To be brutally honest, the size of the school is a potential issue for the orchestra -- absent a conservatory, a la Oberlin, it may be hard for a liberal arts college to have enough musicians to field a full orchestra. I went to a LAC many years ago and played in the orchestra. There were some fine musicians there, and the string section was robust, but I don't think we ever had a full complement of wind instruments (e.g., oboe, bassoon, four french horns, three trombones, tuba .... we had plenty of clarinets, flutes, and trumpets) for the college ensembles. There was a community orchestra that students also played in, which was larger and generally had a full wind section. That may not be a deterrent depending on your kid's musical skills and interest level, but might be something to consider.

Oberlin is definitely worth a look, the college and conservatory programs are well-integrated and there’s a lot of crossover.

I’ve also heard St. Olaf, Bard, and Lawrence are known for strong orchestra programs.

Haverford is another liberal arts college with a strong music program (they have a joint orchestra with Bryn Mawr).

Can’t go wrong with the HACK schools.

While the Berkshire Symphony provides an excellent performance outlet within Williams College's liberal arts framework, its reliance on a fluctuating student body and a broader academic focus presents limitations for a top music student compared to a conservatory like Oberlin. At Oberlin, the environment of intensely specialized peers, dedicated professional training, and consistently high-level ensemble performance with extensive opportunities and industry exposure is more directly geared towards cultivating a professional music career.

Anonymous wrote:The Berkshire symphony at Williams is very good.

In what way?

The Berkshire symphony at Williams is very good.

Anonymous wrote:How helpful is music for admission to WASP/ top LACs for student in top level of top large city youth orchestra, but no national awards, not quite conservatory level? Plays a less common orchestra instrument. Do AOs at these schools care about filling out orchestra sections? Are there differences in how much different top LACs care about music for admission?

For Pomona, it's the equivalent of Athletic recruitment, but you have to play an instrument they're seeking that year.

Anonymous wrote:How helpful is music for admission to WASP/ top LACs for student in top level of top large city youth orchestra, but no national awards, not quite conservatory level? Plays a less common orchestra instrument. Do AOs at these schools care about filling out orchestra sections? Are there differences in how much different top LACs care about music for admission?

Yes, they care about filling out orchestra sections. Less common instrument is definitely helpful, and should offset the fact that performance experience isn't state-level+. Always depends on who else with the same instrument is also applying, of course.

How helpful is music for admission to WASP/ top LACs for student in top level of top large city youth orchestra, but no national awards, not quite conservatory level? Plays a less common orchestra instrument. Do AOs at these schools care about filling out orchestra sections? Are there differences in how much different top LACs care about music for admission?

Anonymous wrote:Williams has professional musicians in their orchestra, Amherst is all students. So, somewhat different calibers but more opportunities for students in the latter. Oberlin's orchestra is connected to the conservatory, has a rep for being very good.

I'll add that Pomona has community members and professors occasionally, but almost entirely students. They occasionally will hire members from the LA philharmonic. They have an amazing performance with the choir every semester.

In general, the Music department hosts a lot of events. There's a weekly free performance that invites musicians and orchestras from all over the country, and it's really easy to go to off campus music events due to the near-LA location. If their DC is interested, the Pomona College orchestra has a YouTube channel and posts their performances.

Williams has professional musicians in their orchestra, Amherst is all students. So, somewhat different calibers but more opportunities for students in the latter. Oberlin's orchestra is connected to the conservatory, has a rep for being very good.

Not sure how helpful this is, but my daughter is at Amherst. She’s a math major and the math department is truly fantastic and she has several friends in the orchestra who are extremely accomplished (won several awards in HS, etc).

Anonymous wrote:DS has top stats from a private with a good record for WASP admission if students ED. We were wondering if anyone had any information on the orchestra communities, rigor and size at these schools as DS would like to continue being in orchestra throughout college. Prospective math and chemistry major, so the music major doesn't need to be stellar, just the program.

This is a real question. You probably want to post it to CC where you will get actual help.

They're all roughly equivalent.

DS has top stats from a private with a good record for WASP admission if students ED. We were wondering if anyone had any information on the orchestra communities, rigor and size at these schools as DS would like to continue being in orchestra throughout college. Prospective math and chemistry major, so the music major doesn't need to be stellar, just the program.