Need some advice on colleges.

Derek1230
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 07:10:00 +0000

Hi everyone, I am a high school student from Singapore and I need some advice on choosing colleges.

I have been learning the piano for six years, and I have been learning about composition for around two years. However, the composition lesson I have in high school is more about exposure rather than systematic training.
I want to study composition in universities and I do not want to study music alone. I do not see myself as a full time composer in the future. So I looked into liberal arts colleges and many double degree programs.
I plan to take a composition-related major and a more practical major like CS or economics.

Oberlin used to be my dream school, given their double degree program and a good music conservatory. But later I heard that composition department in Oberlin is… highly concentrated on “serious concert music.” I am able to appreciate modern classical music, but prefer the late-romantic and neoclassical style of music. In other words, maybe I am not much into the Avant-gard and highly experimental music. maybe it is somewhere between the highly experimental music and highly commercial music.

So i am looking for a university or college providing rigorous, systematic and progressive training on composition as well as good education for mainstream courses like CS, psychology, economics etc.

As for my compositional skills, they have the potential to be above average US undergraduate applicants, according to my teacher, who is a music teacher in Utah University. I am currently preparing for the portfolio.

My standardized exams are not exceptionally good. SAT 1500, school percentile around 90%, but my school is not that good in Singapore (ranked 6th among 12 schools). So I don’t think I have a chance for schools like Yale (and other Ivy schools) Julliard (and similar conservatories)

I did some research and came up with a list of possible schools. Below is what I heard from other people on the Internet, please correct me if I am wrong. I understand that some schools are better in music performance rather than composition. I am not sure which schools are like that.

Oberlin: double degree program, the education provided by the LAC is not bad (Though I am not into biology and chemistry). The conservatory, some say the training is rigorous and systematic, some say it is quite normal (a friend from YST school of music, National University of Singapore), some say it is more about serious atonal music. One person says that the campus is not very safe.

USC: good in film scoring, the climate of the school? Some say it’s not very conducive for study

NYU: good in film scoring

Bard College: double degree program,

U Washington, st Louis,

U Michgan: a good university plus a generally good music school

U Indiana: good music school

U Rochester: very good music school, and quite liberal system

Peabody of JHU: good?

Berklee: more about Jazz and commercial music? Although I do not fully understand what that implies. Also, since it is a stand along music school, I am not sure if I will apply for it

thank all of you in advance!