What schools should we consider?

College Majors Music Major
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<p>My S is a Junior and getting serious about his looking at schools. He would love to major in composition. He composes classical music. He plays the piano and clarinet. We are thinking that realistically he should think about a double major - or a grad degree, since a bachelors in composition might not be enough so that he is able to support himself after graduation.</p>

<p>Academically he is a good student - 3.5 GPA with accelerated and AP classes. Has not taken SATs yet, but based on PSATs I see him getting around a 600 Math and maybe a little lower in CR. So a good solid student with lots of ECs.</p>

<p>Some of his music options would be music ed, film scoring, music technology (he is good with computers and technology and it is a real interest - but not a lot of experience in the field) and getting the grad degree in order to teach on the college level.</p>

<p>I would like him go to a school where he can take composition (preferably as a major) and maybe get another degree in one of the other disciplines. I like the idea of Berklee, but it concerns me that classical music is not their thing, and although S is a strong pianist and clarinetist (on both instruments he is advanced for HS but not prodigy) I wonder if he is good enough to get in. (One of his friends did not get in to Berklee this year, which surprised us all, so now I have to wonder...) Penn State really interests us since they have composition, ed and music technology (as a minor).</p>

<p>I have been searching on the internet for other options, but it is a slow process.</p>

<p>Our preference would be a school in the northeast, but we would certainly consider other schools. </p>

<p>Does anyone have other suggestions for us? Thanks!</p>

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<p>Okay, so I added to the list…</p>

<p>Ithaca
Bowling Green
Boyer (Temple)
Oberlin</p>

<p>Any comments?</p>

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<p>For double-degree programs:</p>

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<p>For lac with strong composition/music:</p>

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<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>@mom2winds - the first message in this forum is the list of acceptances for 2011, with a link to acceptances for 2010, which has a link to acceptances for 2009 etc.</p>

<p>Go to the last page of each of those threads, and search (CTRL-F) for composition. That will show you where past CCers have been accepted for composition… and give you some ideas of schools to investigate.</p>

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<p>FWIW, all of the above is possible at the University of Michigan School of Music, which due to its size, has ample offering available for students in a) composition b) music technology and or engineering as a dual degree c) music education and of course, great winds performance and piano programs. Michael Daugherty heads the composition department and notably won a grammy this year for his Metropolis release.</p>

<p>UMich is getting to be a hard academic admit and a 3.5/1800 range GPA might be statistically on the low side (just a touch – lately admits have been in the 3.8 unweighted/2000 SAT/31ACT range). HOWEVER, the SOM has a lower academic admit bar (in theory) of 3.0 and most of the admit weight is talent/(or in the case of composition and music tech) portfolio-based.</p>

<p>Dual degree programs with LSA or Engineering via the music school normally require 5 years, but Umich ranks well in just about every undergrad degree so it’s usually worth it.</p>

<p>If he has a strong technological aptitude, I’d encourage you to look into the Performing Arts Technology program early so that he could train/create the kind of portfolio work required to be a strong applicant (that’s the “music tech” part – I was referring to.)</p>

<p>Michigan also has excellent and robust grad programs.
So, not the northeast, exactly, but a very strong candidate for a composer with a tech orientation whose interested in education/grad work.
Comparably, my next favorite for this combo of interests would be McGill, which has an outstanding graduate program in music engineering/technology.
Good luck in your search! PM me if you’d like more details. My son attends UMich and had/has similar interests to yours.</p>

<p>PS While Berkelee has the advantage of having some very specific sequences regarding film and game scoring, I’m not certain you’d find the academic depth there comparatively. UMich’s PAT degree includes courses in C++ programming, scoring for film (if you elect to take that course), psycho-acoustics, and generic game/moving image/graphic arts/music business courses as part of the sequences available but with a little more fluidity/flexibility. </p>

<p>Generally, the assumption in composition for media is that first a given student will master the elements of music composition, then complement with technical experience in media. So a vocational style, highly structured “film or game scoring undergrad” is not necessarily a pre-requisite (or even useful if music composition itself is not really mastered) to ultimate vocational success.</p>

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<p>My S is a senior looking to study composition and go into film scoring. We looked at a ton of schools that were mostly classical, and he is a contemporary composer. I would not recommend Berklee for classical composition. I have also read that its film scoring program has 300 students in it, and is mostly a “learn how to use this scoring software” program. My S applied there, but it’s last on my list for that reason. Also, you must audition on an instrument at Berklee. </p>

<p>Some suggestions that we looked at:</p>

<p>NYU (has a film scoring concentration within its comp.program)
James Madison (we LOVED this school; it is NOT into film scoring but has a good comp. program otherwise and unbelievable performance facilities, also pretrty reasonably priced even for out of state))
Temple (very small and competitive comp. program, but academics are not as tough as some of the other schools; has no instrumental audition requirement for comp. but tough theory/comp. test and interview. Playing piano is a must there.)
Belmont University - it has both a classical and commercial composition program; both require an instrumental audition. The commercial composition program includes film scoring. </p>

<p>Others:</p>

<p>USC
UCLA (the dean at JMU told my S, “if you want to be a film scorer, go to UCLA”)
Michigan</p>

<p>If your S is a junior, you have time to look into some summer programs and other avenues to get his music performed and recorded, find a private comp. teacher, etc. I would also suggest stepping up the piano study and practice. Many music schools require a piano audition for comp., and at JMU we were told that “most” comp. students compose on the piano or at least play it well. </p>

