 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetfreek
Date: 2004-02-01 21:35
i am currently a junior, and my parents are completely against me majoring in music (be it composition, education, or performance)... i've battled with them, and they've finally agreed to let me double major, so music won't be my only option (just in case i go to college and find out i am completely inadequate as a musician).
i'm planning on double majoring in linguistics/journalism/english and music composition... but i have no clue what schools have good music schools! yes, i hear about schools great for performance, but rarely composition... so does anyone know any liberal arts schools or those with liberal arts programs (such as the ivies) with good music programs? so far, i've been thinking about northwestern, colombia, and upenn.
and if anyone has any comments about double majoring in general, that would be greatly appreciated as well.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-02-01 22:50
Double major in composition... that sounds familiar.
I started out as a computer science major, music minor, and eventually "upgraded" myself to music after discovering that I was already taking enough electives for the fun of it to count for a general music degree. A bit more in the department, and I further "upgraded" to a composition major, still doubling with my C.S. Had I not taken this upgrade path, I would probably have been too intimidated and overwhelmed by the courseload at the beginning... 7 years for a bachelor's sounds enormous, but "2 extra years" on top of my minor sounds much less daunting once I was nearing the end.
In addition to all regular college factors (size, friendliness, etc., discussed in a thread recently), there are a couple other things to look for in composition:
- Composition Faculty: Who you will actually be taking private lessons with. Their experience, musical style, personality, etc. can make or break your composition experience. Also look at (and listen to) what they've written.
- Course Offerings: What special composition courses (e.g. film scoring, world musical sytems, sampling) are offered, and how often at that.
- Connections: Any relationships between the university and major performance organizations (to get your piece played), other institutions for discussion and study, guest lecturers, etc. As in any music profession, success depends immensely on connections; in performance, you can play yourself to the top with auditions, but in composition you need to know people to even get your piece looked at (aside from competitions).
As for schools, I've had UPenn and Berkeley recommended to me for grad school (and I think Northwestern too) by a comp professor. I'd also highly recommend looking into less "big name" schools, where you might find some hidden gems at a less cutthroat pace and more friendly price.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Brandon
Date: 2004-02-02 00:57
I think you might have to say too what type of compositions do you want to compose? If you are more into modern works, find some of the people who you admire and contact them. If you are into film music, I would recommend Southern California. As far as the Ivys, I would have to say Yale. But, you need to find someone from those schools that you enjoy hearing. Perhaps you could contact students from universitys you are considering and talk to them about the program. I am sure many would be willing to help you. Just make sure you can play the piano, as most comp students I knew were very good pianists.
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2004-02-02 01:21
If you would perhaps consider a smaller school, I'm going to indulge in some (sort of) self-promotion and recommend you look at Swarthmore. I'm a freshman music major and I love it. There are many reasons to go to a small school: No graduate students sucking up all the resources or professors, lots more opportunities to perform and tiny classes (my theory class this semester has 8 students). The music major requires performance, theory and history but you can definitely concentrate on composition if you want (and I know several people who do). We also have an excellent linguistics department.
A few words on the Ivies: At Columbia, you would have an enormous number of general education courses. If that doesn't appeal to you and you're still interested in Columbia and you're a girl, consider Barnard. I've heard Yale stories involving graduate students having the right to bump undergrads out of practice rooms at any time, which tells you who comes first.
I hate to have to add this, but I'm not sure about what kind of a student you are. Most elite academic colleges will consider an interest in composition or performance a nice extra. You need the SAT scores and AP classes and all that too. It might mean compromising your musical standards for the sake of academics during your senior year.
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Author: clarinetfreek
Date: 2004-02-02 02:09
Thank you for all the helpful comments! Yes, I would absolutely hate to be in a cutthroat environment, especially after what I have had to endure in high school (sucking up to teachers, cheating on exams, etc. etc.) I have played the piano for 10 years, and I also have experience in jazz improv, which should help...
Northwestern's Bachelor of Music/Master of Science Journalism sounds like a very good option (although it would be extremely difficult to get into). Swarthmore seems like a very good choice too I guess I really need to do some more investigation.
