Help for college

February 26, 2005 at 05:58 AM · I'm a junior in high school and I'm looking to go into music performance and education, although I'm not quite as serious about the education part as the performance degree, so if a school doesn't have an education program, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I'm also looking to go to a university, just so I have exposure to other things other than music. I'm only applying to Manhattan School of Music because of Midori Goto and possibly even Glenn Dicterow, although I would imagine that it would be incredibly tough to get into their studios. Here's my list of colleges thus far:

Peabody

Eastman

Indiana

Manhattan

Bard

Ithaca

SUNY Purchase

Carnegie Mellon

Can anyone tell me anything about the faculty or the programs in these schools? Thanks in advance.

PS: I'm sort of new to this forum, so if this

Replies (9)

Olivia Chew

February 26, 2005 at 10:40 PM · Sorry, I posted this thread twice. Can someone delete the other one?

Jude Ziliak

February 27, 2005 at 04:29 PM · These are all good schools, as I'm sure you know. Bard doesn't offer a music ed degree, but I'm sure you could take classes on education within the BA component of your degree there. Peabody's ed program is nice because all entering music ed majors are held to the same performance standards as prospective performance majors. Also, it's possible to complete a double major in performance and education there in just 4 years.

If you want a university environment, Peabody and Eastman are not going to provide it unless you're in a BM/BA program and living on Hopkins's Homewood or Rochester's main campus. Though both of those schools are divisions of universities, they function very much as pure conservatories. (And if you want performance and music ed both, you won't really have time for a full liberal arts degree!)

There is some overlap between the faculties of these schools. Laurie Smukler teaches at both Purchase and Bard, for example, and a number of MSM people teach at Bard, too.

Good luck! I'm a senior now. I applied to Indiana (already accepted) and Bard, too.

Jude Ziliak

March 1, 2005 at 03:56 AM · A nice school with great music ed and strong violin faculty is Vanderbilt. Their ed program is considerably strengthened by its relationship with the Peabody College of Education and Human Development, another division of Vanderbilt.

Hillary Brooks

March 6, 2005 at 01:58 AM · All the schools you have choosen are very competitive and prestigious. I admire that you are aiming high but it is always nice to have a school that is not as prestigious as a safety school.

I do not know your financial situation but these school are expensive. Peabody faculty is great and if you do an education program there, you will concentrate on your area of interest once you are a junior. Peabody also is located in an cultural area so it is nice. Do an internet search on the string faculty. You can find their bios and pictures. Also think about the environment that you would enjoy living in and who do you feel your personality you work best with after auditioning. It is about you. Good Luck in your college career.

Christian Vachon

March 6, 2005 at 03:46 AM · Hi,

All great schools, with good reputations and faculty. Most are very expensive. I would suggest the following... Look them up on the internet and see if any faculty member in particular interests you. Then, contact them with your interest to study there. Audition and see what kind of financial aid they offer you (if that is an issue for you). I would then choose the best teacher for you more than the school at this point unless you are not planning on going to graduate school. Also, ask yourself what kind of teacher you need, what your plans for the future are, and what your specific needs as a violinist and musician at this point are. It will be easier to make suggestions once you have a clearer picture of all these factors.

Cheers!

P.S. By the way, Midori is now on faculty at USC as well.

Lewis Wong

March 6, 2005 at 05:44 AM · For those of you hoping to skip the yankee snowstorms in favor of studying at USC with Midori-- SHE DOES NOT TEACH PRIVATE STUDIO LESSONS THERE.

Christian Vachon

March 6, 2005 at 01:17 PM · Hi,

Lewis, thanks for that tidbit. What does she do there, since it seems to be a rather prestigious appointment?

Cheers!

Stephen Brivati

March 6, 2005 at 11:27 PM · Greetings,

mentioning Midori made me think of a point it is worth keeping in mind. There are many great teachers who just teach and others still actively concertizing for a large part of the year. (Midori wears many other hats concerned with her educational visions, too) . It might be worth askinf yourself if you are a student who needs regular lessons or is secure working on your own for some extended periods.

When I was at music college some of my friends who studied with a great violinist who was as much in demand as leader and soloist as teacher experienced frustration becuas e of this problem. It all evens out in the end but maybe give it some thought anyway.

Cheers,

Buri

Lewis Wong

March 11, 2005 at 01:41 AM · She said that her teaching would be largely in masterclass format.

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