My son sent an email to the specific music professor, the music school and the admissions office asking them to withdraw his application. He explained that he was pursuing other opportunities of school’s he had been accepted to. All responses wished him well. He did this as soon as a school moved to number 5 or lower on his list, after he started receiving acceptances.
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Once mine got acceptances to his top 2 he wasn’t interested in auditioning at his last couple schools, so he just reached out to the College of Music and asked them to remove his application and cancel his audition. All were kind and wished him well. He knew the professor at one of the schools so he emailed him as well.
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The lack of a standardized date or process for notifications is a large part of what makes this so nerve wracking. For example, does it mean anything if we haven’t heard from any professors? We might hear any day, or maybe mid-March, or anything else.
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I just learned about SB 199 in Indiana (see quoted text below from Chalkbeat). According to the article, the passage of SB 199 would eliminate IU Bloomington’s Bachelor of Music program. This specific program was listed in the article and several other sources as being on the chopping block. Has anyone recently been to a Q&A session during which someone asked what would happen to students who are offered placement at Jacobs SOM if SB 199 passes? Or have insight? We’re going to auditions on Friday and am afraid to ask in front of my daughter lest it freak her out before she auditions.
It’s mind-boggling for an incoming freshman (or anyone) to potentially pass on other offers to matriculate to Jacobs if the program is in danger of being eliminated in the next few years.
From Chalkbeat’s article:
“Indiana lawmakers are moving to eliminate state college degrees that aren’t earning graduates enough on the job market, mirroring the federal government’s targeting of career programs delivering poor results.
SB 199 appears to only apply to a handful of degrees at nonprofit institutions like Ball State, Indiana University, and Ivy Tech, according to data on low-earning programs released by the U.S. Department of Education.
The legislation requires state colleges and universities to eliminate low-earning degrees as defined by the federal Higher Education Act, unless the state Commission for Higher Education grants an exemption.”
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In 2025, the state of Indiana eliminated and merged many degree arts programs at Universities around the state, including music Ed PHD, music therapy programs, etc. You can Google to see the long list. It was a foreshadowing of what was to come. My son had IU as his #2 a couple of years ago and this was a big concern of mine. While Bloomington was somewhat protected from other politics in the state, seems like it no longer is. You can also read about IUs Board censorship of their student newspaper this past Fall. It’s all very eye opening.
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I am a Hoosier and I apologize immensely for my state legislators who are attempting to legislate (again) something they know little to nothing about. Personally, I am not worried about the BM degree being eliminated. People here will fight this tooth and nail. At worst, Jacobs will figure out a work around as they did with some degree consolidations required by the state last fall. Here is the letter I sent to my legislators just last week. It appears I was correct in my prediction that just stupidly throwing this idea out to see if it will stick, will leave a smear even if it doesn’t (huge eyeroll).
Dear Legislator,
I am a resident of Vigo County and thus one of your constituents. As a lover of live music performance—from symphonies, to operas, to Broadway musicals and more—and as the mother of professional musicians, I am writing to share my concerns over SB 199. This bill proposes the elimination of state college degrees based on career earnings.
According to several articles I have read regarding this bill, the list of degrees targeted for elimination includes the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Bachelor of Music degree. I have had three children attend Indiana University for music performance degrees (one is in attendance and pursuing this degree currently). While I am hopeful that Indiana University and Jacobs School of Music will fight this elimination and succeed, I am concerned that the state legislators behind this bill do not realize the damage they have already caused by just giving air to the idea.
I am in multiple social media groups and forums for parents of current and prospective music students. I even serve as an administrator for one. I fear that within a week articles discussing this bill will be shared on them, and Indiana University will be immediately removed from the list of schools to which many of these parents’ kids will even apply. No one wants his or her student to consider a program that might (even if it doesn’t) go under before it can be completed. I already see this removal of Jacobs School of Music from application lists when it comes to our state’s abortion and non-friendly lgbtq policies—some music students do not want to travel to, live in, or spend money in our overly conservative state. I also saw this concern about attending Indiana University Jacobs when the push for degree consolidation was made by the statehouse last fall.
As far as the damage that could be caused by this bill’s passage, state legislators pushing it need to consider the financial implications. An extremely high number of foreign and out-of-state students (Jacobs School of Music is WORLD renowned for so many of its programs) are paying full, or close to full, out-of-state tuition for these music degrees. This is money coming into our state university and thus into our state as a whole.
I say all of this half fearing that these legislators do know what they are doing and that their disdain for “liberal” Indiana University is so great they are willing to cut off their noses to spite their faces. What a shame! Weakening one of the TOP music schools in the country weakens Indiana University as a whole and in turn weakens the State of Indiana.
I will concede that a music degree makes very few people rich (monetarily anyway). Students undertaking this degree at Indiana University are not ignorant of this fact — anyone who can make it through five semesters of music theory should be considered near genius. They know they could face financial obstacles. They realize they will likely need side hustles to make it through the lean years of auditioning and gigging (a topic for an entirely different letter on society’s unwillingness to pay musicians what they are worth). However, like it or not, a bachelor of music degree is a gateway to the professional music world and a difficult path that any music lover should be grateful some are willing to take.
