Hi. My son is a trumpet player and is leaning strongly toward majoring in music ed. We live in Maryland, and his preference is an in-state school. For those in the know… I gather that U of MD has one of the most competitive trumpet studios in the country. I know that a music ed major would not be held to the same audition standards as a performance major, but I’m thinking this would still be a very difficult admission. Accurate?
I read somewhere (maybe on this board) that in Maryland, Towson is the preferred school for music educators, whereas College Park is more geared toward performers. I’m wondering whether others agree with this assessment.
Other schools he’s currently looking at: West Chester, Gettysburg, Virginia Tech, Shenandoah, JMU.
He wants a marching band and a program that offers a variety of options – composition, etc. He loves the idea of Maryland because they have a video game orchestra that he’d love to participate in.
Any feedback on schools is appreciated.
I guess I have a sense re: how hard it is for a music performance major, but I have no idea re: the odds of being accepted to these programs as a music ed major. (He has excellent grades and test scores – not sure how much that matters.) TIA for your help!
So…apply to both UMD CP and Towson! And some others as well. Then he will know his options once he gets accepted.
For UMD, his admissions application should be in the early round as that is when most incoming freshmen are accepted academically. I’m not sure how this interfaces with their trumpet studio. The year my OOS kid applied to Chris Gekker’s studio, the school was taking exactly ONE trumpet player and that had to go to an instate student.
My son was recently accepted to UMD for Music Ed/performance and plans to do a masters in performance. UMDs dual degree program for Music Ed/performance is a great option to do both in 4.5 years. He is brass (not trumpet) but my understanding is the major is not considered during audition, only how you play to qualify for the studio spot. I don’t think they choose perf majors over music Ed. That’s what we have found at all schools. It’s all about how you play, not your intended major. Especially since you can change majors if you choose to once you are a student like any major. Another school I’d recommend is West Chester University, it has a great Music Ed program and a nationally re·nowned marching band. They just performed in the Rose Parade.
Does he have a private teacher? And/or are his school teachers experienced with students going to UMD? Usually experienced teachers can let him/you know if he has the similar skills as other students who have been accepted at certain schools.
If he does not have experienced teachers, he may want to reach out to a faculty member at UMD to do a lesson (be prepared to pay for the time) to determine his chances. An experience faculty member would know within one lesson the level of school.
Using experienced teachers/faculty is how most parents/students develop an appropriate list of schools.
If you have already done this and are just having a hard time “believing” it, most teachers really do know. So you need to trust them to make a good list of schools. If you do this and have 6ish good schools, he should get some acceptances.
Good luck!
Thank you! You were incredibly helpful with my last question, and I’m grateful to hear from you again. Yes, he plans to apply to both UMCP and Towson. Thank for the EA advice!
Thank you! I had read elsewhere that music ed majors are usually held to somewhat different standards at auditions than music performance majors. Maybe that’s not true?
Thanks for the West Chester suggestion. I’ve always thought it would be a great fit for him. Maryland thankfully seems to have reciprocity with most states when it comes to teaching credentials, which is very helpful.
Thank you! He does have an experienced teacher and has reached out to a few others for advice, but getting info out of him about what was said is like pulling teeth. I think I need to be much more clear with him about what he needs to share with us so we can start making plans to do college visits, trial lessons, etc. He’ll say things like, “We talked about some schools, but I don’t remember which ones.” I mean, really! He has a lesson today, and I think I will tell him he needs to take notes. He is a strong player but definitely not at the level of a studio that will accept only one student! So we need to diversify and figure out what some good fit schools will be for him.
Also meant to say congrats to your son!
It seems like U. of Delaware might be another option to consider, as it has options in applied music, composition, jazz improv, music history, music theory, as well as music education.
This means he might get some very nice merit aid from UDel as well.
Thanks! My college roommate’s daughter just graduated from U of Del with a music comp major and had a great experience there. Definitely one to consider.
FYI - kids don’t want to embarrass themselves. Believe it or not, they seem to start figuring out where they fit. You may have no idea…but I bet your kid does…even if he is not ready to articulate it. He’s seeing other musical kids moving along (and is probably taking note). I could be wrong…but he may be working on it quite a bit in his head and it may come out in odd ways when you try to make plans.
My D held he cards close to her chest (it is stressful for them). Still, I could talk with her public school teachers directly and even the private school teacher on the side. Even then, we made our first trip to a MT program (other MT and classical were included) but she got real surly after. I finally said what it wrong!?! She said they don’t provide classical training and she couldn’t accept that. This was fall of Sr year. The first time that was verbalized to me. Would have been nice to know earlier…but looking back, I think that the wheels were turning and she was just trying to figure things out. It is a big decision.
As the teachers start to prep him, it will become more clear to you and him. Hang in there!! There can be a lot of changes bx now and applications and then decision time.
If he is willing to look out of state, Temple has a very well-respected music education program. But I think you’ve got a nice list. My son is doing a double degree music ed/ performance at a small college with an excellent music program but no marching band. He does DCI in the summer which works out great, he can just focus on his ensembles and solo music during the school year.
Another plug here for Temple. There were lots of amazing Music Ed kids at Boyer who all come from the “DMV” area as they like to call it. They also were quite generous with their merit money for the MusicEd students with ~100% placement rate.
This is extremely perceptive of you. I think you are exactly right about how my son’s brain operates. We just did the MT audition experience with my daughter (now a college freshman), and she is very open about everything she’s thinking. This is going to be a very different process, I think. Where did your daughter wind up? Mine is at Hartt.
I did email my son’s private teacher once and very uncharacteristically did not get a reply. He talked to my son about colleges and I know was encouraging (based on what little I got out of him), so I feel a little stuck.
That sounds like an amazing best-of-all-worlds situation. My son says he doesn’t want to do DCI because it’s too rigorous and he’d “miss the woodwinds,” but I think he’d love it.
My son says he doesn’t want an urban campus, but he may be persuadable. Philly is such a great city!
My son is at Gettysburg as a performance major. There are more Music Ed. major than performance majors. All of the faculty have been excellent. There is good scholarship money available even for non-majors. The marching band is a big deal there.
If there’s anything specific you want to know, you can message me!
Thank you! My son’s band teacher went there – she is all of 23, so she was able to share recent experiences with him. I didn’t get anything out of him except that she loved it. 
Thank you! So far based on his auditions and acceptances it doesn’t feel like there are different standards but I guess it’s possible at some schools. Others mentioned Temple and Gettysburg and they are also great schools, both give lots of merit, Penn State as well but doesn’t give merit. For UMD, my daughter is a Terp and she absolutely loves it and while my son is still deciding, he was very impressed by the UMD SOM & opportunities within DC and Baltimore.
Another shout out for UDel. The music director for our district went there and sings it’s praises constantly especially for the marching band program.