Indiana University Bloomington
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Violin Performance – In the Jacobs School of Music
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m part of the institute with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: I went to a public high school in Sammamish, WA with a graduating class of 500 students.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Violin Performance – In the Jacobs School of Music
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the institute with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
For me, it’s a little different. I actually went to a community college for a part of high school. Usually, for a typical music student, you have to do general education credits and you’ll take one or two of those a semester. That’s because in the first year there are only one or two classes for the music school that you can take because they’re prerequisites for everything else. So, you’ll have three classes and then throughout the week you’ll have private lessons with your instructor for your instrument and then there’s orchestra or ensemble that meets a couple of days every week in the afternoon. It’s a little bit heavier with involvement with school versus a normal music student.
As a music student, you have a lot more credits that are flexible. I have a 6-credit course which are my violin lessons, and that accounts for the amount of time that I practice every day into my schedule, so I’m not taking too many classes.
What are your major graded assignments?
Every semester your private professor gives you an individual grade and at the end of the year, you either have a jury or a recital. A jury is a small performance where you prepare to meet a couple of requirements. Freshman juries are smaller and they give you feedback and discuss your grade. Sophomore jury is called the Upper Divisional, and it’s making sure you’re at the level where you can play your recitals the next two years. Those are with the entire faculty instead of the specialized instrumental faculty.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I think they have it organized very well. There’s a lot of students, but they have enough teachers where you get very individualized attention. My professor is very conscious of all his students’ needs and he adapts for each one. Every week we have a group class where you play in front of your peers and get feedback from them and your teacher. You get practice performing in front of people, which is great for me because I get nervous.
The orchestra program is really huge and I enjoy the opportunities, but sometimes it can get chaotic and organization can sometimes be a little hectic. But, it’s a very, very strong program that really developed my professional career.
How would you describe the learning environment in your major? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s a mix because you are competing with people. In the future, you’ll have to be competing for a job, but in school, it’s pretty supportive and everyone’s pretty nice. There’s always going to be a little competition because of the nature of our degree. If you play better than other people you will get the job and they won’t. In school, the teachers are very supportive and the academic classes are very supportive. There are TA’s who are very conscious of all their students and will help tutor you.
Why did you choose to go to music school? Are you happy with your choice?
Indiana has one of the best music schools in the country, especially one that’s attached to a university. The most important factor for me was the scholarship money, but a lot of the time it can be the faculty member who you want to study with. Now that I’m here, I’m really enjoying working with my professor and the program.
How is managing your academic and violin coursework?
I don’t really have many academic classes because I took college classes in high school. That got rid of most of my requirements. I actually took a math class this past semester just because I wanted to and had room in my schedule. It’s usually pretty easy to figure out time management.
The music courses aren’t as heavy with homework and things like that. They try and minimize it because they know you are limited on time with your other classes, performances, and things like that. The academic teachers, if they know you’re in the music school and have conflicts with any of the requirements or are required to go to a presentation that’s at the same time as a concert, they’ll be more understanding because it conflicts with something else you’re doing with your degree.
Reasons to Attend
1) The music school is attached to the university, so you get a lot of options for diverse classes that you can take. There are a lot of people who come in and do a double major. It’s called a Bachelor of Science in Music and an Outside Field.
2) It’s a very supportive environment.
3) It’s a little rigorous, there are high expectations, but that’s good for preparing for the professional experience later on.
4) All the professors, at least in the music school, but are focused on the students. You kind of get to know everybody and the professors take personal time with you.
Reasons Not to Attend
If you’re looking for something that is completely focused just on music and purely performance. If you want to do that, you should go to a conservatory where the academics aren’t as heavy. We even have music classes that expect more in the academics than the musical performance part of it.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Forest Quad, it’s one of the bigger dorms and when I was there it wasn’t in great condition but they’ve recently renovated it. I had one roommate in a split floor, so guys one side and girls on the other with one bathroom for each gender.
Sophomore: Union Street Apartments. I had three other roommates and we all had our own bedroom. We had a common area, kitchen, washer, dryer, and everything. It was only a 10-15-minute walk from the music school, so it’s much better than living off-campus and trying to commute.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
They have the Indiana University Police and safety alert that goes out anytime there is anything potentially dangerous going on. It’s not very common, but there have been a couple of break-ins at the corner mart off-campus. I typically stay on campus just because it’s a little safer, not because it’s dangerous, but I just feel safer doing that. We also have the Blue Light System.
How was transitioning from Sammamish, WA to Bloomington, Indiana?
It was a little rough for me at first just because it was kind of far away from home. I didn’t know anybody and I didn’t really have any friends out there. It was a little rough my first semester, but I got to know a couple of people in my hallway, in my dorm, and in some of my music classes and that helped me make some connections and get out a little bit more. My second semester was a little better because I had a friend from Washington move there. It’s always nice knowing someone that’s there with you, and if you don’t it can sometimes be hard to reach out to people. It’s good to make one or two friends that will help you get out and push you to be social and get involved.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
There’s Mother Bear’s Pizza, which is a pretty common favorite. Then there’s a little sushi and Japanese place called Ami.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you participate in at Indiana?
I’m not a very social person. I enjoy just being with a few friends. I do sometimes go downtown to some of the little shops or an ice cream shop that’s pretty popular. I’m not super into going out or anything. I usually stay in and watch TV [laughs].
What have been some of your favorite times at Indiana?
In my first couple of weeks there, my orchestra got to play in the pit for the opera. I like the wide range of things we get to do. I really enjoyed playing in the pit where you can see what’s going on and also be part of the performance. I’ve also made some really awesome friends, we’re a little group that sticks together and I think is a great way to get connected with people who have similar interests.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
It was through church programs in the institute, and then one of them ended up living down the hall from me. It was a mix of finding people who had the same interests as me and were in close proximity to me.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I think it’s a pretty good mix. The state of Indiana itself is kind of different, but Bloomington is a pretty liberal area and it’s an accepting culture. There are groups where people of every race and sexual orientation are together. In the music school, there are lots of different types of people, and, at least for me, it’s not a big issue because everyone is there to grow and learn.
Do you think people are happy with their choice of Indiana by senior year?
Yes, I think so. The music program is a little different because you work with a professor fairly closely for your time. I know a couple of people who have gone to one professor and ended up not necessarily liking working with them and they switched to a different one. Most people are really happy in the program I’m in.
Careers
Have you used the career center or the alumni network?
The music department is different, they have their own program called Project Jumpstart that helps people get ideas from building a career in different parts of the music world after college or starting your own independent music career. They have programs like mentorship lunches and they bring in guest speakers. They have advisers specific to the music school that are very helpful for getting you into the right classes and things like that and then finding options for your professional careers.