<p>NYU has a master’s program in film scoring, which is also an option if your S wants to get a traditional classical comp. degree. I would also suggest looking at colleges that have film programs, even if the comp. program doesn’t offer scoring courses. (Check out the CC forum on Visual Arts for lists of film programs.) An enterprising student can find opportunities to work with film students and get experience that way. </p>

<p>There are other posters here with experience with classical comp. programs. Search for posts by SpiritManager and compmom.</p>

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<p>Thank you all!!! Great info, as always, on this board. I have looked at all of the schools mentioned in this thread. Some of them seem to be good options for him. Of course, I will have him look at the schools too.</p>

<p>Thanks again to all who graciously share their knowledge and experience.</p>

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<p>No problem! This forum was invaluable to me, and I like to “pay it forward,” as they say. Keep me in mind, if your S decides to apply to any of the schools mine did I can give you some tips on applications and auditions.</p>

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<p>@mom2winds - I would recommend, if your son is serious about wanting to study classical music composition that he start looking at the music departments of schools which may interest him for other reasons - state school or private school, large or small, in the right location, appropriate level of academics/test scores, maybe a good film dept or computer tech or major in music tech, or appealing architecture, or his friends all go there - whatever reasons at all appeal to him - then have him go to the music department’s website and read about their philosophy, then the composition department’s page, or, barring an entire page, the pages of the composition faculty - and then start exploring the musical influences and interests of the composers who teach in these programs. He can do that by reading their biographies, seeing who they studied under, listening to links of their music - either directly on the site or on their linked websites, or even by googling or on itunes. He may very well find that the aesthetic of the faculty of Oberlin is quite different than at Penn State (or maybe not - I don’t know a thing about Penn State.) (As for Oberlin - if he looks at the application requirements for composers it will tell him quite a bit about their expectations and interests - more so than most of the applications.)</p>

<p>Then when he finds colleges of interest to him, and composition professors of interest to him, he should look more closely at the curriculum - for a music degree either as a BA, a BM, a double degree etc. (I’m assuming you’ve both read the Peabody site about the different degrees - if not, put that at the top of your list.)</p>

<p>I’ve posted before that there are interesting composition departments all over - composers are thrilled to get teaching jobs and they end up in the darnedest places. A small program for composition may be just fine for your son - or, on the other hand, maybe he wants to be in a huge program surrounded by musicians and other composition students. These are all questions he’s going to have to explore. He needs to get a clear sense of what he’s looking for and what’s important to him. Once he does, I promise you it’s out there for him, whatever it may be.</p>

<p>I also recommend, if he is not already, having him study privately with a composer, or in a composition program if there is one in your area. And also consider having him go to a summer program for composition. There are some that still have openings and the deadlines haven’t passed.</p>

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<p>SpiritManager, that’s great stuff too! My brother, a horticulture professor at Clemson (a far cry from a composition professor) told my S a similar thing. Look at the resumes/bios of composition professors and look for the one that is doing things that interest you and look like what you do. Makes a lot of sense.</p>

<p>I’m learning that there are so many variables. Each school and each professor can really shape a program. Yes, the right fit is important. Same with the school itself. I don’t think he has any requirements as far as size, or city vs rural etc, but it has to feel right. 4+ years it a long time…you have to like it.</p>

<p>The boy has a lot of work to do! (and I will help of course!)</p>

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<p>Your son does have a lot of work to do - but it’s fun and will make him much more engaged in the whole process - get him excited about applying to the schools, give him something to talk about in the essays and interviews when it comes to “Why Do you Want to Go to X School” and make him feel better about his ultimate choice because he’ll know he had real reasons for choosing what he did.</p>

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<p>Wasn’t a choice for my son, but for those who love composing - but can imagine themselves also going down a different path, food for thought: [Advice</a> to a young composer: ?Get a real job? | Chamber Musician Today](<a href=“chambermusiciantoday.com”>chambermusiciantoday.com)</p>

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<p>Borodin was a chemist and a brilliant composer as well ;)</p>

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<p>I was a music comp major and I loved every minute of it, but I figured doing it for a living wasn’t probably in the cards. I did pursue playing music in NYC (mostly rock) in my 20s, but also had to office temp to pay the rent. I was often offered permanent jobs at these companies, but it just didn’t interest me. After a few years of this, I finally did take a job at an investment bank where I had regularly temped. I was promoted into a researcher spot after a while and spent several years with the company. It was a pretty unlikely place for a music major to end up, but the firm knew when they hired me that I was a good worker, and knew when they promoted me that I could handle the work and had a bachelor’s degree. At that point, where and what I had studied was pretty much immaterial. The job allowed me to take interesting vacations to Europe and the Caribbean and to save enough money to buy a house with my husband after we had a baby. I am sure that if I had been lucky enough to have had a break in music, I would never have ended up at that job, but I never did regret either my college degree or majoring in music.</p>

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<p>Well, if he did not choose to go into music, he would have gone into something like engineering and then he would try to gig on the side. For a long time he was undecided. Finally he said "I can’t not have music has the main part of my life. His passion and talent is there…but the practicality of making money is scary. (Thus the reason for this thread…)</p>

<p>Oh and please don’t mention Chemistry. He is taking AP Chem now and well, let’s just say it is not his favorite class.</p>