Schools for non music majors.

trying-to-improve · Regular Member Joined: 15 Jun 2002 Posts: 30

I am not planing on majoring in music but I would realy like to continue playing in concert bands and orchastrus does anyone have an opinion on the best school for that kind of thing?

mafields627 · Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2002 7:55 am Post subject:

First of all, if you're not majoring in music I would suggest picking your school on how good of a program they have in your major field. Disregarding that, here are some recommendations based on your location in TN.

Lee University, Cleaveland TN: David Holsinger conducts their wind ensemble.

Jacksonville St. University, Jacksonville AL: Great marching band (performing at BOA Grand Nationals this year) and equally good concert bands.

Southern Miss - Good overall program

Univ. of Alabama - Typical college marching band, big and loud. Wind Ensemble, directed by Gerald Welker, on of the best in the southeast. Trumpet studio not very good though.
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trying-to-improve · Regular Member Joined: 15 Jun 2002 Posts: 30

Ok well I'm looking at good enginiering schools like illinois and purdue. just wondering if these places had good programs?

P.S. My GF is going to Alabama and wants to know if she should do the marching band.

_PhilPicc · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 6:28 pm Post subject:

Most of the Big Ten schools have good programs. Purdue has probably one of the best engineering programs and as far as I know a decent music program.

Best of luck on your new venture,
Phil
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Philip Satterthwaite

We cannot expect you to be with us all the time, but perhaps you could be good enough to keep in touch now and again."
- Sir Thomas Beecham to a musician during a rehearsal

a441 · Veteran Member Joined: 12 Mar 2002 Posts: 108

Illinois has a very good music program!!! Don't know about Purdue. Both are big sports schools as well if you are interested in the Marching Band-Pep Band thing.

mafields627 · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 7:53 pm Post subject:

Alabama has an excellent engineering program. If I were your girlfriend, I would do the marching band there IF she can handle the time committment. The Million Dollar Band spends A LOT of time on the practice field. Send her over to http://www.mdb.ua.edu and have a look at their band camp schedule. Quite frequently, they're on the field until 6:30 at night or later.
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PH · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 8:51 pm Post subject:

Purdue does not offer any kind of music major, so the course offerings, number of music faculty, and musical level of the average player is a bit lower than most of the other Big 10 schools.

However, the ensembles sound pretty darned good...especially for a bunch of engineers! (Sorry, Don Herman).

_PhilPicc · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 9:06 pm Post subject:

Now Pat, I am sort of neutral.

I went to Michigan State University. But could there be a little IU vs Purdue situation here?

My dad was a Boilermaker and really thought IU was an OK school. Even for music.

I'm out a here and ducking,

Phil
_________________
Philip Satterthwaite

We cannot expect you to be with us all the time, but perhaps you could be good enough to keep in touch now and again."
- Sir Thomas Beecham to a musician during a rehearsal

Schilke B3Lb · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 9:38 pm Post subject:

Pat is entirely correct in that Purdue offers no music major. I took plenty of engineering and band classes there as an undergraduate.

Several Big Ten schools have fine music programs, including two of the best in the nation: Indiana and Northwestern. My mom studied music at Illinois for her undergrad and earned her masters from Northwestern.

I'm sure that Pat harbors no animosity towards Purdue, which everyone knows is THE Indiana University!

John MacGregor
Waukesha, WI

[ This Message was edited by: Schilke B3Lb on 2002-08-09 00:41 ]

elbobogrande · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 11:19 pm Post subject:

They're all correct about Purdue. I know a bunch of music geeks turned engineering geeks who go there. They say that the music stuff is taken surprisingly seriously, and that, if nothing else, they have a lot of fun making music.
John
P.S. Please, nobody get defensive about the music/engineering geek thing. It's just a joke.

elbobogrande · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2002 12:12 am Post subject:

They're all correct about Purdue. I know a bunch of music geeks turned engineering geeks who go there. They say that the music stuff is taken surprisingly seriously, and that, if nothing else, they have a lot of fun making music.
John
P.S. Please, nobody get defensive about the music/engineering geek thing. It's just a joke.

PH · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2002 5:03 am Post subject:

Really...the ensembles sound pretty good @ Purdon't! There are some talented kids there. They just aren't music majors who can afford to practice for 6 or 8 hours a day.

The state of Indiana has a law that their 2 major research universities (IU & PU) can not have any duplication of programs. Many states have these kinds of laws. Therefore, IU has no engineering majors, etc. Purdue has no music majors, no foreign language majors, etc. In either case, courses in those areas are offered to non-majors for elective credit, but that's it.

I have a friend who is a great trumpet player. He did a degree in acoustical engineering @ Purdon't and practiced on his own. Now he has a day gig with Harmon-Kardon. To each his own.

However, if you walk around W. Lafayette looking for a music major you'll be looking for a while.

Now, if you asked me who had a basketball program and who didn't THAT would open up some rivalry issues!

[ This Message was edited by: PH on 2002-08-09 08:04 ]

chrislb98 · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2002 5:30 am Post subject:

I've been at the university of maryland as an economics major for the last couple years and have had a great time participating in music ensembles here. Went to the orange bowl with the football team, went to 2 final fours and saw the terps win the national championship, all paid for by the school just cause I'm in the bands.

Chris Vadala (former chuck mangione saxaphonist) runs the jazz bands which are a blast. There are also several concert bands and brass ensembles. The only program a non-major would have trouble getting into would probably be the orchestra, other than that, everything is available to you. Plus we just built a new performing arts center (it's freakin huge). And if you are interested in majoring music, Chris Gekker is the trumpet instructor here (he is amazing, I saw him play Brandenburg last winter).

Hope this helps,

Chris
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Bobby Shew 1.5

_Don Herman · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2002 7:29 pm Post subject:

Alright, PH, I'll have you know that while at the good ol' University pf Misery (Columbia) I was in the Jazz Band -- and was still an engineering major! So there!

Music geeks, engineering geeks, history geeks, as long as we love what we're doing 'salright with me! - Don

p.s. I was on the 5th part, for a number of reasons (not the least of which was getting thrown in 'way after the normal auditions). Got the shock of my life when I was handed the folder, and discovered it held Maynard's parts... No, I did NOT have a double C then (or now, in performance -- yet!) Ouch!
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Don Herman/Monument, CO
"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music." - Aldous Huxley

trying-to-improve · Regular Member Joined: 15 Jun 2002 Posts: 30

Thanks for all the replys guys they've been alot of fun to read. I was just wondering if anyone had an opinion on Texas A&M. You have to be in the corps of cadets to be in there marching band and stuff would that be worth it?