Hello, My son is a violinist, current junior in HS, and has dyslexia, other learning disabilities, and ADHD. Because of this his high school course load was mostly regular level classes, only one honors, and even was in a resource class in freshman year. He has a 3.8 GPA but we can not send his test scores because they are very low. He is a pretty good violinist but not the top. I am wondering about which schools are more strict on being admitted academically before being admitted to the music program? I don’t want to waste time on schools where he just has no shot at getting admitted academically. Some I am wondering about are Boston U, U Miami, Vanderbilt? Are these out of the question because of academics? Some others on his list are Temple, Oberlin, Eastman, Peabody, UNCSA, U del, U maryland, maybe CCM. We are still working on narrowing the list. We live in south jersey. Any advice is greatly appreciated, especially other schools to add to his list or ones we should take away.
Does your son want a conservatory (which seems unlikely for a “pretty good” but not top violinist )or a college with a nice music program?
If he is looking for a conservatory, then he may need to sharpen his violin skills (unless you undersold him by saying skills are pretty good).
If he is looking for a college with a music program, then the first step is to find academic fits and then seek out schools in his range with good music programs. Being an outstanding musician may boost admission chances at some colleges, but you also don’t want him to be overwhelmed academically.
A couple of ideas offhand might be Bard and Ithaca.
Any financial, geographic, other constraints?
For a school like U Miami…..we were told by a professor there that if your audition is really good and if you have solid grades (like not a C student) it’s easier for Frost to work with Admissions to get you admitted. The great thing about Frost is you won’t have to send those test scores since they are one of the few programs that don’t require it. As for some of the other schools you can definitely get away with not sending scores if they are optional and that may be the best course of action. I would definitely work on beefing up music skills so that the audition can be SOLID because that will be key.
So musically he is in the top youth orchestras but he’s not the front. He has had soloed with orchestra and was concertmaster of the second to the top youth orchestra before moving to the top level. He is highly musical but with some sloppiness I would say. He is not looking at Juillard or curtis or anything like that. His teacher is in the Philadelphia Orchestra. She said he has a chance to get into Peabody, oberlin, eastman and she has a lot of experience with this…so for me he is not the top meaning not going Juillard or Curtis, but he’s pretty good - hope that clarifies. He is planning to apply to conservatory and colleges w Music. My main concern is the academics and how that factors in. We hope to not spend a ton and would like him to get some scholarship money. I’m not a big fan of Ithaca for a couple of reasons.
OK thanks he has a 3.8 GPA actually. It is just the courseload- I know most students take a very vigorous course load with honors and AP and he did not do that. He is already working hard on preparing his auditon . Test scores are abysmal unfortunately!
I wouldn’t even worry about course load. My son has taken 3 music classes every year, he only took 1 AP and that was Music Theory. He takes SOME honors classes (like history, English, and science) but for the most part his course load isn’t stacked like other peers.
The key is apply EA to any school on his list. That gives him an advantage.
Oh ok thank you that is good to know. He took only one honors class (German) and is taking AP theory. He was in resource room for ELA in freshman year, but did move up to the regular class. I hope he can get into schools!
He will!!!
I second @FSUSammy that this is not universally true for music applicants. My son had decent grades, 1 AP, 2 years of a foreign language and 3 years of science. And endless hours in the practice room.
He was accepted to several university based programs and several conservatories. I’m certain it was based on his audition, certainly not his academic rigor.
Has your son considered any free standing conservatories?
Good luck!
Man, this sounds a lot like my kid.
I think you’re (he’s) in better shape than you think; with a legit shot at those places you listed. I hate “I know a guy” posts, but I do know of a bassist from my kid’s very top Youth Symphony with lower grades than that from a crappy city school that got a full ride at BU. Don’t know SATs, but he was beloved at both the orchestra and his school (and an awesome bassist), which is to say recommendations go along way.
Best of luck!
He might want to look into some of the Colleges that Change Lives ctcl.org
For instance College of Wooster Degree Programs and the Minor in Music – Department of Music
Lawrence Conservatory Admissions | Lawrence University
St. Olaf Instrumental Studies – Music
Maybe others on there. I would also look at state schools with BM programs. And of course free standing conservatories, including Mannes, Manhattan, NEC- not sure his geographic preference but there are more of course.
No to Bard most likely because it requires a double degree from conservatory students. Oberlin might be a reach, not sure.
Does he have accommodations at high school? He can have them for SAT and ACT (allow 6-8 weeks) and he can register at college and get extra time etc.
Dyslexia, ADHD and other learning disabilities are challenging and he has done well. Is his focus on getting a BM for violin? Does he have other ideas? He is still a year and a half away! It sounds like he will end up with some good choices and you must be proud of him.
My D29 is potentially also looking to do a dual major in Music (violin) and ??? something else; maybe business maybe science, maybe math, who knows right now. But we have also been trying to dig a bit deeper and find schools that are good for both music and non-music programs. My son is at Miami Ohio majoring in Biochem / premed, but a dual major in Music (only possible due to a good chunk of AP credits). But … Miami Ohio has a good (not awesome) music program, although it is not a conservatory. It’s a direct admit for the music program so technically, Music is my son’s primary degree. He was also dual accepted into Case Westerns regular program and music program and Cincinnati and CCM. CCM is a very good music program and the only reason my son didn’t go there is you really need to be all in at CCM with little time to take anything else. Case has a very good program and is tied with CIM (although there are some negative rumblings about CIM currently). We were told that applying to Case as a music major does not require as rigorous of grades as they normally require. But Case is expensive. It will really depend on what type of degree and post college career he wants. If he is hoping to be a professional musician the college he attends is different that if he wants to be a music teacher. Some schools like Vandy and CCM don’t allow you to dual major if you are in the music program until I think your second semester or the second year.
