CollegiateColumnMichaelBurch-Pesses CollegiateChair

This year’s OMEA conference was a great success—we broke previous attendance records, and the clinic and concert sessions were absolutely packed! One of the reasons everything ran so smoothly was that our collegiate MENC students were on hand to help out at almost every event. It was wonderful to meet so many of them and see them pitch in to help. I want to thank every one of them for taking part in the conference again this year.

As I write this (early February), college instrumental and choral directors are busily recruiting for next year. Recruiting is part and parcel of the college director’s job, and I always look forward to talking with and meeting music students who are interested in my institution. Even though this time-consuming aspect of our responsibilities takes us away from actually making music, I suspect most of my counterparts across the state feel the same way. It’s exciting to imagine how the various prospective students might contribute to our ensembles in the coming year.

The Admissions Department at my university tells me that more students than usual are applying to colleges in their home state. The September 11 attacks and the uncertainty of the stock market have contributed to decisions of college-bound students nationwide to remain in state rather than study farther away from home. This increase in applications from in-state students means I have called and emailed more Oregon students this year than ever before. You may be seeing the same thing.

By the time this issue of the Oregon Music Educator reaches you, some of the high-school seniors who are now in the middle of their college search will have decided which college they want to attend next year. Their reasons for selecting a particular institution may include the college’s reputation, the strength of the discipline in which they want to major, location of the campus, overall cost, desire to study with a particular teacher or coach, and so on. However, because many seniors may not have made this important decision yet, I ask the high-school music educators reading this column to pass on the following information to your students.

As I talk with prospective students, I am struck by the large number who do not intend to continue playing or singing in college. They have the idea that they must be music majors to take part in a university ensemble, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Many college choirs and bands would be unable to continue if they were comprised solely of music majors. The truth is that ensembles at most liberal arts colleges are made up primarily of non-music majors, students who have sung or played since they were in junior high school. They don’t want to give up their music but want to major in another discipline. Most colleges welcome such students and encourage them to continue their music in addition to pursuing their education in another field of endeavor. There is no need for students to give up music in college simply because they don’t want to major in music.

Another mistaken idea among high-school students is that they are not eligible to apply for a music scholarship unless they major in music. This also is incorrect. While there usually are certain require-ments to receive a music scholarship, such as taking private lessons or participating in an appropriate ensemble, prospective students certainly may apply regardless of their major. Competition for these scholarships is keen, but it’s a mistake not to apply if the student has the skill and the desire.

The students who really break my heart are those who tell me, “College is going to be stressful, so I want to get settled there first, and I’ll join band/orchestra/choir later.” In reality, most of them never quite get around