As for Micaela's uncertainties on "what kind of student" I am... I do understand that colleges will admit students based on academics and whatnot. I haven't taken the SAT yet, but I've been getting 1530+ on my practice tests, and I am also in the IB program (top 1% of my class). I don't know if that's good enough to get into Northwestern or Swarthmore (as there are so many students with much better credentials), but I hope that answers your question.
Thanks again!!
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-02-02 12:52
Depends on what kind of composition you intend to do and what you plan to do with the skill. Having gone to Northwestern myself and taken what amounted to a concentration in composition, I don't know if that is your best option unless you favor highly experimental music. I have played very strong and more listenable compositions from young composers out of Indiana, Michigan, Oberlin, Harvard, Univ. of Chicago, and USC among others. If you want to compose jazz, pop, movie music and such there are Miami, Texas, Berklee, UCLA, etc.
All that said, Northwestern does have Medill, so if journalism is REALLY your bag, tough to go wrong there.
Good luck.
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Author: lyn
Date: 2004-02-02 13:31
I will second what msloss said about Northwestern - You really Have to like modern/experimental music if you want to go there as a comp major. I have a student who went there as a double theory and comp major, and when he got there he dropped the comp and went with music ed as his double. The profs would get on his case about not writing in the style they write, and he actually stopped writing for a while because of it. Which is a shame, because he has written some beautiful pieces (including a string bass concerto, you don't hear of those much lol) and always showed a lot of potential.
~L
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-02-02 18:58
Ah yes, the "Write edgy modern or else!" stigma exists at some universities as well. Forgot to mention that. I suppose it exists to some degree everywhere. Thankfully, my program is pretty flexible and in my experiences they mainly encourage you to try new things and not be afraid to experiment... to keep an open mind. (quick plug for Cal State U Long Beach)
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: clarinetfreek
Date: 2004-02-04 22:59
Ahhh... I went to listen to some of Gerald Levinson's work (the composition professor at Northwestern); it's very... out there. Some of it is absolutely amazing, but most of it, I simply can't understand.
In response to msloss: I never knew U of Chicago had a good music program, nor did I know Texas was good for movie music. I live in Texas, and so Texas would be very good in terms of costs and whatnot. Also, isn't the Oberlin conservatory extremely difficult to get into?
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2004-02-05 04:58
Unless there are two Gerald Levinsons who teach composition floating around, he's at Swarthmore now. He was my jury advisor this fall and will be my theory teacher next year. Come to Swat and he can confuse you in person rather than just through performance.... actually, he was very nice to me while ripping apart my Poulenc Sonata analysis last semester (and I don't get his music much either- I'm a 19th century type). If you have any specific questions, please e-mail me.
I didn't mean to insult you with the academic reference; it's just in this kind of situation you really never know. Some people are very naive when it comes to assesing their academic prowess.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-02-05 12:27
U of Chicago doesn't have a school of music. What they do have is a department within Humanities where you can pursue the "academic" side of music, emphasizing composition, history, theory, or musicology. Not a place you would go to study performance.
Shulamit Ran, Easley Blackwood, and Howard Sandroff are among the UoC faculty of past and present, if that gives you a sense of their orientation. UNT has a heavy jazz program and a lot of good arrangers come out of there.
And yes, Oberlin is difficult to get in to, but no more so than any of the other top-shelf conservatories. Great lib. arts program.
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-02-05 20:19
parents are against me ... in music.
I had SERIOUS battles with my father over this issue, too, so I know where you're coming from. Let me just give you one pearl of wisdom ... go the double major path and study something "sensible" that will please both your creative juices and your folks. My (also late) mother was, on the contrary, very supportive of my musical abilities ... so there was a bit of a clash (minor) between them on this (when I was a teenager, so long ago, we barely had running water in Sydney [tongue firmly in cheek]).
It's a good thing to have many strings to your bow, believe me.
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Author: clarinetfreek
Date: 2004-02-11 02:10
How is the University of Texas in music/ music comp?
Diz: yes, that sounds very much like my parents. Thanks for the advice!!
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