<p>If you did look in California, your best option would be USC – Thornton School of Music, and USC for academics. They are generous with scholarships, especially if you are a national merit finalist. USC gets mixed reviews as a academic institution; some say it is up there with UCLA, others have an ongoing bias against it, from when it was thought of as “university of spoiled children.” UCLA and some other UC’s have music performance degrees (UCSB, UCSD, UCSC, UCI) and you could do a double major, but they are not as highly regarded for music performance. There are few private colleges in California, and of those, fewer with good music. Maybe the Claremont consortium would offer some possibilities, but it is not really an optimal place for serious performance.</p>