Does your son prefer a university with academic opportunities outside of music, or would he prefer a free-standing conservatory?
It may not be advantageous for him to attend an academically-elite university; his academic requirements could be unnecessarily daunting, and he might be deterred from exploring non-musical areas of interest if the academic demands are too intimidating. A school with a strong conservatory and reputable-but-not-elite academics, ideally with supports available, seems like it would be a better fit. Have you looked at U of Denver? Lamont School of Music is excellent. Academics are well-regarded, but but the level of competitiveness seems more in line with what would fit for him, plus there’s a support program that could be helpful: The Learning Effectiveness Program | Student Affairs It’s a little farther from home than others you’re considering, but there are tons of direct flights to Denver, and DU is very easy to get to on public transit from the airport, so overall an easier trip than some that are technically closer.
I agree that UMiami and Lawrence U could both be good options; St Olaf too. In addition to the LAC’s with conservatory programs already mentioned, Gettysburg’s Sunderland Conservatory could be worth a look as well.
In terms of publics, IU Jacobs School of Music could be a good choice… and for a NJ student, Rutgers Mason Gross could be an excellent option for an in-state price.
I would ask pretty much the same question- what is your son most passionate about and how does he imagine his life and relationship to music? Almost all the stand-alone conservatories and Oberlin are SAT optional. GPA is good so won’t matter. Admission will almost all come down to his audition. Families differ on their willingness to support an arts education. Ultimately, we have felt an undergrad degree is an undergrad degree for many jobs. At graduation at 22?, they still have plenty of other paths to build on that. (Grad school, other branches of the music biz than performance, etc.)
The big issue as Junior should he choose such a path is having a teacher who regularly prepares students for college auditions, who knows the schools and the teachers, and possibly the schools know the teacher. If the current teacher thinks Eastman and Oberlin are possible, ask him what it would take to step up in schools to the most competitive. (My daughter is auditioning to both Eastman and Oberlin, so not meaning to slight them, they are very good schools.) I tried to convince my kid think about a gap year, as there is no down side if you can stay on track and advance your rep..
Just some thoughts, you know your kid and your families POV.
He took the sat with accommodations and still scored very low-800 total. We all decided it’s not even worth trying to raise it. Thank you for these recs I will look into these and add to the list.
Me and my husband both have performance degrees- bm and mm. We fully know how hard it is to have a career in this field. I would like him to also get a teaching cert at some point or he was sort of interested in arts admin. So some of the conservatory only options do not offer teaching cert. but he could always go ahead and do that later. But on the other hand if we are paying all that money, maybe it’s better to do it now. His teacher has prepared kids that went to Curtis, Juilliard, colburn, cim, Nec, as well as state schools Or universities w music programs. We are all fully aware that he’s not at that level to go to Curtis or juilliard and won’t be by next year either. I think it’s his disabilities in particular the adhd that would make playing at that level really difficult for him.
Thank you for all these school recs! I hadn’t looked at Denver but I’m not opposed to it. His current teacher teaches at Rutgers but is leaving and didn’t have great feedback about it, I need to ask her more about why. I think my son would prefer conservatory but we want him to maybe double in education or arts admin so he can work after graduating.
I still view an undergrad BM in music (or BA, but a BM seems appropriate for your son) as a useable platform to go forward in many different directions, not all even music-related. I personally think that at an undergrad level, students should pursue what they love. Career outcome is still flexible. If academics are a struggle (despite your son’s high GPA), all the more reason to seek a conservatory BM.
My kid has a doctorate in music and they and peers are very aware of how hard it is to build a career in music, but they are all making their way- some in music, some in a variety of fields, some in a combo (aka day job). Even after 12 years of education in music (all valuable), there is still flexibility in career outcome. Our joke is there is nothing wrong with doing real estate and playing in a regional orchestra or composing at night (Ives worked in insurance!). The point is getting a bachelor’s at this point.
As I am not a musician, but in the visual arts, you likely have a clearer view. Sounds like he has a good teacher. It’s common on these online forums to hear from kids who are isolated, with teacher’s not in a position to optimize their development and choices.
I would be curious to know strategies, other than Grad school, for getting certified or specializing in admin. as we all worry about our kids future economic lives. Possibly getting a certificate post graduation at a cheaper school?
If the teacher says Oberlin and Eastman- these are still very competitive schools for violin spaces, so that says something about his playing. Have heard Peabody is on the rise, hear it mentioned more often.
We are choosing to try for the best quality music program she can go to- figure out the rest
later.
May not be the wisest. Both parents here artist’s too. Our parents let us follow our path. (Back then 70s, early 80s 
it was much cheaper, though,)
At Oberlin, he could minor in arts administration (or just about anything else the College offers). A double degree is very rigorous and can take 5 years (at Oberlin, it is designed to take 5 years though some do it in 4).