Some questions about JHU/Peabody DD program

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>It feels like a dream to be accepted... and somehow I have such a difficult time understanding all the stuffs they sent me and have an incredible amount of questions. Please give me some advices if you know anything about the double degree program or just conservatory in general...</p>

<p>1) Housing: Even though I live just off Baltimore City, I don't want to stay home. Should I live in JHU or Peabody? I think someone on this board advised living in Peabody for ensemble reason, but I'm a piano performance major... I cannot decide which kind of student life I like better. Do DD degree student interact a lot with both campuses' students? And is it a good idea to have a car rather than taking the shuttle between two campuses?</p>

<p>2) Classes: How will the scheduling work? I'm thinking about piano + science (biology or chemistry, I guess), is there some overlap between the two degree or exemptions from some classes as DD students? Where can I find some sample curriculum for DD students? </p>

<p>3) Summer: is there anything specific that I need to do over the summer - like contacting my teacher, preparing some pieces, etc? </p>

<p>4) Replying other colleges: It's not hard to turn down the universities/colleges, but what should I say to the piano professors I personally contacted? They're so nice and I feel bad about not going and I don't know how to say.</p>

<p>I guess these are all for now. I must have some more questions but they are not in my head now... I'm feeling quite dizzy... :)</p>

<p>Thanks for all your help.</p>

2

<p>Peabody dorms are the better choice. There is a great sense of community. Living in Peabody will make the music involvement easier and for the first couple of years music should be a priority while you are taking the intro courses at JHU. I also think the location is better. Mount Vernon is a nice area and close to the inner harbor. One disadvantage will be the food. Peabody food is pretty bad. Eat at JHU when you can. The shuttle works well. Leave your car at home. Parking is a hassle. You will be on both campuses and will have friends at both.</p>

<p>Scheduling courses can be a problem, but it will work out. There is no such thing as a sample schedule because it depends on your interests and JHU major. My D tells me advising is a bit weak. You will be on your own unless you ask for help. I am not sure what you mean by exemptions. You will be expected to meet requirements for both majors and can plan on taking a heavy course load.</p>

<p>There is nothing that you will need to do over the summer. I recommend at least some practice time. My D worked and goofed off. I think she regreted that later. You might consider taking some electives to reduce your course load later. My D will be doing that this summer so that she has somewhat less stress during her remaining 4 years.</p>

<p>I agree about contacting the faculty at other schools. Phone, write or email your thanks. The music community is pretty small. Chances are you will meet these people again.</p>

<p>Congratulations and good luck. One more piece of advice. Don't be quick to drop the double major and chose either academics or music. Give both a chance and you will never regret it.</p>

3

<p>Re (4): a personal letter to any personally contacted professor would be appreciated and well received. You do not want to burn any bridges. You never know where those teachers may be teaching when you are ready for graduate work, and you want them to remember you as a gracious, polite person.....it bespeaks much about your teachability as well as your humanity. Thank them for their time and interest in you, specifically mention any special favors or insights (if you had a trial lesson), and let them know you hope to see them in other professional situations as your studies and career evolves. The good ones will be happy for you. </p>

<p>Sorry that I cannot speak to all the other issues, but even as a pianist, you will do some collaborative work with other musicians, and you need for your dorm room to have good access to practice facilities. You can wast a lot of time looking for parking if you drive....use the shuttle!</p>

4

<p>edad, I laughed out loud at your suggestion that thzxcyl eat at JHU instead of at Peab. The food at Peab tends to be pretty bad, and DS was so annoyed with it that, when he was a freshman, he got himself placed on the Food Committee (or whatever they called it) as the student representative so that he could try to force some changes. Things did actually improve for a while, but then the Manager of the dining hall changed and things went back to square one. After sophomore year, DS moved off campus and started doing his own cooking. I'm embarrased to admit that, these days, he may be a better cook than I am.</p>

<p>thzxcyl, congratulations on your acceptance. Like edad, I suggest living at Peab, at least your first year. You're more likely to be practicing late at night than during the day, especially if you're also taking classes at JHU, and it's much easier to get to and from the practice rooms if you're living in the Peab dorms. I'm sure there are plenty of pianos available at JHU, but who wants to have to walk halfway across campus at some strange hour of the night? Also, as edad said, the sense of community at Peab is very special, as are the connections you can make. Find and make friends with the Composition majors - that's the surest way of getting to debut new music. The Comp. majors are always looking for people to play their stuff, and if you perform at a recital you even get paid. </p>

