If you decide to look in Ohio, you might also consider Otterbein; it is an auditioned program but I don’t think it’s cutthroat, and they have lots of options within the major (including education). My son’s an acting major there, and his freshman roommate was a music/music ed major–really nice kid, very involved in ensembles etc., but very down-to-earth. We had a great time at an opera performance put on by the music dep’t there a couple of years ago–again, low-key but skillful and spirited. The MT productions use student musicians in their orchestra, and that’s been uniformly impressive. They offer great financial aid, too. Worth a look!