<p>Anyone have info about the above? We are looking for an East coast version of Oberlin - solid academics all around with a strong music presence. Loves choral performance. Thanks for any experiences.</p>
<p>I have never heard of the Sunderman Conservatory. Check to be sure it is accredited. Are you looking for north Atlantic states? Some of the Carolina schools are excellent in these areas, UNC, Duke, Furman, for instance. Further northeast, what about Bowdoin or Bard?</p>
<p>Sunderman at Gettysburg is brand new, and doesn't look like it's hired a very strong faculty yet, honestly. If you're talking about a student of the caliber to go to the Oberlin Conservatory, Sunderman is not likely to be that interesting to you.
Bard is a stunning conservatory, though too small to have a large choir yet. Dunno about Bowdoin-- maybe they have good choral music, but certainly not good instrumental programs (except during the summer!).
I second the Carolina suggestions, and would add BU and Yale.</p>
<p>Sunderman Conservatory just started up last year at Gettysburg, so they may not be finished with the accreditation process yet. It would be interesting to find out whether they are currently pursuing accreditation and, if so, with whom. While they might be an interesting choice in several years if they can establish themselves, their faculty is nowhere near as strong as Oberlin's.</p>
<p>How strong are the academic credentials of the student? Are they looking specifically for LAC's the size of Oberlin or would they be open to a large university? </p>
<p>Yale has some excellent choral groups, and some undergraduate students there are able to study with some of the grad school music teachers. Boston University has some very good music programs, although their facilities are showing some wear. Eastman/Rochester also comes to mind, although the schools are not as tightly coupled as they are at Oberlin. The University of Maryland has a lovely new performing arts center and their vocal faculty appears to have several singers with solid backgrounds. If you are willing to go that far south, the University of Miami has a very good music school and at least fair academics.</p>
<p>Lorelei mentioned Bard, but I would check on the choral groups if that is a big concern. Their conservatory is busily ramping up and the faculty they have lined up is terrific, but I wonder if they have enough singers yet to fill out more than a good chamber chorus. Once they have critical mass, I think that Bard is the closest thing to Oberlin you are going to find on the East coast.</p>
<p>NEC has a small number of double degree students in a program that they share with Tufts, and an even smaller number in one they share with Harvard. Peabody has a small number of double degree students that they share with Johns Hopkins. All of these programs are extremely selective.</p>
<p>SUNY Potsdam has a decent music school, but the academics are not so hot. Carnegie Mellon is excellent academically and has some very good musical offerings, but it is not all that far east of Oberlin. Ithaca College might be worth a glance, but it may be less than you want both musically and academically. Rutgers has some very good music teachers, but the overall academics may disappoint. Likewise, Temple in Philadelphia.</p>
<p>EDIT: I took a while to write this and didn't see fiddlefrog's post until after I had submitted mine. We seem to be thinking along some of the same lines.</p>
<p>UNC is not (NASM) accredited. Duke is also not accredited but has a strong choral program.</p>
<p>foglikely is right about the accreditation, but I personally know several active professionals from UNC program. Duke does have excellent choral person. </p>
<p>bassdad is correct that Rutgers has outstanding choral program, and the academic level is very high there...absolutely outstanding faculty and students; it gets short shift in that part of the country because many are striving for the Ivies, but it is highly esteemed.</p>
<p>Many thanks for the info so far - to answer some of your questions,</p>
<p>BassDad, student's academic profile is very strong (so says his mom :))- all highest track courses at large, suburban HS. Unweighted close to 4.0; is still a sophomore, but PSAT's were 229. Only one SAT II so far - 700 in Biology at end of Freshman year. Musically he is all-state vocalist (baritone), proficient (but not conservatory caliber) at piano and taking AP Music Theory currently. Has a passion for musical theater, but don't see him being a MT major. I almost think B.A. in Music suits him better than B.M. because he is unlikely to be a professional performer, but definitely wants to study music further and beyond just participation via clubs or student activities. Was excited about the possibility of taking a conducting course or a course in counterpoint (I think Bard has one of these).</p>
<p>As for LAC or larger univ. - I think he's definitely open at this point. He has said he wants to be in or near a city, but I don't know how strongly he feels this. We are starting bottom up, and so I am looking for the "safety" that will be fulfilling. Yale would of course be attractive, but I hesitate to get too invested in the lottery option. </p>
<p>Of the other places mentioned so far, BU and Bard sound like the most promising. Helpful observation about the possible lack of a critical mass for strong choral at Bard. How about BU - does anyone know about the choral performance and/or choral conducting opportunities?</p>
<p>Again, thanks for all your observations.</p>
<p>Choral performance and choral conducting at BU are very strong. The chorus director and professor of choral conducting is a protege of Robert Shaw, and gets a great sound from the chorus. She also blurs the line between choral and solo vocal technique, which I think is great.
