Oberlin, Peabody, and Indiana U
I am going to be a freshman violin performance major next year. I am going to a great music school in my state but not a school that will get me as far as I want to go. I plan on transferring for my junior and senior year and was wondering about the schools. I have done lots of research but want to know how they compared to eachother. So, if these were ranked best music school to least best music school how would you rank them? What are they best for individually? How hard is it to get in?
The schools are Oberlin, Peabody, and Indiana U (aka Jacobs School of Music)
Thanks!
Replies (38)
Is there a reason to wait until your junior year to go to the school you want?
All 3 you've named are fine schools, but there are others as well. Since you haven't named teachers, are there other reasons you've chosen these 3? I'd be happy to answer questions about teachers if I know them.
Every music school has competitive auditions, i.e. the best get in, so I suppose you're asking how good the players are who tend to audition at these schools?
One clue is the audition program. For example, a school that requires complete concertos, complete Bach or virtuosic etudes like Paganini at the audition tends to get more advanced applicants because others are deterred. Your teacher can help you decide.
Annie, as a former "transfer student" myself, I strongly suggest you work on transfering to the next school of your choice ASAP. The longer you wait, the harder it is (in my opinion) especially if you feel like the school you are at is not going to be as difficult acedemically as the one you are auditioning for. I was going to wait until my junior year to transfer from the Boston Conservatory to Oberlin, but I just couldn't stand another semester of a crappy education, so at the last possible second of my first semester of sophomore year, I pleaded with Oberlin to let me come mid-year. I was very lucky. My teacher helped A LOT!!! The reason I suggest you try to transfer ASAP is becuase you can't forget that if you want to graduate on time as you probably do, all of your credits must transfer over... mine did not. I am now having to take summer school in order to catch up, and I will still be one class behind.
As a new student at Oberlin, my advice might be a bit biased about which school I would choose, but I definately agree with the previous comments when they said, "you should choose the school based on the teacher". My teacher at Oberlin has been wonderful. He is the biggest reason I HAD to transfer! As for the other two schools you mentioned, I can tell you why I chose not to attend either, but again, my advice is a bit biased (since I now attend Oberlin). I didn't chose Indiana becuase I didn't think I could handle the school. One of my close friends from high school went to Indiana so I had a chance to visit the school many times and every time, I became more convinced that IU was not the place for me. Don't get me wrong, I do like to party (on occassion) but IU was a little too much for me--in that department--and I honestly thought I would have a hard time concentrating if I went there. Plus, my good friend from high school, who is a violin major as well, is now a violin performance major at a DIFFERENT college... it wasn't the right place for her either. As for Peabody, I didn't even apply there because I heard that, even though there is a fine music program, the area in which it is located is not known to be safe. I can't say much else about Peabody because I never even visited it, mostly because my mother wouldn't allow it!!! lol. Anyway, other than my teacher, the reasons I liked Oberlin were because of the extremely accepting and friendly environment. It is absolutely extraordinary how friendly these people are. I live in Chicago and while I was a senior in high school, my mom and I drove up to Oberlin every other weekend, just so that I could have lessons with Greg Fulkerson (my teacher now) and I still remember my first day there to have my first lesson with him: I was walking into the music building, and out of the blue this guy started talking to me asking me quesitons about what I thought of the school so far (I guess he could tell I was a prospective student). He even went so far as to invite me to a concert that was taking place later that evening that he thought I would enjoy because it was a violin studio recital. Well anyway, I could go on for hours here, like I said, I have a bit of a biased view, so I'll stop here so as not to take up too much space. Please feel free to contact me if you have any specific question that I might be able to answer about Oberlin.
But, mostly, you should make sure to visit every shcool you might be interested in (even though it IS costly) and take a lesson with teachers you might be interested. You might even want to, if you have time, to sit in on a class or too to see how each school compares to one another.
Good luck and please don't hesitate to e-mail me: Rosiems12@sbcglobal.net
~Eliza~
Peabody will get your ghetto cred up. That's why I'm considering it, so I can earn my stripes and start a rap career. Viktor Danchenko, Pam Frank, and some other great teachers are there.
Oberlin is too much of a cow town for me. If you can take all the mooing, bully for you. I might audition at Indiana to get a true american college experience, and wear one of those sweatshirts with a really big block letter on it. They also have lovely teachers.
