<p>srw, OCU sounds great to me, but I'd have to drag S there kicking and bellowing to see it. I know they turn out wonderful singers, in both MT and opera, and I'd love to hear more about your son's experience there. Vocalmom I will certainly look into Manhattanville. Does anyone have experience w/Steinhardt?</p>
<p>On the whole NYU is often lamblasted for their "paltry" scholarship/grant and aid packages.</p>
<p>Yet there have been some quite generous exceptions for many Steinhardt admits. It is a competitive program, and draws many highly qualified applicants from a number of disciplines. If it meets your other criteria, there's no reason not to try, but I'd anticipate any windfall packages as a blessing, not a reasonable expectation.</p>
<p>Our experience has been that the small liberal arts colleges give much more award money (academic & music) than state schools. </p>
<p>Northwestern was good to us. Indiana Jacobs School of Music was not!</p>
<p>I am going to add this to the list although it will not help the OP. UW-Madison will starting offering next year a full scholarship to one soprano. The scholarship is available to both in state and out of state students, will cover all tuition, room, board, and additional expenses. They are also offering one for piano as well.</p>
<p>My son got nice, not huge awards from Michigan and IU Jacobs. The state schools are cheaper to begin with so they are looking very attractive right now for us. UW Madison typically gives very small merit awards, if at all (I think the max is $4K). IU also has generous GPA-based merit scholarships for OOS students which can bring the price tag down even more ($4-8K).</p>
<p>Good point, Stringfollies, about lower cost. If cost is important it is a good idea to make a table for each school including tuition, all fees, room, board, scholarships, travel costs, etc. and get a bottom-line cost of attendance for each school. I wouldn't count loans offered, assuming similar loans can be obtained for each school if necessary. Other factors like quality of education and teacher should matter more in the final decision, but at least you can see clearly the cost and not be too swayed by a flattering larger grant (toward a larger tuition).
On another scholarship topic, I've heard that instrumentalists tend to get more money for equal talent than vocalists at some schools. Has anyone else heard or noticed that?</p>
<p>mommybird - we were also led to believe that, but perhaps not about all instruments. I think that certain instruments are as plentiful as sopranos. I think that male vocalists may also be in a good position from the results I have heard. Makes sense.</p>
<p>It's all supply and demand. On the instrument side items like low brass, bassoons and other instruments are in demand so there are significant financial incentives available. Violins and flutes are the other end the "dime a dozen" end of the spectrum.</p>
<p>My S is a baritone and the two schools that have treated him the best financially (and in general) are LSU and Furman. I guess if you're dead set against the south they might not appeal to you, but we're from the south and liked both schools. Also, S has outstanding grades and test scores so we counted on a lot of his scholarship money being academic. Plus we found out through a friend of his at LSU that there are extra ways to earn money while being a voice major.</p>
<p>For example, the LSU friend is in two school choirs and gets paid to be in them. He is paid to attend rehearsals and performances - even though his major requires him to be in the choirs, they still pay him! He also has a church job. My S has already been contacted by a church choir director to be a section leader in their chancel choir and will get paid $100/week (50 for rehearsal, 50 for the service). It's like getting paid to go to church, which (I assume) he was going to do anyway.</p>
<p>LSU gave him full tuition and fees, plus $1,000 towards room and board (academic merit). No music scholarship. Furman gave him $8,000 music scholarship and a $15,000 grant (no academic merit). I think he's going to go to LSU as Furman is still expensive even with the aid, but we were really impressed with Furman overall, and just remember male singers are a lot more in demand than sopranos, so count your blessings.</p>
<p>My D isn't a voice major, but Vanderbilt (Blair School of Music) is ranked 2nd by US News Report in terms of financial assistance in the form of merits and grants. Blair also recently received a very substantial contribution to go toward scholarships.</p>
<p>Hi. New to the conversation... My son is considering Westminster. Can you tell me more about it. We plan a visit in May. He is a junior, so we have started the journey... </p>
<p>I only saw two music majors who posted as being accepted to Westminster (on BassDad's list). Did no one else consider this school?</p>
<p>Here is my take on Westminster. One of the strongest voice faculties anywhere. They have produced some excellent singers who have done very well in competitions - like the Metropolitan Opera competition for example. They have a graduate program but seem to really know how to handle young voices. Both my D and I loved Princeton. I'd move there myself if I had a reason. The facilities are a drawback, and while I don't think decisions are usually made on facilites, they probably factor in for some people. They do give nice merit awards. I know the alumni fight this tooth and nail, but the name of the school really seems to hurt it. My D had friends who didn't even look there because they assumed all they did was choral work. Choral work is important there and I don't recommend that anyone who doesn't enjoy it go there, but that is certainly not all they do. When you visit, sit in on the choral rehearsal - even in the rehearsal space that is more like a miniature airplane hangar, the sound is breath-taking. My D thought the kids there were great and very supportive and they looked like they were having fun.The only reason my D chose another school is because she decided she wanted the more well-rounded college experience with the classic campus setting and lots of different activities. (Not that she'll have time for any of those activities.)That being said, had she not found a voice teacher that she liked as much at the school she chose, she would not have made that choice. Be sure to schedule sample lessons. They were key for my D. She was able to rule out some places right away and her top schools were the ones where she had the best lessons.</p>
<p>Catera45, thanks for the information. We started visiting campuses in Feb., and I thought we were starting the process early, but it seems not early enough. I dont see us being able to sit in on a choral rehearsal, or have a lesson, at this time of year. My son loves choral singing, but he also has a very fine solo tenor voice, so we thought Westminster was a place we should consider, despite the campus drawbacks. I am concerned that it does not offer the "well-rounded" experience, particuarly opportunites to pursue a double major, or even a minor, without going off campus (to Rider). We have visited state schools so far, but did want to consider a few private schools with the possibility of merit-based aid. I,too, think the vocal teacher is a critical consideration, and usually look to see if there is at least one male vocal teacher on staff. I will ask if there is the possibility of a lesson, and if not, we could go back in late August, if he likes the campus.</p>
<p>There's no lack of great teachers at Westminster. For a small school, they have a huge faculty. The location assures the availability of top teachers. There aren't too many places that I would say "chances are" you will get a good teacher, but Westminster is one of them.</p>
<p>Any others we should consider?</p>
<p>Where do you live and how far away will he consider? Is he interested in vocal performance or music ed?</p>
<p>We live in southwestern NY, not far from Buffalo and Rochester. He is interested in both vocal performance and music ed.</p>
<p>You're fortunate to have the SUNYs but I'm sure you know that. If he decides to go for music ed and thinks he may want to teach, then it makes sense to go to school in the state where he things he may want to teach. If he decides to commit to a career of some sort in music, then graduate school will likely be necessary so a good value for undergrad may be important. This can even be true for teaching. Most of the music teachers I know have or are working on a graduate degree. I'm sure that varies according to geography though.</p>
<p>Have you not looked into Purchase for any reason? Their conservatories are all exceptional, and the price is right.</p>
<p>We are planning visits to some SUNY schools, such as Fredonia and Potsdam. I had not considered Purchase. We have already visited Mansfield and Slippery Rock(in PA) - both supposedly with solid music programs.</p>
<p>Wanting the best for him, I guess I get hung up on public vs. private. These public univ. supposedly have fine music programs, but because he is a vocalist, WCC just jumps out at me. Any thoughts on public music programs vs. private that I should consider based on your experiences?</p>