<p>Leave your car at home. As the others have said, parking at Peab is pretty tight and the shuttle seems to be fairly convenient. DS was never able to schedule in any of the JHU classes that he wanted to take, but he was also taking at least two minors at any given time, along with his major. Then he decided to add an extra BM in Ed. as well as an MM, so that totally killed any free time he might have had. Be prepared to work really hard, double degree programs are time eaters. However, as edad suggested, don't be too quick to give up the double option - if you really want to get both degrees, it can be done, but it will probably take you an extra year. If you have questions about schedules or advising, don't be bashful, go to the Registrar's office and ask for help. DS played around with his schedule in ways that apparently had never been done before, but once the faculty approved what DS was trying to do, the Registrar worked with him to make it all happen. I don't know how flexible the Registrar at JHU is, but everyone at Peab bent over backwards to work with DS. </p>

<p>Good luck, and I hope your experiences at Peab and JHU are everything you dreamed they would be.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for all those advices!</p>

<p>edad and marcyr: what instrument/voice/theory/composition is your D/S majoring in Peabody? How much time do they usually have beside practice and classes (I'm seriously considering a minor/second major in humanities, but I'm pretty sure I'll have to practice a lot for piano)?</p>

<p>Do you know how the scholarship/financial aid works for the 5th year? My scholarship from JHU seems like can be only renewed for the first 4 years. </p>

<p>Hmm... food. I'm tolerant about food, generally (at least that's what I think). I think I'll response to Peabody's housing sheets, but just in case, can I change campus after the first year? </p>

<p>I can't wait for next year! Pianists are usually very disciplined - I don't think dropping the double program is an option for me!</p>

6

<p><a href="http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/1301%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/1301&lt;/a>
T, although this schedule is for piano/recording arts, it will give you an idea of the commitment needed for a double degree. Also consider that you are likely to play in groups or accompany which will take up time but not count for credits.</p>

<p>I noticed you are from the Baltimore area. Call and make an appointment to visit the Peabody Dean of Student Affairs, Emily Frank. She is very nice and helpful. If she cannot answer all your questions, she can steer you to the right people. I believe you can still opt for JHU housing for the second year, but then you are on your own anyway.</p>

7

<p>edad: thanks for the website. It does tell me there is a lot of work, but that's what I expected when I started my senior year with 7 AP classes in school, 1 additional AP in independent study, with a fall sport, with all those college applications, and with preparation for my audition repertoire. </p>

<p>I'm going to visit JHU and Peabody perhaps next week or so, and hopefully I'll get to talk with some conservatory and JHU students or probably even double degree student.</p>

8

<p>T, be prepared for a huge amount of work if you end up double majoring. While a double degree program with both degrees in music may let you double-up on required courses (for example, you wouldn't have to take Music Theory twice if you were taking two BM degrees, so you'd "save" one required course for one of the degrees), a music degree and a degree in just about anything else is going to require totally different sets of core curricula. Minors at Peab. seem kind of loosey-goosey. To get a minor in something, you usually just have to take X number of classes/lessons in that subject. I don't think you have to declare a minor, you just keep taking voice or piano or conducting or whatever lessons until someone realizes that you have enough credits for a minor. At least, that's the way it appeared to me (therefore I'm probably wrong).</p>

<p>DS got two BMs, one in Music Composition and one in Music Education, and he's finishing his MM in Composition. I think that his scholarship money (not much, but better than nothing) continued through his fifth year, possibly because he was finishing his Ed. degree while he was working on his MM. The reason he needed five years (well, 4.5) to get his BM.Ed was because there physically weren't enough hours in the day for him to do his student teaching last year. Remember your question about how much time do students have beside classes and practice? The answer is: Never Enough. Most of the Peab. kids seem to be fairly driven, though, so while they complain about their lack of free time, most of them don't seem to mind it too much. At least DS's friends were that way.</p>

<p>I would definitely suggest talking to a double degree student at Peab. I also agree with edad's suggestion to talk to Emily Frank - she knows all, sees all, at least as far as life on campus goes. Another excellent person to talk to, if possible, is James Dobson, the Registrar. If you have any questions about doubling, he's definitely the man to speak to. If he doesn't know the answer, he'll get it while you wait. Also, you might want to call the office of the Piano faculty and ask if there's a piano major around who you could arrange to talk to. Talking to a real pianist should help you get an idea of what time demands are really like.</p>