<p>I am a Freshman classical guitar performance major at the Frost school of music @ University of Miami. Overall I am very satisfied with the classical guitar instruction there. However, the rest of the school has fallen short especially in terms of cost, overall vibe, and location. (49k in debt already). I will definitely be transferring out after this year. I am in the process of filling out applications, and I was wondering where you guys would recommend. I am not looking to attend a true conservatory, but I do want a school that will prepare me adequately for grad study in performance. I am currently looking at University of Oregon and University of Colorado Boulder. I definitely want to apply to more; as the only reason I'm here at miami was because I was too narrow in my applications last year, and had a rough audition at the only school I actually wanted to attend. Overall, I'm looking for a mid sized to semi-large state school with lots of access to the outdoors.</p>
<p>Is your own state school a possibility?</p>
<p>SUNY Potsdam, Crane School of Music, is in the Adirondack Park of NY. The college requires 2 semesters of gym and you can take back packing, ice climbing, etc to fulfill those requirements. COA for out of state is about 26k and they do give transfer, music and out of state scholarships. However it is a smaller school about 4-5000 overall and 650 in the school of music.</p>
<p>Unless you are in state, Colorado is not going to save you money. OOS there is on the pricey side. Tuition alone is around $32,000</p>
<p>Yes there are many fine guitar programs spread out throughout the country that you can certainly begin honing down choices by region. There are well known programs in Florida/Southeast, in California/West Coast, and in the Northeast as well.</p>
<p>For an instrument like guitar, the instructor will be probably even more influential to teh weight of the program even compared to other instruments. This is because the majority of classical guitarists tend to focus on solo repertoire, and ensemble/chamber/orchestra situations are generally not a typical high priority interest for most guitarists, so the overall performance program at the school seems to matter less than the actual guitar professor there. This is a huge assumptive blanket statement of course.</p>
<p>If financial aid is a possibility for you, there are several good private schools that offer classical guitar, that folks here could suggest. Many state schools don’t offer classical guitar (we were told this was for funding reasons), and out of state tuitions can be steep, but there are possibilities.</p>
<p>The schools w/good financial aid and excellent classical guitar teachers that I know anything about (and my information is limited) include Hartt School at U. of Hartford [The</a> Hartt School | Music Dance Theatre > Guitar, Harp & Keyboard](<a href=“http://harttweb.hartford.edu/faculty/instrumental/guitarharpkeyboard/default.aspx]The”>http://harttweb.hartford.edu/faculty/instrumental/guitarharpkeyboard/default.aspx) , the conservatory at Ithaca [Faculty</a> and Staff - Performance Studies - Ithaca College](<a href=“School of Music, Theatre, and Dance | Ithaca College”>School of Music, Theatre, and Dance | Ithaca College) , Oberlin conservatory [Faculty</a> Detail - Oberlin College](<a href=“http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=20561]Faculty”>http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=20561) , Bennington College (in the mountains, Frederick Hand [Bennington:</a> Courses](<a href=“http://www.bennington.edu/Academics/AreasStudy/Courses.aspx?dCodeFaculty=MUSIC]Bennington:”>http://www.bennington.edu/Academics/AreasStudy/Courses.aspx?dCodeFaculty=MUSIC)). </p>
<p>SUNY’s tend to be relatively affordable. SUNY Purchase has classical guitar [Purchase</a> College - Admissions - Areas of Study - Conservatory of Music](<a href=“Search results for • Purchase College”>Search results for • Purchase College) and is close to NYC. </p>
<p>University of Vermont offers opportunities for hiking, skiing etc. and does have classical guitar: [Discover</a> Music at UVM : Department of Music & Dance : University of Vermont](<a href=“School of the Arts: Program in Music | Program in Music | The University of Vermont”>School of the Arts: Program in Music | Program in Music | The University of Vermont)</p>
<p>I just checked UMass Lowell [url=<a href=“http://www.uml.edu/FAHSS/music/adjunct-faculty/schilling-richard.aspx]Richard”>http://www.uml.edu/FAHSS/music/adjunct-faculty/schilling-richard.aspx]Richard</a> Schilling<a href=“the%20only%20UMass%20to%20offer%20classical%20guitar”>/url</a>.</p>
<p>That is about the extent of my knowledge. I have not mentioned any freestanding conservatories because they are expensive, but they do have merit aid, often in a range that is modest but helpful.</p>
<p>If a state school is the most affordable for you, then I would look at the state universities you would most be interested in, check their music department websites to see if they offer classical guitar, and then check faculty bios. </p>
<p>Alternatively, if there are teachers you would like to study with, check their bios and see where they teach. As Earlgr8 said, the teacher is the important thing, especially for classical guitar.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help. </p>
<p>The tuition at UM is extraordinarily high… anywhere will save me money even without the scholarships I’m looking for.</p>
<p>I hadn’t looked into any of the SUNY’s or UVermont but they definitely look like options. </p>
<p>My own state schools are not really an option; especially in terms of location and the caliber of their CG programs.</p>
<p>My repertoire is fairly intense (I was appointed first guitar/“concertmater” of our classical guitar ensemble on arrival as a freshman, and I’ve only improved) so I believe scholarships may still be a possibility (I had a partial scholarship at UM but never received it due to a miscommunication) Am I misled?</p>
<p>Fareed Haque is at Northern Illinois. My S is there (not guitar) and got in-state tuition if he keeps a 3.0 GPA</p>
<p>Ace, one of the things you stated intrigued me. Have you discussed your financial difficulties with your studio teacher and/or adviser? Since you seem to be doing well, they would be sorry to lose you and might be able to find other sources of funding. If the school can find some money for you, it would probably be easier to graduate from UM than transferring because music schools are notorious for not giving full credit for theory and literature classes to transfers meaning you might have to spend an extra year. Just a thought.</p>