<p>I'm currently a freshman at a small school in the Northeast, but I know that I would like to transfer (would like to for Fall 2011 but at least by Spring 2012). Unfortunately my school has a very small music dept. and they aren't very strong in the area of history I'm interested in (Medieval/Renaissance studies). I was wondering if anyone here could throw out some school names for me? I don't have much criteria...I don't mind being in a big city, and don't mind a larger school but I'd prefer one that isn't enormous (UT, for example). I'm a vocalist (mezzo) if that helps :o)</p>
<p>Just be aware that you may have to do an extra year…those music credits are a tough transfer. And they might transfer as general education credits rather than actual credits towards your music performance degree. (My D went through this after her freshman year)</p>
<p>McGill has an extensive music program in medieval and early music. It is an easier admit than Yale and probably easier than Oberlin. I do not believe that Yale has an undergrad program involving music performance per se (although Yale is very strong in music history and theory). </p>
<p>While McGill is fairly large, its music school (Schulich) is fairly self-contained and has a relatively small feel with around 600 to 800 students. McGill is quite generous in terms of courses that you can test out of in the music major (whereas many schools just won’t grant transfer credit period for many things in their theory or aural training sequences).</p>
<p>Though Yale does not have a music performance major, one can arrange for private lessons through the Yale Dept of Music. I know of two very successful voice students who did their undergrad at Yale. Both of them were double majors. And both students already had very strong connections with teachers in NYC, where they went for lessons on the weekend.</p>
<p>To the OP—something that is not clear. Are you interested in performing early music or pursuing a vocal performance in general with an additional Medieval History major?</p>
<p>I am still not clear. Are you a performance major (BM) in a conservatory/music school at the moment, or a general music major (BA) at a college or university? When I read your first post, I assumed the latter, but now it seems you are, in fact, a performance major.</p>
<p>I would think that if you are hoping to combine music and history, a college environment would work best. You could use websites to check out courses in both areas.</p>
<p>If you gave a little more information, for instance, about what part of the country you would be interested in, that might help. I also recommend the book “Creative Colleges” which lists colleges and conservatories with good music programs. You could start there and then check the history departments for the quality of the Medieval/Renaissance studies.</p>
<p>Bard has both a college music department and a conservatory, and conservatory students get both a BA and a BM. Oberlin has that option. Tufts has a BA/BM program with New England Conservatory and has a very nice music department. You might also take a look at Sarah Lawrence or Vassar. But chances are there are several schools that will meet your criteria: it will take a little research, but not a lot. And I’ll bet others here will help you more with a little more background and clarification.</p>