What are some really great schools in the Northeast area for music education?
motsy asked:
I’m a junior in high school who recently took the AP Music Theory Exam and feel confident about music and understanding its theory. I plan on going into music education, but i need to find some colleges. I want a college that is not performance based.
Currently, i have Ithaca School of Music, West Chester, and Westminster Choir College on my list. I’m not looking for huge schools, but i don’t mind if they’re on the list. Thanks
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Filed Under Higher Education (University +) |
Tagged With Ap Music Theory, Ithaca School, School Of Music
Comments
2 Responses to “What are some really great schools in the Northeast area for music education?”
I’m not too sure about strictly music schools, but Wesleyan University is a great, academically rigorous school with a strong music program, including a PhD in Ethnic Music. Wesleyan’s focus, by the way, is ethnic and folk traditions that are traditionally overlooked in the professional music world. Consequently, interdisciplinary programs and general music study are more important than they might be a other universities that just emphasize playing an instrument.
The University of Rochester in Rochester, New York (by Lake Erie) offers a music program, including a graduate school (ranked first in the country). Additionally, they are considered less academically intense than Wesleyan, and there’s no required courses except for freshman writing. Thus, it’s less of a performance-based option. However, it is a fairly good university in terms of academics, and there are a few distribution requirements, so it isn’t a conservatory, at least not until graduate school.
Over in Chicago, Northwestern University is an academically elite university, but different because half of the majors they offer are music-related, mostly for different instruments. It’s bigger than Wesleyan or Rochester, but worth considering for its broad, dedicated offerings.
I don’t know what your academic resume looks like, and I don’t know why you “want a college that is not performance based,” or even what you mean by that. But I’m assuming if you’ve taken one AP, you’ve taken more, and have a reasonable GPA. So, Wesleyan should be within your grasp, even if Northwestern is too far up the ladder. I wish you the best of luck with that.
Also, a word of advice, specialized institutes for music are far and few in between. I highly recommend broadening your horizons. Europe, obviously, has many historic, well-established programs. The study of western Classical music, as well as the study of contemporary music in higher education, has been gaining popularity all over the world. I’m sure somewhere in China, there’s a university seat with your name on it. Studying in a foreign country would also be a good opportunity to expand your musical horizons and be exposed to local or folk traditions.
College of the Holy Cross just west of Boston is a top ranked Liberal Arts College with a strong Music Dept and offers several full tuition Music scholarships.