@Lefishes my son will be at Juilliard this fall as well. Congratulations!!
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Is it possible that the kids accepted to Curtis didnât apply to Juilliard due to affordability reasons? The teacher aims to maintain a balance among students and accepted the students who applied to both to Juilliard.
We only applied to Colburn and didnât choose SFCM, where the teacher also teaches.
My kid is attending Colburn for violin performance. I think that is the best option for him at this point. Can anyone with knowledge on Colburn and similar schools weigh in on whether, if he decides years down the line to pivot to another career path, whether a BM from Colburn will be as flexible in its usefulness as, say, a BM from a university with a music school?
I donât think this will happen, but I am a person that likes (actually, needs) to fully weigh all alternatives, at all points in the future, especially since my kid is entering such an uncertain industry. Loves his path, canât see him doing anything else whatsoever, but in life you never know.
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Fantastic!!! Hereâs to a great start in the fall! 
Entirely possible. Except in this case (double bass) it was a lot of the same people. Not much is free. If they donât get into Curtis or Colburn where should they apply? I donât think it hurts to apply to expensive places unless thereâs 0 chance of getting aid or a scholarship, i.e. things I wish I had known before D applied to USC.
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I canât say where their heads are at. Seems like the tippy-top auditioners that day at Curtis get accepted, and the rest fall where they may. The teacher who accepted my D (who teaches at both Juilliard and Curtis) said she was a âtop pickâ for his studio. Why she wasnât a âtop pickâ at Curtis is probably because a few kids were better. In double bass there are 2 teachers at Curtis and 4 at Juilliard. I donât know if they make decisions together or separately.
The kids getting into Curtis are likely getting full or near full scholarships at Juilliard as well, so I donât think that is it. There are many reasons to want to go to either school and some reasons not to go as well. Maybe they just donât like NY or Philly!
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Colburn is pretty narrow in focus. I think most of the conservatories are. That being said, if you really wanted to pivot, I donât see how itâs different from a general BA degree in humanities at a normal university. Some kids at Rice that I know of do/did dual majors, so music + computer science is probably more useful, but then youâre not giving 150% of your time to your instrument, and without that, I donât think itâs possible for most people to have a shot at a professional career. Also, strangely for it being free, at least in our instrument, the best kids tend not even to apply to Colburn, and I donât really know whyâŠsince they all apply to Curtis.
I struggle with the uncertainty of the performance world as well. Having said that, for my kid entering conservatory a few years ago, I too saw that it was the path he needed to be on. He absolutely would have been unfulfilled anywhere else. Being a parent of a musician takes a leap of faith at points in their lives. Making a college/conservatory decision is one of them.
Our kids are talented for sure, but also smart and resourceful. They will find their way, but it may not be the way we (or even they) envisioned.
Just my opinion, but if your musician loves their path now (with the caveat that it is affordable, which of course Colburn is) then take that leap of faith with them. It will not be time wasted, and there are always options to adjust course. No matter the degree or program.
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I have to disagree working in this - people have all different backgrounds in the professional world. The BU horn teacher has an anthropology degree from Harvard - amazing player!
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This whole journey has been kind of eye opening, from so many different disciplines and instruments and interests and options. I donât even know a thing about a lot of these schools- literally didnât know their names, and my daughter has been in bands with lots of kids at Juilliard/MSM. Iâm glad there is such an expansive world of music. Makes me feel more hopeful.
So excited for how all their journeys unfold. Congrats everyone
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From my experience, there are a couple of roads in music.
1.) The straight and narrow road - from music at a young age to pre-college, to âtopâ conservatory and then maybe an orchestra position or a successful touring artistâŠor possibly a gig life with teaching.
2.) The wide and windy road - from music at young or teenage years, to a top or selective or darn good music school (UG or grad level) and then maybe a permanent postion but most likely a gig life with teaching.
In either case, young adults do step off the path sometimes and do other music-related work (arts administation etc) or not (become interested in other work). Life is long. Still, a music degree is a good discipline to set you up for other âadventuresâ in life if you so choose.
Here is a thread on the subject for anyone experiencing angst about the future: How do musicians make money?
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Kpatterson
Some kids at Rice that I know of do/did dual majors, so music + computer science is probably more useful, but then youâre not giving 150% of your time to your instrument, and without that, I donât think itâs possible for most people to have a shot at a professional career.
George2020
I have to disagree working in this - people have all different backgrounds in the professional world. The BU horn teacher has an anthropology degree from Harvard - amazing player!]
I was going to post something similar and @George2020 was so glad you did. I once had a long conversation with Dave Eggar, a cellist, who went to Harvard, about the advantages of that path. Everyone is different. But i do know some musicians with thriving careers who didnât even major in music in college. For kids who want their day to be 100% music, conservatories and schools of music are absolutely the best choice, with many career options if they change their goals. But a BM is not the only path for those who have talent and want to be in music as a career.
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Agree with you both. My older son is at Rice (where it is âallowedâ but definitely not encouraged by the music school to do anything but music⊠a couple people do but they are insanely over-busy with all the regular academic requirements that Rice puts on all students). Many of his classmates are now either attempting to enter the work force or trying to get into grad school and it is difficult; a few are taking âgap yearsâ. If you have your heart set on a certain path as a musician youâll probably be disappointed. There are very few âsoloistsâ but thatâs what some people think theyâll do when they first start in music; and orchestra jobs (at least ones you can make a living with) are not that easy to come by either, with so many people auditioning for a single spot. I think a musician has to know that theyâll have a creative career - as in, theyâll create their own opportunities and make a musical life for themself, made up of a bunch of stuff, most likely!
My younger son went to Yale after reading about successful musicians like Alisa Weilerstein (Columbia) and YoYo Ma (Harvard) who did BAs in other areas and music on the side. If you love music you just keep making music and see where it takes you.
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This!!
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I have often thought of posting a thread about studentsâ and parentsâ envisioned career goals in music but I donât want to encourage careerism so early. It is a wonderful thing to do what you love during undergrad years. For some that is purely music, for some it is, say anthropology and music.
But I also assume that many are thinking about future career, ability to self-support and so on so I sometimes wonder what people have in mind. Mind you, a BM can still lead to many career options, and a BA in something else can still lead to music grad school, and I think flexibility is important.
Many of the musicians I know personally (post grad or post doctorate) are working in small ensembles, or collectives, are doing residencies at colleges, traveling globally, and some of them do a lot of grant-writing. Teaching is, of course, an important path for musicians and composers alike. It can work!
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AndâŠI forgot to add in the âlong and windy roadâ people who donât get a BM or BS or BA in musicâŠbut something elseâŠand keep playing throughout their lifeâŠand find their own success in music (full time or part time).
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And just to chime inâŠthe successful educational path does not need to be via Harvard, Yale, Columbia et al.
So many studio musicians, full time successful professionals we know who went through state schools, community colleges, the militaryâŠ
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This is very true 
I just used the examples we knew of (and my sonâs choice). He also looked at other schools, which had both strong music departments and good science programs. There are many options.
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@anotheroboemom great addition. So often Yo Yo Ma and other Ivy League grads are mentioned. I was guilty of that too with Dave Eggar though I just happened to have conversed with him. Continued lessons and performance, whether in a or BA program, muisc major or not, at many schools can result in a career in music (yes full or part time). And the teacher can be in the community. In fact, the oft-mentioned Harvard asks students to find their own teachers for lessons.
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