The Longy School of Music of Bard College

I recommend that students talk to as many current students and recent alumni as they possibly can. The school promotes itself in a very dishonest way. They claim to be a "chamber music" school which would logically lead one to think they can have an awesome chamber program. In my experience, the chamber program was a total joke. Each semester there were major problems ranging from lazy colleagues to poor coaches. Many programs such as the Experiential Education Program do not live up to their descriptions in the catalog in any way. In fact, New England Conservatory has started a program called Entrepreneurial Musicianship that is far better. A colleague of mine, while happy with her main teacher, regretted her decision to attend Longy, refering to the school as "a bunch of broken promises."

Also, be very careful about who you're main teacher will be. Obviously, that is the most important part of a conservatory education, but the administration thinks otherwise. When the school "reorganized," a good deal of faculty were let go and numerous students lost their main teachers. In fact, the school had promised these students that if they chose to attend, they could for sure study with these teachers. Needless to say, these students were very upset and the administration did not care; the Dean simply told students that if they didn't like not being able to study with those teachers, they could "just leave."

Be warned that the administration is notorious for being heavy-handed and defensive. The faculty voted to unionize because of not being heard and not feeling able to trust the administration. If you have any kind of concern, be aware that the Dean will most likely respond with rudeness.These are things I'd wish I'd been able to find out before I even auditioned, or else I wouldn't have even bothered to audition, let alone attend. You will not hear this from the grad students they have sit on panels at auditions or lead tours. Make the effort to speak to other students and you'll find out what is really going on at Longy. You won't regret doing so.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000