<p>song_mage31, I have a distinctly different opinion from Betterday55…</p>
<p>A lot depends on what your interests are in music. Most of the institutions that Betterday55 cites are conservatory environments that are intended for students with a passionate focus on music, particularly if your intent is aimed toward performance. Some of the other schools, such as Rice (Shepherd School of Music), have a completely different orientation from what Emory is offering in its music programs, but this does not make it a lesser program necessarily – only different in its focus. Also, whereas the conservatories and schools that Betterday55 mentions are in fact excellent, they are also ultra competitive in order to win admission (i.e., schools such as Julliard and Curtis have acceptance rate that might be in the 5-9% range in some years.) As for the faculty, if you look at Emory’s music faculty, you will see many of them with educational credentials from Yale, Indiana, Michigan, and Northwestern Universities as well as a number from Eastman School of Music. More importantly, my experience with the faculty is that they are simply VERY passionate about music, and this translates well to the students.</p>
<p>If you say you love Emory, its appeal is no doubt in the breadth of its liberal arts tradition, and music at Emory is a part of this embodiment. Though one can certainly be a devoted and “serious” music student at Emory (and many music majors are), the emphasis is to provide a continuation of your interests in music while fully exploring everything else that may interest you. If indeed your interest (and passion) is solely in musical performance, then I would agree that Emory is not going to best serve this interest – although there are students who leave Emory with a degree in music and do pursue piano performance, for instance. On the other hand, if say you want to study music, continue performance activities, and study Journalism, then Emory’s music department has what you want.</p>
<p>My daughter is a good example of someone who was not yet ready to let go of her interests in music/piano, but neither was she wanting a conservatory environment or to be focused only on music. She has played piano since the age of 5 and has participated in well over 60 adjudicated piano competitions/festivals, including winning a number of competitions and state-level honors here in California. My daughter for the past 11 years was taught by an Indiana University-trained professional, and she has had multiple master classes from nationally-recognized performance professionals and conservatory faculty, as well as having done piano camps with acceptance by audition. She is now a freshman at Emory and walked in with an intended double-major that included music and taking a pre-med track courseload. Her double-major gave her free subsidized piano lessons. She eventually decided she could not maintain the double-major when scheduling for ensemble rehearsals, etc. came into a conflict with other classes. No doubt, it’s a difficult grind, and double-majors in music and another discipline routinely seem to be taking 20-24 units per semester term, compared to 16 units for most other students. Based on what I observed, and my conversations with those involved with music at Emory (including students), it can be very intense in its commitment. The opportunities for performance, including required ensemble performance for music majors, are great. For orchestral instrumentalists, the opportunities are even greater than for pianists, and for choral majors, the program is truly one of the best in the country. I have heard the Emory Symphony Orchestra, the Emory Wind Ensemble and the Concert Choir in performance, and I can say that they are all excellent. (As a bona fide, I can say that I have the good fortune to be able to attend world-class performances here in the San Francisco Bay Area.)</p>
<p>Incidentally, in order to be a music major (or double-major) at Emory, an audition is required. (My daughter auditioned via submitted CD during her senior year in H.S.) You can find information about it here: <a href=“http://www.music.emory.edu/performance/aud.faq.html[/url]”>http://www.music.emory.edu/performance/aud.faq.html</a></p>