chelle

I hear people talking about conservatories and I'm wondering which of the schools are really conservatories, if any at all. When we visited CCM, they told us that they are not even a conservatory and haven't been for years. Decades ago they were and the name just stuck.

lorelei2702

I would think that it is those schools of music which have control over their own core curriculum, not under dictates of the faculty as a whole at the "mother school", and/or stand alone schools of music or performing arts, which would by definition have their own curriculums. THese programs of study usually have far fewer core non-music courses more credit given for all music study. For instance, in a university school of music, applied study might be 2-3 hours credit, but in a conservatory, it will be at least 3-4 each semester. Theory will "eat" more credit hours with the various component split into different courses, not just theory and ear training. These are gross generalities, but without looking up a definition with an accrediting body, this is how I would describe "conservatory".

Ericsmom

I believe the ones we looked at that use that term are Point Park, Webster, and BW, all of which are conservatories within a university. I also think there would be others, such as Boston Conservatory.

MichelleV

A lot of schools focus mainly on the arts, so most are similar to conservatories! The University of the Arts is like a conservatory atmosphere

Ericsmom

Years ago (it seems) someone put together a schedule showing the percentage of courses in an MT major that were devoted to the performing arts. I believe that some schools had a very high percentage of courses required in the major, to the exclusion of other courses outside of the major. I can't remember all of the ones that were high in performing arts classes, but I believe that CMU and Ithaca are examples. These schools do not call themselves conservatories, but it seems that the programs are much like conservatories.

IJElkiss

However with changing accreditation laws, Boco will now be forced to add math and science course work to its curriculum for incoming students.

NotMamaRose

IJElkiss, really? Why would a conservatory have to offer math and science work? Do tell!

lorelei2702

It has to do with which total faculty is control of what the curriculum is. If the whole faculty is music and/or the arts, and the other general courses are provided away from the mission of the school, by an adjunct faculty body, the curriculum will minimize non-music courses. NASM requirements have a certain limited non-music core, which is enlarged at a regular university and/or college, but kept to a minimum at conservatory. If a school is within a university, the faculty body as a whole sets curriculum, though each department and/or school sets the guidelines for the major. FOr instance, a department may require 10 upper level history courses for a history major, but the university itself will require English writing courses, math, a lab science, humanities sequence, non-western civilization course, social science sequence, etc. Each university, school, college, etc. has to satisfy the accrediting body underwhich it is validated, and that group may be requiring specific non-music subject study for the whole school.

Lulu'sMomma

Does anyone know if BOCO went through with this(adding to the curriculum)? My D will have had about all of the math and science via AP courses that she'll ever want (or need) and would really hate to take BOCO off of her lst.

st8gemom

I emailed BoCo to ask this and they said the curriculum has not changed.

soozievt

Lulu'sMomma,
Make sure with all the schools you look into, even ones that have some liberal arts requirements, to determine whether or not math/science is required. It is not required at a lot of programs.

Even at my own daughter's program, NYU/Tisch, which has a liberal arts component, my D will never be taking math or science courses. While two courses must be in the "sciences", that area is very broadly defined to include departments such as Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, and others. That is just one school example as I am familiar with their requirements.

Further, with AP math or science, your D might be able to use those credits toward some requirements that a particular college has in that area, if they have such a requirement in the first place.

Lulu'sMomma

Thanks for the BOCO info and I sure hope that she can use the math and science credits from the AP courses and she is really doing way too much. Her school doesn't count HS courses taken in Middle School, so that adds 2 extra courses right there.....