Couple of questions I’m hoping I can get answered here:
Trying to find info on importance of ACT and/or SAT scores for a conservatory bound music student. DD is 1000% sure she wants to pursue music performance and I doubt that will change from now and 2027 (or 2028 if she takes a gap year.) Planning to have her do them regardless but wondering how they are considered, if at all, by conservatories?
Would also like info on a typical course load for a piano or violin major? Obviously all the music performance, history, theory, etc would be studied but are there more liberals arts-type requirements (history, english, math, science, etc) in the studies of a music school student? Does this vary from conservatory to conservatory? DD is looking at places like Curtis, Juilliard, Boston University, NEC, Rice (not a definitive list, just places she’s got on her list to explore.)
She did BUTI YAP this summer and loved it there so BU moved up higher on her list this summer.
Would the folks in the music majors forum be helpful.
Yes, the student should take the SAT or ACT. But really for a conservatory bound student, their audition will be the key ingredient to acceptance or not.
I’m aware that the audition is the key component. I just want to know if they look at ACT/SAT scores, do they consider them at all in their decision? I would think not really which then begs the question well then, why do them? Maybe I will find answers in the thread posted above.
If your daughter is only applying to free standing conservatories such as Juilliard, Curtis, NEC, Colburn, double check on the website, but to my knowledge the SAT or ACT matter not at all.
My son (currently at one of the conservatories listed above) did take the SAT as he also applied to a couple of university based programs. Since he was chasing merit, there was some potential opportunity for academic based scholarships on top of talent/music funds.
You can generally pull up the course list for each school on their websites. Where my son attends, the schedule is packed with music related performance classes, theory, piano, music history. It leaves room for perhaps one “liberal arts type requirement” per semester. His program does not even offer anything related to math or science, so his electives have been history, art or literature related.
Back when my son applied, we emphasized keeping every door open. So he did maintain a decently rigorous HS schedule and took the SAT (with no prep). But he absolutely prioritized his pre screens and auditions above all else. It worked out well for him.
It’s a lot to juggle, most students seem to prioritize appropriately. But also good to keep in mind that the in the upcoming senior year some students rethink the environment (conservatory vs university based department) they want to be in. So sometimes keeping an option or two on the list that might not seem perfect in August is a good idea.
Edited to add: just re read OP’s initial post and I see your daughter is HS class of 2027. Would still advise an SAT/ACT down the road if she might possibly consider a college based conservatory.
My musician son went to Boston University. He did have to be in the ballpark for admissions and this included the SAT and his GPA. But his audition was the key to his acceptance into their BMA program.
At conservatories within universities, sometime you have to be accepted to the university also
The term “conservatory” covers a lot of ground. Some people use it for an BM program and some use it specifically for free standing conservatories.
@oretargent have you or has your daughter read the Double Degree Dilemma pinned at the top of the music major forum? It is really about different ways to study music, using hypothetical individuals. It seems your daughter must be an entering sophomore-?- so she could check in with that thread as time goes on.
My kid- some years ago- applied to 3 freestanding conservatories, a university with a double degree program with a conservatory, a conservatory integrated into a liberal arts college, and a small liberal arts college. They did not decide until late senior year.
Anyway…for pure, freestanding conservatories, SAT and ACT don’t matter much, though there may be exceptions I am not familiar with. For other situations, check each school but often it is a factor for admission to the college or university where a BM program is offered.
My kid, like another poster’s, did take the SAT but without any prep other than reading the basics about whether to guess etc. For musicians the issue may be less about test than taking the time and energy to prep. So maybe testing without too much SAT preparation is a compromise.
My younger son applied to audition based programs which were in universities and there are a few that we were told cared about testing. My more extensive experience is with my S21 who is at a drama conservatory. We were told there were a few schools that had baseline thresholds (Northwestern, Michigan, CMU) but the others absolutely do not care. He is at a stand alone conservatory and from conversations with others testing scores made zero impact. The places that he found they were most helpful was the programs within “safety” academic schools where his grades and SAT scores made him eligible for scholarships. I am not sure that is as common for music programs. The ones we found that did care are Emory and Gettysburg but I am sure there are more.
