<p>Can anyone here tell me about the music department at Tufts and some insight into the composition program? It seems like it's a really good school but the music department seems to be lacking a bit. Can anyone share some insight?</p>
<p>Out of curiosity I took a glance, and I agree it seems light. There is only one composition ft faculty, one ft theory faculty.</p>
<p>I does appear to be fairly strong in the area of ethnomusicology.</p>
<p>As a primary choice for composition, there are broader choices. It is not normally on a list for serious high level music study, but could well serve an avocational interest.</p>
<p>The Tufts/NEC combo degree program might be worth looking into, but the admit rate is low, and there have been complaints regarding logistics. rlmcmilllan's s is an entering tufts/nec comp freshman. Perhaps you might get further info there.</p>
<p>I know this thread is old, but I figured I’d post anyway. Tufts is a fantastic place for music composition, and a very serious program. I attended Tufts for my master’s in composition, and I chose Tufts over other programs to which I was accepted. </p>
<p>For composers, there are usually 2-5 opportunities per semester to have new works performed (this is more than many schools). Top musicians from the Boston-area are hired to perform in the composers’ concerts, which is a typical scenario for research universities without a large body of student performers. The Distler Performance Hall is one of the finest performances spaces in New England, and probably the country, and the audio recording facilities in the hall are excellent. You get professional recordings of everything you have performed there.</p>
<p>There is one composer on faculty: John McDonald. He is a great teacher and very open-minded. The fact that there is only one composer did not present a problem for me at the master’s level. Perhaps for undergrad (since you would be there for 4 years) you may want the opportunity to study with more than one teacher, but the 2-year master’s goes by very fast. There are no scheduled composition lessons. You just set up a meeting when you want to discuss something. If you are more on the self-directed side, this works out very well.</p>
<p>Most importantly, you are not made to compose in a certain style at Tufts. You are free to pursue any type of music (classical or popular), and experiment in any way, that you want. I received nothing but unconditional support – both from a financial and a mentoring perspective – in my time there. Graduates from the composition master’s have gone on to PhD/DMA/AD programs at Yale, Princeton, Rice, Northwestern, and others.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Totally agree, about Tufts and John MacDonald, who provides stimulation and inspiration but never judgment or excessive guidance toward a particular aesthetic. Great place to continue to explore one’s own compositional voice.</p>
<p>Thanks for reviving this thread. It is useful for future composition applicants to know that there are great venues for the study of composition outside of the conservatories and SOM’s. Too often Tufts is thought of as the liberal arts part of its partnership with NEC, rather than as a place to study music composition as a Tufts student.</p>
<p>My comments were about the grad program described bysteepjzz, just to be clear. For prospective undergrads, it is helpful to look at things like distribution requirements, the number of music classes in the major, and the actual courses offered, in composition, theory, history and other areas of interest. Many undergrad composers thrive with a BA program at all kinds of colleges.</p>