Not a single cow in Oberlin, I assure you. The coolest, most cosmopolitan and liberal small town you could wish for. And you should see Finney Chapel.
ya but their football team is terrible. And a big "O" doesn't look good on a sweater.
You don't understand, I want the sweater.
I love hippie chix. That sews up Oberlin for me.
... I don't really dig tofu and armpit hair...
It isn't possible for me to transfer right away. I simply don't have the money to go to the schools now. I don't mind if it takes a little longer to graduate, I just want to get the best education.
Also, although the school I go to is not the best, I am studying with a teacher I love and respect and also since it is small, I won't be shuffled to the bottom.
Thanks for all the advice. I chose these three schools because I thought they were the most in reach for me, but I wasn't sure.
Any more advice would be great.
Come on, folks, the ghetto isn't that bad! My high school was surrounded by crackhouses, and I'm still safe and sound. If you're really that scared, just carry around a knife.
I had a friend who transferred from CIM to Juilliard the middle of her freshman year, and she seems happy with the decision. I mean, it may tack another year onto your education due to different programs, but it's worth it if your situation isn't working out. If you don't mind me asking, which school are you going to in WA? I grew up less than five miles away from WWU, so I love hearing about the WA crowd.
Pieter - It's nice walking around with a big "TEXAS" on the front of my hoodie, and having complete strangers throw me the "hook em'" sign (even outside of TX), but that wasn't the deciding factor for college. I mean, it's nice never going to a football game where we lose, but screaming liberals/orgies are just as fun.
Whatever school you go to, if you are majoring in Violin Performance, take a Contract Law course. Aaron Rosand told me he used to make his students take a Contract Law course to help them deal with not getting screwed my agents and the like. Knowledge is power. Use it.
Good luck.
TEXAS SUCKS!!! BOOMER SOONER!
Peabody is surrounded by museums, cafes, and restaurants. You all are quite clueless. Baltimore is unsafe only for the folks growing up and stuck in the ghetto, not for some student miles away at Peabody.
Besides... it's just the ghetto.
Hello Peter,
That's not what I heard from some reliable sources.
Pieter,
The area immediately surrounding Peabody is not that bad at all. In fact it's pretty much walking distance to the harbour. Most students cannot afford to live right there so they must go to places less savory.
Preston
The area around Peabody is pretty safe. Over the past few years there has been an increase in Police
presence and the area is on the rise. Baltimore in general is on the rise with the expansion of the Inner Harbor, Fells Point and Charles Village (Hopkins). But to say to is really safe is pushing it. Peabody offers a shuttle service that runs to 2am if you choose to do so. I lived in B-more for seven years and I have never had a problem.
There are many great restaurants within walking distance. Great Thai, Japanese, Afghan, Indian and many other types of cuisine.
I don't worry for my personal safety, but rather my posessions. It's the crack capital of North America, and I've heard there's not much for white kids like me who want to wear sweaters with a big letter on it and go out and have a fun time. I've heard from several people that because of John's Hopkin's bad location, it isn't very much fun either.
Naah, I think you're hearing nay sayers Pieter. I'm about as WASPy as you can get and I actually quite like Baltimore. Granted, I haven't lived there but I was there quite a lot when studying with Danchenko.
Preston
Hmm, a student there said that some of her friends have been mugged in the surrounding area and that it is quite shady.
Ok. I'm a really big snob so if it passes my test I'm sure it's fine. I'll have to see when I go in Novembre.
Pieter, you're not fooling anybody. The real reason you want to go to Peabody is to hook up with your bloodz and work the streetz for some serious green.
P.S. Maybe, while you're there, you could start a pop/rap/classical fusion act, make billions of dollars, and own six Porsches along with a Manhattan penthouse.
damnit nick...
now how am I going to take the music world by storm... I wanted to be the first violinist to make lots of money off of misogyny, violence, and hyper materialism. Now I actually have to practice...
Pieter,
Baltimore is not the crack capital of North America, it's the heroin capital of North America. You must be thinking of Philadelphia.
I thought Vancouver had that esteemed title.