People already answered SAT/ACT. My D went to conservatory at SUNY Purchase as a voice major. Classes were just music (theory, history, lessons) and language (4 years). No history, English, math or science. Pretty sure most of the conservatories you listed have the basic requirements for graduation on their websites so she can go look there. If she goes someplace like IU Jacobs that is a different discussion as that is not a conservatory.
Yeah, we want her to take it for the options avenue but also just because it’s good to know where she stands. She wants to take them as well so it’s not an issue. I was more curious how the music schools look at them, or if at all.
When you say he was ‘chasing merit’ - do you mean chasing merit on the academic side, music side or both?
I mean ‘conservatory’ in the traditional sense - not housed within a university but an actual conservatory of music like Curtis or Juilliard. She is thoroughly uninterested in doing double degree programs. She wants to do performance major programs. I do not think this is going to change from now to 2027/28. I could be wrong but I know her pretty well and she has been on this path from a very young age.
She is considering schools that are not conservatories though so she’ll need to take it. My question was on whether it’s really even necessary when applying to a conservatory. I guess I’ll look at the requirements for each school. I think I did see on the Curtis site that they want ACT/SAT.
You mentioned Boston University. Their BM program is a conservatory within the large university. The music performance students (when my kid was there) had to fulfill the BU core course requirements…I think it was 8 courses. One was a writing course required of all students. This was in addition to all the music courses he was required to take, private lessons, ensembles, etc.
You need to check to see what’s what at the colleges of interested to you student.
@oretargent schools like Bard, Oberlin and Lawrence have “conservatories.” That is what I meant about varied use of the term- not just freestanding. Many universities have BM programs in “Schools of Music.”
I have 3 kids. One was a professional dancer at a young age (ballet, modern) and seemed headed for that even at age 18 but abruptly changed course to psychology. One of mine was headed to theater or perhaps history and came to music late in high school, and is still in the field with a doctorate.
I only post about this because if I could go back I wouldn’t assume anything about the future of an early high schooler. Or older students either.
It seems kind of early to be looking into programs but you will be well ahead of the game.
Your daughter should take the SAT/ACT and do the best she can on the test. Lots can happen with teenagers in two years and it is always a good idea to be prepared. If she doesn’t end up needing the score, then she doesn’t need to submit it. I wouldn’t spend $$$ on an expensive prep course, but Khan Academy is free and does a good job. She may decide to apply to both freestanding conservatories and conservatories within universities. Some of these schools (e.g., Northwestern) expect good academic performance in high school. Finally, liberal arts requirements vary widely among music programs, so I would just research those in which she is interested.
Both. We had a limited budget for all 3 of our kids. So his strategy (with the help of his private teacher and school counselors) was to target free standing conservatories (Curtis, Juilliard, et al) with the chance of sufficient merit/talent scholarship, along with a couple of college/university based conservatories (IU Jacobs for example) where he was awarded academic money stacked with talent money.
All of the programs where he applied were excellent BM conservatories with top teachers for his instrument. While he ended up at a free standing conservatory, his second choice was a conservatory within a university.
I do recommend that students stay open to both types of environments, they are more similar than they are different. And there are pros and cons. So this is why my son went with keeping all doors open as he went into his senior year. And of course, the acceptance rates at some of the conservatories are very low, so applying solely to top conservatories would have been a frightening risk.
Will your kid be applying to any of the scholarships or honors programs at schools she wants to target? Stand alone conservatories or music schools within larger universities? Did she take mock tests? Will strong academics set her apart among other applicants?
Application process to some of those programs may have earlier deadlines, additional requirements and essays. I strongly recommend taking the SAT/ACT at least once to support applications to more selective schools or programs. D23 got full ride music scholarships to Vanderbilt and Emory and I think her test scores definitely helped.
BUTI YAP will probably help her waive some of the prescreens, not only at Boston University. Check out Music admissions thread, it was already mentioned here. Close-knit community and a lot of resources. Good luck!