My D is starting her college search. She’s a strong student interested in math/science but wants to keep up her music at a high level. She prefers smaller schools on the East Coast but open to all suggestions. Probably would NOT do a dual degree program but rather just looking for a BA/BS. she’s a string player and wold like the opportunity to play in a good orchestra as well as chamber music. thx.
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Apart from Ivies, some of the “little Ivies” like Tufts, Amherst, Williams…Clark U. in MA, Vassar, maybe Barnard (next door to Manhattan SOM, affiliated with Columbia of course), Smith (In consortium with Amherst and UMass), Wellesley…just a start. Is MIT too large? In the midwest Oberlin (Musical Studies courses with possible access to conservatory), Macalaster, in the south Davidson, Elon.
I am assuming she does not want a BM.
There are many schools. Some of the smaller schools’ students play in the regional orchestras.
Maybe she can start by choosing schools based on her academic interests, location (weather!), size, cost and “vibe” and then look at their music dept. sites.
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Skidmore, Wesleyan, Hamilton, Smith, URochester.
Haverford would be an excellent choice for her academic and musical interests. For a small college, they have a robust music department. There are an orchestra (in conjunction with Bryn Mawr College) and chamber music ensembles all of which are available for nonmajors. Department of Music
The college is on track to complete a new facility for music education, rehearsal, and performance by this fall. You can read more about it (and the other music facilities) here: Music Building Project
Since the college is less than 30 minutes from Philadelphia by train, it’s easy to attend concerts by the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra. Back in the Stone Age, my roommate commuted to Philadelphia once a week to take private lessons from a member of the Orchestra.
Swarthmore too
Seconding Skidmore.
Not NE but St Olaf.
You may want to research, in particular, colleges that appear in a Princeton Review sampling, “Great Schools for Mathematics Majors,” such as Haverford, Amherst, Hamilton, Williams and Bowdoin.
Thank you. The math/science part seems easier to find. Trying to find strong music to go along with it!
I understand. That’s partly why I waited to post from that source. I wanted to see if the colleges from it overlapped with suggestions made in your topic with respect to music programs.
Got it! Thank you so very much.
Pomona is on the other side of the country, but is a small school with very strong academics and an excellent music program. It also sometimes “recruits” musicians in a way similar to how many colleges recruit athletes.
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One thing to think about – students I’ve known at Haverford have chosen to participate in ensembles in Philadelphia not affiliated with the school. The two who come to mind were both somewhat exceptional but didn’t want to go the conservatory route. This is definitely another way to think about this.
Ditto for students in the Boston area, although they were all jazz musicians.
Your D should think about what she wants her music experience to be. Is it a way to connect with other students at college? Does she want top instruction and to perform at the highest level possible? Or just enjoyment? Really, most high selective LACs will have decent outlets for talented musicians. But if she’s looking for greater intensity, she may find that by attending school where those opportunities abound.
Bard is another to look at, btw.
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I’ll also add, that if your daughter is looking at highly selective colleges for academics, I think you will find that these colleges in general will have very talented musicians in their orchestras. My daughter was blown away by the level of the string players at her college (UChicago btw) that is really not known for their music department. My daughter arrived on campus fully ready for her placement audition, and thought she was going to be the bomb, and was really floored by the talent of her peers. Majority were top players in their high schools, but are choosing to pursue academics rather than music as a major, but they still want to play and be involved in their instruments.
I guess my point is, music and academics (especially math and stem related studies) tend to go hand in hand. Other schools to consider that my daughter looked at for music and stem were Rice, Northwestern, Rochester, St. Olaf, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Lawrence and the ivies.
Good luck and enjoy the process!
One thing to look into, for some of the schools suggested above that have conservatories or schools of music (BM programs) is whether those BM students get the best teachers, performance opportunities and resources. It varies and again this may be a matter of nuance in some cases. But in general, for a music kid who does not want a BM, it can be better to apply to schools that do NOT have a BM program.
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Swarthmore has a nice math/computer science department. Also a great engineering program.
Yes, I have heard that as well.
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Not too familiar with the east coast schools… But it you want to venture further west, look at Lawrence, University of Puget Sound, and Oberlin. UPS is probably the best option for a student who does not want a BM but still wants a great musical experience.
If you (or she) look at the “Read Me” thread above, you will find an essay by David Lane entitled “Double Degree Dilemma.” It might be helpful. It is really about different ways to study music, using hypothetical individuals. It does leave out one good option, which is to do a BA in music or something else, continue with lessons, and do extracurricular performance. But the essay may be helpful since people are also suggesting some schools with double degrees (Bard actually requires conservatory students to do double degrees…)
My one kid majored in engineering in undergrad. It was VERY easy to find tons of engineering programs.
BUT she wanted to play the oboe and continue to take private lessons…and play in a college orchestra. That was THE hardest criteria for her to fulfill in her college search.