastman, I would be studying with a professor for piano

I have rarely heard of grad students teaching undergraduate BM students at any level of school, when you apply to music schools they list the faculty in the department, and they are the ones who determine if you get into their studio, assuming you pass the audition. It isn’t the same as undergraduate academic classes, where the classes are often taught by grad student TA’s, but in music I have not run across where the grad student is the primary teacher.

There are times when a teaching assistant (more on that in a bit) might be teaching, for example if the professor is away or ill, or they may have the teaching assistant work on technique while they do the more music oriented stuff, but that is a different story. Even teaching assistant can mean something very different than in the UG world, often the teaching assistants to ‘famous’ teachers, like a Delay or Galamian, were teachers in their own right, were not grad students but rather worked for the school, it is kind of like an apprentic teaching position in a sense (and many of those assistants are now famous teachers in their own right, Juilliard in the violin world have a number that worked with Delay and Galamian). The other thing I have seen with TA’s is they are often artist diploma students who often have advanced degrees already and often are young professionals, so you are getting someone of high quality when they do teach.

As far as the name of a school getting you a job, I am sure there are programs where if you have a degree from Juilliard or Curtis it is a magic name, and often graduates of those programs get hired back at the schools. However, there is a chicken and the egg thing here, because generally to get into those programs for an MM or a DMA requires someone who is quite talented on the instrument, and likely when teachers are hired it isn’t just the degree, it is also what they have done as musicians. You don’t see too many teachers at music schools who went right from getting a DMA to being faculty, they have been performers/soloists, and that background is what gets them the jobs.

My daughter went to Juilliard for undergrad and always did a split studio. One of her teachers often used his assistant for lessons when he was on tour–but the TA was a fantastic, mature performer and teacher in her own right. This gave students the opportunity to get an extra opinion from someone whose philosophy was in line with their own teacher, but who had an independent mind. It was win/win for everyone. I’ve heard anecdotally from other students at other schools who preferred the TA to the teacher. Just throwing this idea into the mix because each situation is different.

As @glassharmonica said, the TA can provide another perspective, my S has used the TA for his primary teacher to work out technical issues and it can be a very different approach that can help. Again, this is not the TA model you see at the undergrad level, especially in core courses or introductory courses, these are not the same thing from what I have seen.