 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Nick Conner
Date: 2001-06-11 23:02
What a dilemma. I live in Indiana, and have been gearing towards going to Indiana University to major in music. BUT, about a week ago I received a letter from Harvard inviting me to apply there. It was nothing mroe than just a letter, HOWEVER my parents now are obsessed with the idea that I might attend Havard. I know that it is located in a great musical area, but I don't know that their music school is as renowned or as good as IU's. I still want to go to IU, but I'm afraid that my parents may not pay for me if I go (and paying myself isn't really an option right now, unless I get a full ride). SO, which would be best, disregarding that I want to go to IU? Thanks for any insight that anybody can give.
Nick Conner
cpmbnick@hotmail.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Linus Travelli
Date: 2001-06-11 23:10
maybe you can crossregister at New england conservatory.
is new england conservatory better than IU?
by the way, harvard is awesome (especially their amateur musicians that often seem to be more skillful than music majors in many other universities) but if you want to major in music, i don't think harvard would be that good.. Unlesss...........you decide to double major in music and something else.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarinet713
Date: 2001-06-11 23:44
Nick-I would choose the school that YOU want to go to-you're the one who's going to be there for 4 years-not your parents...but if they aren't willing to pay for the school that you want to go to.........well that's a problem....I would really talk that through with them and if they don't want to pay for it, talk to the financial aid people at IU and explain your situation-and see what happens. Take care and hang in there! 
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2001-06-12 00:07
Invited to attend Harvard University?????? I would forget music and think about a career in business or law instead. You could always practice your "real love" as an amature musician (for the rest of your life, hopefully) and take a few college music courses to enrich your valuable career education. If music is still THAT important to you, then my recommendation is to GO FOR IT at IU!!!! Or, as it sounds like your parents have the resources to send you anywhere, try Oberlin or Eastman or some other similar pretigeous music mill. My congradulations to you--to be invited to attend Harvard is an honor and you must "have the right stuff." Music Education needs more people like you. (Forget business and law--I was just testing you) Good luck!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Anji
Date: 2001-06-12 01:12
I believe Harvard has a "Needs blind" admission policy.
Aside from the joys of living in one of the most intriguing cities, you may find more than one interest to feed.
My wife is a 'Cliffy' (now absorbed women's Radcliffe college) and the place figures prominently in her psyche.
Scrape up the bucks and take a look. Who knows, you might like what you see?
(Don't pass, this is the sort of thing you look over your shoulder about in 20 years.)
anji
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Suzanne
Date: 2001-06-12 02:06
When I was choosing colleges, I wanted to be a music major, and go to a good music school... but then I got in to Stanford, and since it was such a prestigious university, I ended up going there. The music dept. there was okay, but not that great, and I understand Harvard is similar. Long story short, after graduating from Stanford with a psych. degree, I ended up going back to school for my music degree. Is music your passion? Do you know that you want to do music for the rest of your life, as your career? Then you should go to the best music school. Indiana has a great music school. For me, I took the prestigious university over my passion, and now I'm 4-5 years behind of where I should be had I stuck with music from the start.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Nick Conner
Date: 2001-06-12 02:08
To clarify, I was invited to APPLY, not necessarily attend. Just putting it in perspective. I'm not that smart.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jim
Date: 2001-06-12 04:27
You must have pretty good boards or class rank though... My son is finishing up junior year, many schools have sent letters and info packages here... Harvard was not one on them!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-06-12 04:38
What clarinet teacher in IU do you like to have lessons?
University should not be selected by their name but by the person you adore. Your parents may prefer Harvard by name and you may prefer IU also by name. There seems no difference between the two standpoints. I think you might need to make the matter more concrete if you persuade your parents since they would like to spend very big money for you to enter Harvard (tuition only would be at least 20000$ per year). That should be elaborated on your future life scheme. IMHO.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-06-12 05:02
Hiroshi wrote:
> I think you might need to make the
> matter more concrete if you persuade your parents since they
> would like to spend very big money for you to enter Harvard
> (tuition only would be at least 20000$ per year).
