<p>My son has decided what he is looking for is the ultimate band geek school. At this school he can continue the fun he has had in high school with a marching band and orchestra/band while considering engineering or physics as an undergrad.</p>
<p>Any recommendations in New England or mid-Atlantic states?</p>
<p>He would post this himself but, alas, he is at BAND CAMP!</p>
<p>Two questions:</p>
<p>Is he serious about being in an outstanding marching band or would any level of marching band do? It’s the equivalent of asking an athlete if s/he would be willing to play at a Division III school or if it has to be Division I.</p>
<p>Is he intent on marching and putting on a traditional marching band show, or does he just enjoy playing his instrument so that a scramble band might do (scramble bands do irreverent parodies of marching band shows - they lampoon the opponents, sometimes get in trouble with the administration for tastelessness, and may include kazoos). This is sort of like asking the athlete whether s/he needs to be on a varsity squad or if they might consider intramurals.</p>
<p>In general, it’s tough (though not impossible) to find top schools with real marching bands, much less outstanding marching bands.</p>
<p>Hello, this is the “ultimate band geek” himself. I play the clarinet and I’d like to have the opportunity to play in an orchestra with committed musicians – so preferably one that is somewhat selective. Marching band is less important to me than a good band and orchestral program. So basically, I’m looking for a school with a substantial music program, and also an engineering major.
Thanks,
Ben</p>
<p>Rice U and the marching owl band (MOB) that refuses to march…
[The</a> MOB • Rice University’s Marching Owl Band](<a href=“http://mob.rice.edu/]The”>http://mob.rice.edu/)</p>
<p>My son is also an engineering student/band “geek”. Really, any state university that has a Div 1 football program will have a pretty good band and engineering program to go along with it. At UCLA, Engineering is the most popular major in the marching band, I suspect that this is true at other universities as well.</p>
<p>New England and the Mid-Atlantic states are not littered with football powers. Penn State might be your best bet, but also check out Pitt, Syracuse, and Rutgers. If you are willing to go further South look especially at Virginia Tech as well as Maryland. And, even further South consider North Carolina State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Auburn.</p>
<p>I agree with UCLA Band Mom, the big football schools all have marching bands and many also have engineering programs. So that gives you the Pac-10 (now 12), the Big 12 (now 10), the Big 10 (now 12), oh well you get the picture.</p>
<p>Orchestra may be a bit trickier depending on how committed you want/expect your fellow orchestra mates to be. The universities with Schools of Music within them will have strong music performance majors who will most likely audition into the top level ensembles. Some schools will have multiple ensembles, but you may be disappointed with the quality of the groups that are available to non-music majors. I suggest stopping in at the Music Forum here at CC; there are a lot of very experienced and helpful parents over there who will probably have a lot more specific insights.</p>
<p>Great advice by vinceh about checking out the music forum here at CC. Those posters always amaze me with their ability to help others who are looking for answers.</p>
<p>Here are the schools whose marching bands have been honored by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation for a longterm record of achievement in the marching band discipline. All are publics but for Northwestern. Among top private schools, Duke, Vandy, Wake Forest and BC have marching bands, though Duke’s is quite small and Vandy, BC and Wake are moderate in size and rigor. Both Rice (as noted above) and Stanford have only scramble bands. Of the few LACs that I know to have marching bands, none have engineering majors. Both Furman and Gettysburg are LACs with dual 3+2 Engineering programs as well as marching bands.:</p>
<p>Western Carolina University
Indiana University
University of Arkansas
Penn State University
Auburn University
University of Alabama
Louisiana State University
Texas A&M University
University of Georgia
Texas Tech University
University of Massachusetts
West Virginia University
University of Nebraska
Purdue University
James Madison University
University of California Los Angeles
Northwestern University
Arizona State University
University of Iowa
University of Kansas
Michigan State University
University of Oklahoma
University of Texas at Austin
Florida A&M University
Ohio State University
University of Illinois
University of Michigan</p>
<p>Oops - I missed the big ones! Southern Cal and Notre Dame have top bands + Engineering, but of course USC’s on the wrong end of the country for the OP, and ND isn’t northeast or mid-Atlantic.</p>
<p>I’ve always thought the Big Ten conference has the best traditional bands. However other than Penn State, they are in the Midwest. Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin are considered 1,2,3 in conference.</p>
<p>
Pshhh! About the only thing UCLA Band is known for is stealing Cal’s fight songs. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>
And Berkeley! Better engineering + band than all of 'em.
[YouTube</a> - Cal Band- Big Game Video Game Show 2007](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2UaVcZPsYU]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2UaVcZPsYU)</p>
<p>I’ll give you the engineering, but don’t get greedy!</p>
<p>^ engineering + physics > band in my weighted calculation. ;)</p>
<p>I’m no help with band but the thread here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/964485-colleges-science-music.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/964485-colleges-science-music.html</a> has some music and science info. Post #26 has a number of links to a few orchestra program threads (from a non major, participatory/recreational standpoint).</p>
<p>More here as well <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/968687-open-orchestra-seats.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/968687-open-orchestra-seats.html</a> and <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/967075-some-good-science-music-schools-non-majors.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/967075-some-good-science-music-schools-non-majors.html</a></p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Still bitter over the fact that UCLA rejected you over 10 years ago?</p>
<p>The Cal band didn’t even make the John Philip Sousa list. :P</p>
<p>John Philip Souza has been dead since 1932.</p>
<p>Berkeley has a very traditional band. I’ve seen them march around in their blue polyester uniforms many times.</p>
<p>Stanford’s band likes to call themselves “the world’s largest rock ‘n’ roll band”. I think that’s a better description than dismissing them as “only a scramble band.”</p>
<p>But seriously, I didn’t see a single historically black university on the “John Philip Souza” list. I’ve seen probably half the marching bands on the so-called “Souza” list, and the bands from Grambling and the Southern University are far better than any band I’ve ever seen on that list. It’s not even close.</p>
<p>It’s spelled Sousa :)</p>