On an end note, I will add that my husband and I attended a Jacobs School of Music opera last weekend. SB 199 does explain the somewhat cryptic opening message the Dean of Music gave – something along the lines of “as long as we are all still here” that received an uproar of applause from the audience. A response that gives me hope that I am not alone in my concerns and that others will bring them to you as well. I hope that you too share these concerns, will work to defeat/amend this bill, and attempt to rectify the damage that even just its proposal has likely already caused.
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Thank you for sharing. 
You’re welcome. But I wish I didn’t have to. Sigh….
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Ugh.
Ohio, Florida, or Texas: which will be the next to try this?
I’m also from Indiana. While the State hands down performative legislation, it announces in the next breath its $16M investment in the Musical Arts Center at Jacobs. What they say is in conflict of what they budget and spend (do).
Lately, Indiana University has been the punching bag for a small, loud, highly partisan block in the State government. I’m encouraged that most of their efforts lack real results (most of the curriculum consolidation isn’t out of the ordinary at any large institution auditing for efficiencies), and they get the attention they crave, so for all the noise it hasn’t yielded any tragic outcomes yet. They are buoyed by a Governor who is wildly unpopular across party lines and will attach himself to anything that makes him look active. He can’t pound the facts or results, so he pounds the desk a lot.
For a thorough, objective look at the bill freethepenguins is referencing, I would refer you to Indiana economist Michael Hicks of the Indianapolis Star.
Indiana ignores real problems to pass bills from other states | Opinion
TLDR Version- The bill is handed down across multiple states from a political think tank and addresses a problem that doesn’t really exist in Indiana. But it does lob at salvo in the current national debate on what Universities represent and how they operate.
I’m an Indiana alum, and my daughter is awaiting her VP decision from Bloomington. I wonder why my alma mater (which has been politically milquetoast, historically) has become a pawn in a larger political tug of war. An overwhelming majority of the drama at IU is not coming from the administration. It’s coming from the Capitol. I have wondered if it has the potential to negatively impact her experience there. It makes me very sad I live in a State that provides such an incredible musical opportunity for my children, and I have to seriously consider what is happening and if I need to look outside of Indiana and a school that remains dear to me. I am NOT a musician. But I remember walking by Merrill Hall and the MAC. You could hear music pouring down the hallways. I’d think “One of these dudes might play Carnegie Hall one day.” I saw Branford Marsalis eating on a bench once. Completely unbothered. Probably because lots of guys like him frequented that special place. Jazz went from a flirtation to a love when I was lucky enough to get a seat in David Baker’s History of Jazz class.
But that $16M check bolsters what I knew on campus thirty years ago and what I still believe today. For all the red-faced screaming…even those most currently against institutions of higher learning know what the Jacobs School of Music and the Kelley School of Business mean to Indiana. What they say into a microphone, and what they approve to financially support are two different things. I hope I’m right.
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Thanks for this. Happy to call you my neighbor:).
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Thanks, Mom! As an encouraging aside, I was joking with an Admissions Admin about the Football team, and what Coach Cignetti must mean to the School of Music. She deadpanned that it’s no joke at all. Applications are up 20% over the last two years, and they don’t think it’s a coincidence. Indiana University will always thrive. No matter how much the purse strings get weaponized in Indianapolis, there are too many alum in this State to let any real damage happen to the old girl.
Never Daunted!!!
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Really making private schools a tad more appealing because they can usually control this a bit better.
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Any decision update from you guys? Did you find out about temple $$ yet?
The world feels heavy today, and I am trying to distract myself with the joy of my son getting his first acceptance to a program he auditioned at. He still has one more audition in front of him, and 5 programs to hear from including that upcoming audition. But having one official acceptance feels like such a relief.
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Great news for your son LBH. Just a few more weeks to go.
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Ok, it’s so strange to be back on these boards again. My oldest daughter did MT auditions MANY years ago, now go through the process with my son, for VP.
He’s young for a senior, so he wasn’t sure about school or gap year for the fall. He applied to 3 programs (UMich/SMTD, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes), passed prescreens on all 3. He’s had 1 acceptance so far, 2 auditions coming up this week. Excited for him, anxious as well.
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Curious, what month was your son born in? Mine was born at the very end of August! I have thought about holding him back a year.
@momto5kidz - sent you a message!
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We heard from IU on 2/6 that daughter was accepted but I think that must be to IU overall. No official word from Jacobs but lots of back and forth with first choice teacher there. Given the 18th deadline you mention I think I understand now why he wants to know if “she’s serious”. Thanks for the info. Quite disturbing the potential interference in the school’s operation by the state legislators that someone else pointed out. That’s gotta factor into everyone’s decision about Jacobs and sure hope rational thinking prevails.