What is the Best School for a percussion major?

Question

I would like as many schools as you can think of...i'm really stuck with where I want to go.

Answer 1

Eastman, Juilliard, North Texas State,

Answer 2

http://www.morehead-st.edu

Morehead State University has one of the best percussion ensembles, and music education schools in the midwest. It is located in north eastern Kentucky. They have an excellent music education program, and people come from all over the US to study in it. The theory program is the same program at Indiana University. All of the music educators are also performers in the Lexington Philharmonic, and are very knowledgable.

It is a small university with the class sizes being about 35 students per class. The largest class you take there will be the 100 lvl of Psychology, since it is required by all majors.

Just an option for the smaller pocket book. I am from Indiana and was able to go there for less then Ball State U or Indiana U. They also have scholarships for music, academics, and sports.

Answer 3

It really depends on a lot of factors:
Cost?
Location?
School Size?
What will your actual major be?
What do you plan to do with it when you get out?

The big-name schools such as UNT, Michigan/M State, UMass, OU, Florida State, Eastman, Julliard, Curtis Institute, Oberlin, Berklee, New England Conservatory, etc. all have great programs depending on what your focus is. However, there are numerous, lesser known colleges that also produce very fine percussionists.

Factors such as type of percussion interest (World, Concert Band, Orchestral, Marching, Percussion Ensemble, Soloing w/ various instruments), whether you plan to be a performance major or just have percussion emphasis with a teaching degree, whether you plan to teach more than just percussion (general/mid/high school music teacher) are all important to consider.

Along with location, realize that throughout college a person can network quite a bit and generally has an easier time finding a job in the area in which they went to college.

Personally, I am a Music Ed. major with emphasis in percussion at Missouri State. As such, my emphasis is to be able to teach diverse musical disciplines as likely will be required when I am able to become a high school music teacher. Although it is not a "premier" percussion school, I am very satisfied with my experiences such as the Jazz Band going to the Midwest Convention, the Wind Ensemble performing at CBDNA, the Percussion Ensemble performing at MMEA, and the marching program/drumline playing "corp" difficulty music, and doing so pretty cleanly, all while providing excellent traditional education classes.

I do not say this in an attempt to brag or recruit, but just to show you that there are many schools that can be a great fit for different people and that even though many people may not mention Missouri State as one of the best programs in the nation, its cost, close location to home, size, and overall program have been a great fit for me.

I also recommend purchasing at least an "E-PAS" from www.pas.org and check out the forums there for information as well as to look at what college faculty are responding and with what.

Good luck with your college decision!

Answer 4

Take your focus off of the school for just a few moments and ask yourself another question. Where are the best percussion professors? Look at the fine arts departments of a few of your top picks and find out who teaches percussion there, what their resume is, and where they are playing when they aren't teaching. Fifty years ago there used to be a saying, "Those who can't, teach!" but lately that has been changed to "Those who CAN, Teach!" Many of our finest musicians devote part of their time to the profession of teaching, but get back out into the performing arena as often as they can to keep up with new trends and keep their skills fresh.

Another thing you can do is to look at the resumes of the musicians you admire. Where did they go to school and where do they give seminars?

What are the performing opportunities in the area around the campus and what real world experience can you get while you are there? What audition opportunities are you going to get, or is the campus just a place to hide out for four to six years while everybody who didn't go to school gets that experience ahead of you? Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Music Inistitute

Answer 6

If you are looking for a non classical school then the best choice is Berklee College of Music.

Answer 7

Ohio State.

Search The Best Damn Band In The Land.

You'll see.

We looooovee our marching band. To the point of fanaticism. It's amazing. Trust me, lol.

Answer 8

USC
UCLA
Mich. State