Thank you for all of the responses! I’ll take a look at some of the schools listed above.
I did read the Double Degree Dilemma essay - I do think the BA would be the better option for my kid (he would want to keep more options open) but I’m having trouble locating a BA program that also seems to have some type of established bass faculty. So far, I haven’t come across a B.A. program that doesn’t require an audition. Maybe those are at LACs?
However, my son is more geared towards a B.S. degree than a B.A. (so doing all of the liberal arts distribution requirements, foreign language, etc., would be a turn-off). I think the best-looking option I saw was Case Western’s “secondary major” in music but even if he could get in, it would probably be out of reach financially. If there are any other programs like that, I’d love to hear about them!
@prodesse George Mason is right down the road from us, so we’re very familiar! Every music teacher in this area seems to have gone to Mason or JMU!
My son will likely audition for some one-week summer programs (one at University of Maryland, one with the Richmond orchestra), I’m hoping his all-state audition will give him some idea where he stands too.