<p>Can anyone comment on the classical music scene at Wesleyan? Is the focus there mainly on “new age” music?</p>
<p>What do you mean by “classical music” and what do you mean by “new age music”?</p>
<p>Classical can be taken to mean Mozart and Haydn, while new age can be taken to mean Stockhausen and Xennakis.</p>
<p>Conversely, classical can also be taken to mean Stockhausen and Xennakis, while new age can also be taken to mean stuff ranging from from yoga music to Tibetan, Sanskrit, whale songs, and nature noises.</p>
<p>I was afraid my terminology would incite some questions. I apologize for my vagarity.</p>
<p>By classical music, I refer to opera, orchestral music, etc. of all eras–romantic, modern, classical, etc. By “new age,” I refer to pop, indie, and world music. The reason I ask about the classical music scene at Wesleyan is that posters commented on Wesleyan’s “strong world music, jazz and electronic music” programs and a “hip hop musical” but did not mention classical music at Wesleyan. I am specifically looking at vocal performance programs. Any information about Wesleyan’s classical music program would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>My son is a classical pianist at Wesleyan and double majoring in music and philosophy. He has a wonderful piano teacher and he loves his professors and classes in music history and music theory. As a sophomore he is playing chamber music with the best of the string players. The chamber music coaching is good but S says that students are not all that serious about chamber music and expectations are low. He is playing with the orchestra this semester and says it is good.</p>
<p>The main choir is conducted by the orchestra director; musically they are ambitious but vocally not very good. There have been petitions among the students to try to improve the choral music situation. The Collegium Musicum choir is led by a musicology professor who is also a well-trained choral conductor and is excellent. The group sings beautifully and performs the most sophisticated repertoire at a very high level.</p>
<p>There is one main voice teacher who also runs the opera/oratorio ensemble. She is a lovely person and seems to be a decent voice teacher but the opera/oratorio performance I recently attended was weak. </p>
<p>I am a vocal/choral person so I am probably more critical than most, but I would hesitate to recommend Wesleyan for a vocal performance major. On the other hand, the faculty bends over backwards to make sure the students get what they need and would likely do so for you! My son is incredibly happy at Wesleyan and the classical music opportunities are a big part of it.</p>
<p>my son is also having difficulty making a decision. He has always wanted to double major, music performance and science or engineering. He has two offers that he is torn between:
Carnegie Mellon, horn performance with Bill Caballero in the music school and in the honors scince program for a Bachelors of Science and Arts (I think the are less than 25 kids in the whole school in this program)-and Princeton, studying engineering and applied science and commuting to a great horn teacher at Juilliard who has said she would teach him privately. I understand that there are great music students at Princeton and the orchestra plays difficult repertoire. The Princeton kids commute to teachers at Curtis and Juilliard, but it’s a long road. Both schools offered similar scholarships. We’ve eliminated schools that did not offer financial aid, and am considering a 3rd school that offered double the financial aid, but does not the music that he would receive at these schools. So the question becomes</p>
<p>Do Ivies trump an integrated music school/science education? That is Ivies with a Juilliard teacher. We have a very short few days to make this decision. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Princeton is a great school. But if your son is very committed to music performance, one thing you might think about is whether it is really doable to commute to NY for horn lessons from Princeton, especially in Jr. and Sr. years, when there are thesis requirements. Also, it would not be the same as a double major to have private lessons while doing a full load academic program at Princeton. And what about ensembles? There are some fine musicians at Princeton, and it has an excellent academic music department, but it is really not a performance school by any means; so the orchestra and ensembles will take a second place for many students when crunch times come. The reality of catching the train to NY in winter, getting to Juilliard, getting back to Princeton – it makes for a long long day.</p>
<p>Thanks, Mamanyu Absolutely true, there’s the rub. The horn teacher said she would like him be part of her studio at Juilliard. Also, ensembles at Princeton are put together by the kids. During his 2 day visit last week to Princeton, he had several students come up and introduce themselves as musicians in the orchestra (he walked around with his horn on his back and used the practice rooms each day), offering their assistance. He said they were all excited to see a serious musician. Ensembles at Princeton may not be a problem either.</p>
