Eastern New Mexico University

Date: May 09 2008
Major: Music - Performance (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a music major. The music department is great for how much you're paying. The cost of education here is beyond cheap, and scholarships are easy to come by. The school attracts people from all over because of how cheap it is. There are gen. ed. requirements for the music majors, and in that realm I've encountered more than a few professors whose English skills could improve. There are many international students here, especially from China, because the university has a partnership with Sichuan University in Chengdu, especially for the music and communication departments. The departments with the best quality from what I've heard are the music, education, and communication departments. The town is very small. It can be boring, but it rarely distracts you from your studies. You have to make your own fun off campus, but on campus there are a lot of things going on. There are a lot of improvements being made to the facilities (especially the music facilities) as of 2008; they should be much improved in a year or two. At first I had apprehensions about coming here because I didn't think that the education would be that challenging, but I was surprised at how serious some of the education was. It varies with the department and the professor I'm sure, but my experience at the music department has been challenging and I have grown drastically as a musician. The musical education they offer is very well-rounded, with theory, ear-training, lessons, general recitals, music history, music literature, ensembles, composition, and pedagogy classes. The feeling in the region is a bit conservative, but the feeling on campus is quite liberal. There is no shortage of adherents to either ideology. The gay scene exists, and is better in nearby cities. The students can be political, but are quite tame. A car would be VERY good for you to have, given the setting, but you can get by without one. Spanish and French are offered. German and Italian aren't, which is strange considering how many vocal performance majors there are. The theology department also offers Greek and Hebrew, and no Latin. There are also many non-traditional students. At ENMU I have been surprised at the large presence of international faculty and students, by the presence of significant talent in the music department, and by the general quality of the education that I am receiving for the relatively low price tag.