So I guess the drug addicts in Baltimore are a bit more upscale than in Philly.
damn straight! I spent the last year studying at Peabody, and the surrounding area is quite decent. As long as you don't go too far in certain directions, you are fine. Some directions are fine though, for example the inner harbour, Little Italy, etc. At night of course, it's best NOT to travel alone, but few cities don't have that problem. to be honest, the thing I didn't like about bmore was that it felt like a big town, rather than a real city....but there are some really top teachers there. I visited Indiana recently, and the while the campus is great (I wasn't there long, so I didn't get a complete picture), I would say Bloomington isn't exactly the coolest city around...
henry you know you just went to Peabody for the heroin...and the babes.
Never leave ANYTHING visable in your car...I know many people who had their car broken into because they didn't think about this. Of course, these people were from the midwest...not ghetto-crack-ville Philly.... :)
Nick-that was supposed to be my secret! bugger....
Actually I know of many people living in bad areas who recommend opening glove boxes and making everything visible when you leave the car, in order to show them that there's nothing to steal in your vehicle.
I looked into going to WWU but didn't really feel that spark between the violin teacher. I'm going to be going to CWU for the next two years. The teacher is amazing, it has an great new music building, and the school really does seem to be the best for music in the Northwest. I'm hoping I can transfer and be okay, about 1/3 or more of incoming class to Peabody is transfer students, so I'm not too worried. I'm just not sure which of the three schools to go too, I might just have to choose the one that offers the most (if any) money.
Kevin,
Or you can do what I do: leave the car unlocked with classical music CDs strewn across the doghair-covered back seat. Never had a problem.
Annie... BIG MISTAKE!!! I failed to mention in my first and rather long comment (which I promise this one will be short and to the point) that the first school I chose, the Boston Conservatory, I chose solely on money. I only had to pay $3000 a semester to go there (it normally costs $40,000 and I'm sure it's gone up since I left!). I also thought that I could just "deal with" the teacher I was studying with there. BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE!!! The best advice I can give you is to chose the school based on the teacher and take out a loan. The more I start thinking about it, having a great undergrad teacher is necessary if you want to get into a good grad-school (unless you audition really well--I don't!) If you have a sucky teacher for undergrad, then you will probably have a stinky grad experience which means you proably wouldn't be ready for a high paying job. But, if you start off with an excellent undergrad teacher, then you will most likely (if you work hard and improve) have a good grad experience which means you are probably ready for a high paying job... Now I am not using definate terms here becuase I know some very lucky people who simply audition well and get everything they want! (we hate those kinds of people! lol!) But, if you actually have to work at the violin... like me... sniff, sniff... then the best advice I can give you is "TEACHER TEACHER TEACHER!!!"
Please please keep that in mind... I wasted three semesters at a crappy undergrad with a so-so teacher all because I was like, "yay... no college debt for me!!!"--WRONG!!! I'd rather take out loans and be in debt if it means I will get the education I deserve!
~Eliza~
P.S. Just becuase we go to Oberlin doesn't mean we are hippies! and it certainly doesn't mean we have hairy armpits!!! I'll have you know I shave once a year! lol... just kidding! (about the shaving... not the hippie thing... we are not ALL hippies!!!)
Eliza, not all of you. But enough of you to make it tolerable:) A long time ago anyway.
Just to pile on, Peabody (and Baltimore's Mt. Vernon neighborhood) are not particularly dangerous. The worst that happened to me in six years was having my car broken into, when I broke my own rule of leaving NOTHING visible.
Also, it's not like we poor students have to live way out in the ghetto. There is a ton of reasonably-priced housing within 3 or 4 blocks. As has been said, there are many great restaurants, cafes, museums, and other attractions within easy walking distance. Baltimore is well on the way up.
Not to mention, it's a good school with some good teachers...
I loved Oberlin both when I visited and auditioned this past year. I'm going to Arizona State this fall for my freshman year and am still thinking about transferring to Oberlin. As far as whether it's hard to get into, they say it's not as bad as Juilliard or Eastman or Curtis, but when I auditioned for this coming year, there were only 14 open spots for violins. It's not as bad as some, but still, that's not terribly good odds. But still, I love the school.
I do remember walking into the Wendy's near the town and they were playing Faure and all sorts of other classical music. I got a big kick out it. haha.
Peter -
LOL
Jesse -
Are you in Boston? Hope all is well.
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August 3, 2006 at 05:44 PM · The best music school is the one where the teacher with whom you want to study teaches.
All three are very good music schools but all three are very different. The best one all depends on what you are looking for.
Preston