Hello. My son is a musically advanced pianist (and organist) and he is autistic. His grades and test scores will prevent him from pursuing a traditional bachelors degree so we are looking for a music school, conservatory or special program at a university or college that offers a certificate program or some course of study in music exclusively. My son would be able to take theory and possibly some music culture classes but he wants to focus on classical music performance and composition. Thus far we have not been able to find a program that doesn’t require the core classes (biology, English, history, etc.). Music professors at 2 universities who worked with him strongly encouraged him to apply to their respective universities but when I explained that he would not be able to do the non-music academic classes, they were at a loss as to how he could continue his music education after high school. Is there anything out there for musically gifted autistics who can’t do the core academic classes? Thanks in advance.
Looking forward to responses.
Peabody has a Performer’s Certificate program that does not require any core classes, although you still have to take theory and music history.
@compmom ?
Has he/have you considered a stand alone conservatory? The liberal arts requirements are not necessarily rigorous and sometimes there is no math or science. I am going to send you a PM (upper right, envelope)
Another option is to attend, say, Landmark College or Lesley’s Threshold or whatever school fits his needs (“autism” covers a lot of ground) and continue to study privately.
Yes, stand alone conservatories would have no math, science or foreign language (except for voice/opera) There is a music history requirement. And a few liberal arts electives. But a relatively small part of the overall curriculum.
I guess my first question is whether you are looking for a wrap-around college experience for your son, as a context for studying piano, or whether the musical training is the only goal.
There are universities with strong music programs, which also offer non-credit programs for students with developmental disabilities; and within those programs, students can enroll in regular classes and extracurriculars that are appropriate for their interests and needs. Would he benefit from such a program, above and beyond being able to access piano training? If so, then it would be worth inquiring as to what his access to the music department might be, as a student in such a program.
To give one example, Inclusive U at Syracuse University has its own programming, but also allows its students to take/audit regular SU classes. SU has strong performing arts programs, including a BM in piano performance. Theoretically, if he could be admitted to Inclusive U and had a member of the piano faculty who was willing to take him on as a student, then he might be able to have a college experience that meets his needs and provides the musical training he wants.
Of course, not all music profs/departments would be open to such an arrangement, and presumably not all programs for students with disabilities would be the right fit either, so the question is - if in fact you want both components, can you find both in one place? Syracuse is just one example; looking at this list, there are quite a few schools with very strong music programs. A few that stand out to me are CSU Northridge, UCLA, San Jose State, U of Montana, Appalachian State, U of Cincinnati, Ohio State, Temple U, Vanderbilt, U of North Texas, and WVU… but there are quite a few others that might have the right combination of offerings.
There’s also this: https://www.berkshirehills.org/
Does any of that sound like what you might be looking for? Or are you really just looking for “a la carte” access to the music piece?
We have a friend at Berkshire Hills if you have any questions.
It may be worth looking at website of Converse in South Carolina.
If I were in this situation I think that I would call admissions at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and ask them for suggestions. It is my understanding that they accept some students who are very musically talented but otherwise not so strong from an academic point of view. They do also have some summer classes for high school students (my older daughter took one many years ago and liked it a lot, but then started focusing on academics more than music).
Look at Berklee’s certificate programs
My son is at U of North Texas and has a TON of academic courses (over 45 credits)…just mentioning bc I saw it listed above. MOst of the schools he looked at had academic credits. Even Berklee had 42 liberal Arts credits…they were more Music focused (ie. HIstory credit could be “Rock History” but still academic in nature)
Yes, the suggestion was not to enroll in a degree program at UNT, but rather to see whether their UNT ELEVAR program might fit his support needs, and also allow him access to courses and training in the music school. (Obviously I know nothing about the student’s abilities and needs other than his music aptitude and his limitations that make a traditional degree program unrealistic. A program like this may or may not fit, but it seemed worth running up the flagpole, since programs like this do allow students to participate in regular classes and activities as appropriate.)
WOW! I had no clue they had a program like this…VERY cool for me to see as a special ed teacher…love that colleges do this. Thanks for linking that.
It seems many responses are suggesting a supportive program (Landmark, Lesley, UNT and others have programs tailored to autism, ADHD, other learning challenges) for the degree along with private study or certificate study on piano. I personally would go with private study but there needs to be some exploration of performance opportunities.
If all of the typical undergrad music coursework would be doable, just not the other subjects, then quite a few conservatories have an option for taking most or all of the music curriculum without the liberal arts requirements of the bachelor’s program. A few have been mentioned above (e.g. Peabody, Berklee). I just thought I’d add that quite a few schools have similar options. It’s usually 3 years, and audition expectations are usually as high or even higher than admission to the bachelor’s degree. Often these are called “undergraduate diploma” but the terminology isn’t always consistent. Some more examples include:
Piano - Undergraduate Diploma | The Juilliard School (3-year diploma)
Undergraduate Programs - NECMusic (3-year diploma or 1-year performance certificate)
Undergraduate Programs: Bachelor of Music; Artist Certificate | Cleveland Institute of Music (3-year artist certificate)
Piano; L.Mus. (Major) | Music - McGill University (3-year licentiate)