LOL! Cleveland Inst. of Music is that much! I'd assume Harvard is closer to 40K now.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-06-12 05:20
I was wrong. The current tuition to Harvard is 22,694. CIM is I think 19,800 (just made a payment today ...).
Should'a sent the kid to Harvard ...
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-06-12 06:23
I would like to add one thing.
The discussion between your parents and you seems to be on whether you can eat by music. (Frankly, to get a position in CSO would be far difficult than to get
Harvard MBA and enter Price-Water House since CSO needs only two clarinetists for over at least 10 years - easy.)
There is an interesting anecdote: One day Bernstein was asked by a child whether
he would become a musician. Bernstein replied like this:How come do you ask? If you like to be one really, you would not ask me. (I forgot exact wording but the essence would be correct.)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: willie
Date: 2001-06-12 06:49
My daughter has been getting letters and promo-packets from a lot of colleges this spring as she graduates this Friday. After talking to as many folks as posible, I've been told the some of the top notch coleges don't really have top notch music programs, but do excell in other areas. Since she wants to be a fully certified band director, we've narrowed it down to Texas Tech or N. Texas State. BUT, you're cubic money still won't get you in thier music programs. You must be up to certain standards of skill and knowledge to get in. You have to pass the auditions first to qualify, then dig deep.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jim
Date: 2001-06-12 09:35
Willie; Be sure to check out the Mus. Ed, department at UNT. It can be a real journey. Have you spoken to Dr. Ramsey about your daughters choice? Jim
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2001-06-12 14:19
(a) Do you know what you want to major in? If you are fairly certain, try to <i>attend a university where you can get a good education in that subject.</i> College is about getting an education; it's not about spending $20-30,000/yr for a bumper sticker for your parent's minivan that says "My Child is an Honor Student at Harvard."
(b) Do you want to spend the 40 years following college doing something you enjoy or are interested in or are you willing to spend it doing something you don't particularly care for just so you can make more money?
(c) Consider applying to Harvard. If you don't get accepted, end of story. If you do get accepted, you have an additional option open to you.
(d) Don't select a university just on its name. It might help get you that first job, but after that, no one cares where you went to school. They may not even care too much what your major was. They primarily care about what skills you can bring to the table. (I doubt there have been too many auditions for music jobs where the selection was made based on where someone went to school.)
(e) See (a).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-06-12 15:02
Don Poulsen wrote:
> (I doubt there have been too many auditions for music
> jobs where the selection was made based on where someone went
> to school.)
It used to be true - in the sense of "who is/was your teacher" - and it probably still is somewhat true in the US. Take a look at who skips preliminary rounds in the auditions for different orchestras.
Look at some places in the EU (Italy may be worth studying as a case example). Japan is reputed to have some interesting politics when it comes to orchestral placement.
Not that it's <b>supposed</b> to matter, or that I'm suggesting that it <b>should</b> matter, but in reality favoritism based on school or teacher does matter sometimes.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-12 17:48
Nick -
If you get into Harvard and decide to go there, you certainly will get a good education -- even a music education. Harvard is Harvard because it has strong faculty and students everywhere. It can also be stiflingly snooty.
Indiana will provide an excellent education and of course has a very strong music program. My wife got her masters degree there and said it was like a factory.
So ... there's no perfect place, and any decent school will give let you accomplish everything that's in you to do. You go to the place that you think suits you best, knowing there will be positives and negatives.
By the way, many wonderful musicians come out of unlikely schools and by unlikely routes. John Miller, the principal bassoonist in Minnesota and maybe the best player in the world, went to MIT. Anthony Pay, a really wonderful clarinetist, was a mathematics major.
Go where you want. And don't worry about your parents. They'll get used to it.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Linus Travelli
Date: 2001-06-12 19:39
I have a teacher at school that got an engineering degree from MIT, a computer science from Caltech. He spent half a semester at New england conservatory. He also graduated from Harvard Law school. After all that training, he decided to become a French teacher in a public high school.
what do you think of that?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-06-13 05:39
If your parents like you to enter an 'IVY' league university, and you like to
have clarinet lessons, Yale or Princeton may be a choice since theyl have famous clarinet teaching departments.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