<p>But it is a hard commute 70 minutes by train. Princeton told him they would pay for private teacher. His older sister says he would be crazy, but he’s used to the Juilliard commute by train-he’s been doing it for years. although we are about 30 minutes closer now.</p>
<p>Long-term goals-Doesn’t know. Ideally an engineer or a scientist (the latter would require a PhD) who also plays in an opera or chamber ensemble. He doesn’t particularly like symphony orchestras, he’s more ensemble oriented, but that’s today, not in 4 or 6 years. I see him getting a master’s in music along with an engineering degree. But that’s just a guess. Or maybe he will completely drop one in favor of the other-but his whole being lights up when he plays music as it does in a great science discussion. The point being if he doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do in the world, is a Princeton degree and all that entails more helpful getting accepted into grad school (except for grad music) than say a Carnegie Mellon degree? Does it mean anything more to go to the Ivies anymore? He would have to work harder to do his music, but he has always wanted this teacher and now he can have her, although in a far from ideal situation. Is the extra effort he would need to expend to make Princeton work worth it?</p>
<p>As I’ve got an advanced degree in science, I’ll chime in here and say Ivies vs. another well recognized undergraduate school like Carnegie Mellon are pretty much a wash when it comes to graduate school so don’t let that factor in the decision equation.</p>
<p>The demands of labs in the afternoon will put a strain on time mangement so you’ve really have to consider the impact of the commute into NYC if he attends Princeton and goes into the city for lessons. </p>
<p>Tough decision there, but at least from a “will I be able to get into a good graduate school” perspective, you can’t make a “wrong” choice. </p>
<p>Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>The train connection between Princeton and NYC is excellent, then easy subway direct to Juilliard, and this is not wasted time…lots of studying done on trains. Princeton is a terrific school, and he will have access to hear the best. They will pay for his lessons, too…this a wonderful situation. Good luck!</p>
<p>As an engineer with a musician son who lurks, I would like to chime in. Either school (CM/Princeton) for a technical degree is terrific - probably goes without saying. I wonder, though, what a “Bachelors of Science and Arts” is. It sounds pretty broad. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be good preparation for a graduate degee or a career in an engineering discipline, I’m just asking the question since I don’t know what it is. I received a Dual Degree in General Liberal Arts and Engineering in a 3-2 program. The engineering degree was in a particular discipline which required the usual amount of lab work. There is no way I could have completed the program in fewer than 5 years. I’m glad I did it, and I was in-state, so the 5th year wasn’t as costly as it could have been elsewhere.</p>
<p>Music and engineering are both very big majors so they are really difficult to do together. However, keeping up performance is not.</p>
<p>In that way, Princeton gets the nod. The Juilliard connection is there even if he decides against meeting all the requirements for the actual major.</p>
<p>DS’s dear friend is at Princeton commuting to Julliard for cello lessons. He choose Princeton for that opportunity and is enjoying his “day off” into the city and the others days at Princeton very much.</p>
<p>I say go for it unless the other option appeals to you S more.</p>
<p>team_mom, this is a “know your kid” answer, and a lot will depend on the kid, and how well he knows himself.</p>
<p>You/he doesn’t exactly know in his own mind what direction he may eventually take. While there is much to be said of the Ivys in terms of connections, top notch academics, CMU is a fine institution, academically and musically.</p>
<p>A history of being used to the train schlep to Juilliard is a plus, as he knows the drill. For those not accustomed to it, it can quickly become a drag, and take any joy out of doing it over a four year period.</p>
<p>He may find enough like minds musically at Princeton to pursue the chamber/ensemble route at the peer level he’s accustomed to, but he’s more likely to get more at CMU as a music student. Now, having said that, a dual science/music option is one of the toughest nuts out there to crack.</p>
<p>He needs to solidify what drives him. Tough call. Princeton is Princeton, but Juilliard instruction alone does not necessarily equate to an overall complete experience at a high level music program. </p>
<p>He needs to ask himself which way the arm of the scale tips at this point. If he sees himself immersed in the sciences as a career, he needs to define his own personal musical needs. He may not be able to answer this until he is fully immersed in both simultaneously. The dual immersion is available at CMU, whereas the Princeton music is in effect self-directed. </p>
<p>Rhetorically, does he see the structure of a defined dual program (CMU) over a bit less structured and self directed music experience and a specific degree path is being more suited to his goals as he (now) envisions them?</p>