Unlike most School of Music ensembles, the choruses are open to qualified students from other divisions of the university, so the student could enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences as a BA in Music student, and also sing in the Symphonic or Chamber Chorus.</p>
<p>fiddlefrog, that sounds great! We'll definitely put BU on the list.</p>
<p>BassDad can you (or anyone) tell me more about Tufts/NEC? Without committing to the 5-year program is it possible/easy to take courses at NEC as a Tufts student? </p>
<p>Also, how do I find out how good the choral conductor is at Tufts? (or for that matter, anywhere?).</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>I found the following at <a href="http://ase.tufts.edu/bulletin/music.html%5B/url%5D">http://ase.tufts.edu/bulletin/music.html</a></p>
<p>"Courses at New England Conservatory of Music
A reciprocal arrangement between Tufts University and New England Conservatory of Music allows students at both institutions to select a limited number of courses at either school that may be applied toward their respective degrees. Students may not take a course at the conservatory if it is offered at Tufts. This agreement does not apply to summer school. Students must first receive permission from their own dean, then from the dean of the second institution."</p>
<p>I do not know their precise definition of "limited" or how hard it is to obtain the required permission from the deans. You should probably ask about this up front if you are seriously considering Tufts. Any Tufts students care to comment on this?</p>
<p>You can find out how good a choral conductor is by listening to their choirs perform and by getting the opinions of their choristers. I am not familiar with Andrew Clark or any of the Tufts vocal ensembles.</p>
<p>William Cutter is at MIT - Concert Choir and Chamber Chorus - and is director of choral activities at Boston Conservatory as well. Dartmouth has 3 student choirs plus the Handel Society (100 members; students, faculty, community). Eric Nelson is at Emory and the University Chorus (180 voice) does not require an audition.</p>
<p>We're making a list of places favorable to double major and without a large grad program. Yours may focus on including opportunities for music theater as opposed to opera performance. Our local univ. does opera but not music theater. </p>
<p>I'm so glad for this thread. Every bit of information helps.</p>
<p>I'm aware that this is an old thread. But there is a rumor that German Felix Hell, Curtis and Peabody graduate, will become organ faculty at Sunderman Conservatory, beginning September. Any confirming information here?</p>
<p>I also don't know what "limited" means -- but I know quite a few Tufts kids who are not in the five-year combined degree program with the NEC who do take classes there. Plus, the music department at Tufts alone is already very good -- and it has recently benefited from brand-new state of the art music facilities. You really can't go wrong with music at Tufts.</p>
<p>NYU Steinhardt has both music theater and classical vocal performance. Here's a link to a description of the department-affiliated (as opposed to club) choral groups.</p>
<p>i am currently a sunderman conservatory student. it is not NASM accredited. the choirs are fantastic but if you are looking for a strong performance program, this is not it. i have been hemming and hawing on whether to transfer or not - i would because of the program, i wouldn't because of my teacher or the friends i have already made. gettysburg is a great school, but if you are going to major in music in any sense, you are going to be frustrated fairly regularly. the faculty is currently experiencing some revamping, but i can say that some of them are extremely talented people. i hope this helps!</p>
<p>Take a look at Westminster. Strong history of vocal, especially choral, programs. Meets many of the criteria mentioned--not far from city, some good teachers, choral, etc.</p>
<p>If you are looking at Gettysburg, I would suggest you look at Susquehanna and Shanendoah. Both are good music programs. I do not know about the quality of their vocal programs. Also, what about Ithaca ?</p>
<p>Getting a handle on Westminster and Shenandoah is a challenge when it comes to reputation. I have researched both pretty extensively and have corresponded with graduates and they both seem to be "love it or hate it" kind of places. Sometimes it seems as though the reviews can't be for the same school. I know there are varying opinions on every school, but not at the level of these two. I'm not sure Shenandoah will be on my D's list but we are visiting WCC at the end of August.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>"love it or hate it" kind of places>></p> </blockquote>
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<p>The same could be said for many schools. DS heard from folks at New England Conservatory who transferred because they hated it. Others loved it. Personal preference. My point was that if you are looking at Gettysburg, Shenandoah and Susquehanna are worth a look see as well.</p>
<p>Sunderman Conservatory, Gettysburg College:</p>
<p>"if you are looking for a strong performance program, this is not it"</p>
<p>This is orofie06's assessment from last summer. Any more news on the Sunderman Conservatory and how it has developed (or not) during the past year?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>