cathymee

BassDad
I remember reading this series last year.
I wish there was a way for you to publish it for the music parent community who don't frequent CC.It should be required reading!

fhimas88888888

Yes - when I was just starting I had NO CLUE!!! But when you helped me out... wow - my eyes opened.

BassDad

Thank you. I am glad that several people on this board have found this information valuable. As far as publishing goes, I am not sure what other distribution channels would be available to get it where it would do the most good. I have been thinking of working it over a bit, adding a few things and then making a pdf file out of it. At that point, I would not know what to do with it. I rather doubt that a publishing house would be interested in such a slim volume with so small an intended audience and, in any event, I want this information to be available free of charge. Any concrete suggestions would be appreciated.

MomOf3Stars

BassDad,
Have been reading this article in bits and pieces since you posted it. It is so valuable and I am going to have both my DD's read it. The oldest, ofc, is an hs junior looking to major in music ed at a school where music ed majors are treated w/ some respect. However, I am also going to have my youngest DD read this article, bc although she is not going to be a music major she at this point wants to be a dance major and I believe that your article taken as a whole provides some interesting points that could be pertinent to anyone thinking of majoring in some sort of fine arts where an audition or choosing the right school can make or break your whole college experience. KUDOS to you on this article!

Also, can you tell me the titles of the college guidebooks for performance art majors that you gave your DD? I am sure these would be helpful to my DD's as well.

violadad

Bassdad- You might want to consider submitting it as an article to Strings magazine, or contact state or national chapters of ASTA (American String Teachers Association), MENC (Music Educators National Conference) or MTNA (Music Teachers National Association).

National music fraternaties- Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (men), Sigma Alpha Iota (women), and Pi Kappa Lambda (nat'l music honors) might also be considered.

Strings magazine has begun a supplement to their monthly, geared towards younger players, many in the pre college age. They also publish an annual list of music schools. Strings also is widely distributed through music educators, who can obtain free copies.

The music educators associations each have permanent national websites and all have a section devoted to careers in music... perhaps they would consider hosting your pages.

The fraternaties as well have national pages, another option.

You have provided a wealth of info in a well written, concise and amusing format that should be read by anyone considering the path our kid's have chosen. If you need a member of a specific organization to "front" you in contacting any of the above, PM me... my son holds membership in most.

Good luck.

sewbusy

BassDad,
Excellent information and posts. Thanks very much. S2 is a HS junior and is interested in perhaps minoring or double majoring in music / performance (piano) along with a computer science major. Do you know if the process is the same with auditions and such before acceptance or if he would wait until he was actually enrolled in the school for this? One of the schools we will be looking at is CMU, but we can't visit until this summer. Doing an east coast visit during spring break with general liberal arts schools, where the music program is not as well known as the schools you mentioned. Academically he is top notch, so we can pretty much look at any level school as a possibility. Any insights or suggestions from anyone would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

bookcases

Hi,
We're also (DS 15) very interested in double majors-Music + Math/Science, at places like oberlin and others. Was it hard to do both in terms of time conflicts. I'm trying to imagine running from one school/program to the other. Any downside? How many hours of classes a week?

BassDad

Wow, a flurry.

MomO'3, The books were

Peterson's Professional Degree Programs in the Visual & Performing Arts, 2003 Edition, ISBN 0768908183

The Performing Arts Major's College Guide, 3rd edition by Carole J. Everett, copyright 1998, ISBN 0028619137

The Princeton Review Guide to Perfoming Arts Programs, by Carole J. Everett and Muriel Topaz, copyright 1998, ISBN 0375750959

There may well be newer editions available.

BassDad

Violadad,

some excellent suggestions there. Do you think any of them would allow me to publish anonymously? Although I stand behind what I have written, I have given a lot of personal information in those articles and would rather not publish my real name along with it.

BassDad

Sewbusy,

Admission processes differ from school to school, sometimes markedly. You will need to find out directly from each school of interest what is needed and when it is due. Not many schools have a performance minor, so you will want to ask about that as well.

One thing to be careful of at CMU is that the music curriculum is (or at least was) fairly rigid and does not contain many electives that can be used to satisfy the requirements of another major. I highly suggest that you research the music major requirements and the computer science requirements and figure out how long it would take to satisfy both of them.

violamom

BassDad,
I must just add my thanks for the wonderful article. Your information, and the words of wisdom and experience posted on this site by so many caring and savvy individuals have made my DD's audition process this year much easier and less stressful than it would have been otherwise. My DD really appreciated your thoughts on preparing for the audition day experience. She looked at it when she was really stressing out, and commented on how helpful it was.
How about posting your articles on other music Web Sites, e.g. "The Viola Web Site" where your information could be accessed by college bound music students who don't read CC? I'm sure many there would appreciate the guidance.
And just a final thought, would you consider writing an article on graduating from music school and facing the unkown? We would ALL appreciate that!

BassDad

bookcases,

I only have practical experience with Oberlin, so cannot answer for other schools. At Oberlin, the conservatory and the college are on the same campus and everything is within a 10-minute walk or a 2-minute bike ride. If the double degree program is completed over five years, the number of hours per week in class is not much different than it would be for a single degree completed in four years, in fact it may turn out to be a fraction of an hour less on average. The only downside that I have seen is that you have to be careful about selecting electives so that they satisfy distribution requirements, writing requirements, math proficiency requirements or cultural diversity requirements for the BA degree in the college. You need to have a plan going in and modify that plan as you go along to assure that scheduling vagaries do not keep you from graduating on time.

BassDad

Violamom,

Thank you for the kind words, but I have never had the experience of graduating from music school. My degrees were both in electrical engineering at a time when EE graduates routinely had multiple job offers months before graduation. I am afraid someone else will have to write the article that you requested.

By the way, what is this Viola Web Site of which you speak?

violadad

Bassdad-

I'm sure they would consider a non de plume to allow you to publish provided they had your personal information on record. I can understand your concerns. Again, it would depend on the publication. If you're serious, let me know and I can give you direct links. As I mentioned, my son has a contact who previously published in "Strings". They will take submissions under the proper circumstances. I've got some more suggestions if you want to PM me. Honestly, that post of yours could benefit a much broader audience. I wish I had access to that level of information six years ago when we began this process.

"The Viola Web Site" (answering for violamom; no relation)... I directed her there. It's a long standing site dedicated to violists with links to rep, source material, etc. Also, 2 discussion forums, one geared to the younger crowd. The main forum is fairly active, with postings from novice players through well known professionals. A similar site is "violinist.com". I'm sure you can find one for most any instrument if you looked hard enough.

BassDad

Violadad,

I think I will make some inquiries at Strings, possibly for the version aimed at teens. If that does not work out, I will PM you for some other ideas.

I did find The Viola Web Site and took an immediate liking to the designer who put the link for the The Viola List under a picture of a rather elderly chap and the link for The Young Violists List under a picture of someone who appears to be 5-10 years older than I am.