<p>Just something else to mull over.</p>
<p>Edit: I was going to add both acceptances to the Master list, but am confused about the CMU offering. The website (at least from my cursory perusal) did not specify the parameters for the dual pursuit. Is the BSA a degree in the science PLUS an arts degree in the music aspect? If you could clarify or point me to a CMU explanatory link, I’d be happy to add the acceptances.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son on admission to Princeton! He must be very talented! </p>
<p>He is at a crossroads. It is not unheard of, but unusual for a professional instrumentalist to emerge from an engineering program at Princeton with a long commute to NYC just for lessons. If he wants to pursue a serious performance career, he should think twice. You can do music school and, if it doesn’t work, you can go back and do something else (including engineering at Princeton). It’s very difficult to go in the other direction. If he really wants to be an engineer first, though, he should go for Princeton - what an amazing opportunity!</p>
<p>With much sweat on his brow and a shaky voice, he announced his decision this afternoon about 1/2 hour ago -it’s Princeton. He is excited to be the one coordinating together the things he loves to do to his own satisfaction, rather than relying on the school to do it. He also liked the fact that the music students there were very friendly and the students actually studied rather than saying “I should be studying.” I think it made him nervous to visit schools where the kids would say they needed to study, but never seemed to do what was necessary. That’s not him - but the clincher is that he will get to study (beginning sophomore year) with the teacher whom he idolizes (music, style, sound, etc.)</p>
<p>To answer the questions brought up by some about CMU’s BSA…the interdisciplinary Bachelors of Science and Art is an intriguing program which allows students interested in a fine art, such as performance and a science (s loves physics) to pursue both degrees in both schools, but to try to find some connectivity and map out a plan with an adviser to pursue that interconnectivity. As I understand it, they have a few less of the regular core curriculum requirements, but more in the way of advanced requirements, with the opportunity to map out their own research and work closely with other BSA members and your research director. Basically, it’s an honors program for kids who want both science and arts. Gets you into your research faster and higher level course with more expedience. S was thinking about studying sound, waves, and mapping out new methodologies and better materials for facilities to regulate sound. But it also would have depended on what research is available in the school. The BSA program has about 20 students in total, so these kids interact often and appear to be very tight, with each other and the faculty. It is not required that a student know how they would interconnect their fields when applying, just an interest in doing so. My understanding is that it is recognized like a bachelor of music and a bachelor of science, but by combining, they are able to cut it down to about 4-4.5 years of more directed study. It all looks very exciting if you like that sort of thing!</p>
<p>here’s the link [BHA</a>, BSA, & BCSA Interdisciplinary Degree Programs - BSA Program](<a href=“BSA Program - BXA Intercollege Degree Programs - Carnegie Mellon University”>BSA Program - BXA Intercollege Degree Programs - Carnegie Mellon University)</p>
<p>OK, for the record and to do this correctly, here are S1’s acceptances…the following are schools where he applied to both the science/eng and the music schools (with audition.)</p>
<p>Vanderbilt - Vanderbilt College of Arts and Sciences and Blair
Carnegie Mellon - BSA in Mellon College of Science and College of Fine Arts
Northwestern - ISP (Integrated science program) in Weinberg College of Science and Bienen
U of Michigan - Engineering School and School of Music,Theater and Dance
…and single schools
New England Conservatory
Emory
Colombia-from waitlist
Princeton</p>
<p>Rejections were
MIT
Juilliard
Harvard</p>
<p>I actually never thought we’d end up here. thank you EVERYONE for YEARS of help, encouragement, important tidbits of advice and for just being there. S1 did the work, but it was a group effort. We get to do S2 in another 8 years!</p>
<p>Miles to go before you sleep for S2, team_mom! Congratulations to the whole family!</p>
<p>Why not Columbia? It’s only a short subway trip to Juilliard.</p>
<p>Columbia was easy for him to eliminate-
- Gave no money
- He thought the core requirements were excessive
- Was looking for the Columbia/Juilliard exchange, but without Juilliard, couldn’t get that.</p>
<p>Same with Harvard/NEC - didn’t get Harvard so NEC went by the wayside.</p>
<p>Congratulations to you both. S2 is going to have a tough act to follow!!</p>
<p>Congratulations! Now don’t look back, and no second-guessing!</p>
<p>Having said that, I have to ask, when did he decide to drop NW? Just curious.</p>
<p>Congratulations team_mom!!! to you and your son!</p>