Idealist's Elegy

[Student]

Aye, it always depends on the competition, the time of the year, what order the faculty read through/listen to the submissions and what's going on in their personal life that day... sometimes I wish the world were a little more objective for a minute, then I realize that there wouldn't be nearly the variety if the same things were true for all people. Overall, I'll take the subjectivity and uncertainty.

Thanks for looking it over. I'm pretty sure it's in good shape now. I'll certainly let you know where I end up. If you know of any schools with a strong composition program, please tell me. I've got a few on my list, but more is good too.

[stevel]

Originally Posted by Student

Aye, it always depends on the competition, the time of the year, what order the faculty read through/listen to the submissions and what's going on in their personal life that day... sometimes I wish the world were a little more objective for a minute, then I realize that there wouldn't be nearly the variety if the same things were true for all people. Overall, I'll take the subjectivity and uncertainty.

Thanks for looking it over. I'm pretty sure it's in good shape now. I'll certainly let you know where I end up. If you know of any schools with a strong composition program, please tell me. I've got a few on my list, but more is good too.

Where are you, and where are you willing to go?

Steve

[Student]

I'm in Minnesota and I'm willing to go wherever I can afford and speak the language, so it's probably got to be in the States or Canada.

Presently, U of Michigan is a top choice (William Bolcom!) followed by Indiana, Illinois, Houston and Rice with a long shot at Eastman.

[stevel]

Originally Posted by Student

I'm in Minnesota and I'm willing to go wherever I can afford and speak the language, so it's probably got to be in the States or Canada.

Presently, U of Michigan is a top choice (William Bolcom!) followed by Indiana, Illinois, Houston and Rice with a long shot at Eastman.

You can't go wrong with Michigan or Indiana. It's funny that you mention Bolcom but you know, some of these guys are getting up there and I don't mean to say they're not really relevant, but, we're getting to the point where people would probably want to study with the post-minimalist generation.

I've had master classes with Babbitt, Lukas Foss, Pauline Oliveros, Gunther Schuller to name but a few - and none of them (other than Foss really) ever inspired me to want to go study with them. People used to say, find who you want to emulate and go study at their feet - but the concept of a "famous composer" has really gone by the wayside since WWII. I've had other classes with lesser-known composers - and the composers I've studied with have given me a great amount of information. The key for me when pursuing my Masters was RESOURCES - what the university had to offer (which of course both Mich and Ind have wonderful resources).

Didn't know if you were looking for Conservatory-type or College-type schools.

Eastman would of course do you no harm :-).

So if you're not going to Julliard or Princeton, or Florida, you've got a good list.

Best of Luck,
Steve