UNT College of Music Rankings

[untjim1995]

So I have been very unfair to our College of Music over the years--feeling jealous that they got more attention and funding at the expense of athletics. I got called out about it on here for my negativity about them--which was deserved, since I have been such a negative poster about it over the years. But, now, I realize it was really my jealousy talking. I just never understood why music mattered so much here while athletics didn't.  So I decided to start actually looking into the COM at their website and on the internet and get a better idea of how special it is for our university. I don't know diddly-squat about any of this, so its been an eye-opener.

 http://best-music-colleges.com/university-of-north-texas

According to this, we are #1 in the state as the top music, the second best in the South, and ranked 13th in the country right now.

Our football team, in comparison, is dead-ass last in the state's FBS programs, and probably ranked in the 120's right now in FBS.

At least at football games, we have the Green Brigade, who I have never truly appreciated, even when the drumline has been mentioned as the best in the country in previous years. I am going to try and turn over a new leaf, going forward, and spend halftime watching their performance, taking in their impressive talent and direction. It used to irritate me to no end that we had people who would only to the game to watch the marching performance and leave after halftime, but I am finally starting to understand why they have been so closely followed over the years. Again, this is all really new to me, which sounds ridiculous since I started following UNT in 1990, but I have decided to make it a point to give them the time and interest they deserve.

So my next question is kind of dumb, I'm sure, but does the Green Brigade only perform at athletic events or do they have other performances outside of the games at Apogee? I honestly have never taken the time to find out, but I'm gonna try and see what this is all about, just to see if I enjoy it like I should for such a highly ranked program. I am a guy who has always just been a sports fan, one that truly wanted my university to care about winning the way I did. Now that I am beginning to look at this from the other side of things--as in "What does UNT excel at in the eyes of the country?"--it has made me realize that I'm the one who is going to have to change my views on how to connect better to my alma mater. I cannot change the BOR and administration or the culture around Denton that involves winning at football or basketball, so maybe this is a "If you can't beat them, join them" moment, but this might be the only way I can try and "connect" with my alma mater. Because the other route has caused great cynicism and embarrassment for most of the 25 years I have been following this place.

 

[DeepGreen]

OMG! untjim1995 has fallen to "The Dark Side".

[Censored by Laurie]

James Scott for AD!

[untjim1995]

OMG! untjim1995 has fallen to "The Dark Side".

Yeah, that is what I'm afraid its come to...otherwise, I just don't know what else to do to feel any kind of connection to our alma mater

James Scott for AD!

Does he know anything about hiring successful people?

[Aldo]

I was briefly trying to make it into the jazz program my freshman year (guitar) back in 2004. iirc, I was looking at their requirements and noticed that they didn't accept transfer credit for certain courses like Music Theory. Including from Juilliard. Damn, son. Geography it is.

@untjim1995 I'm not too familiar, but I there should marching competitions that happen from time to time *I assume* 

[greenit]

Could we start getting the band director to lead off the weekly press conference and discuss the plan for the upcoming half time show?

 

 

[untjim1995]

I was briefly trying to make it into the jazz program my freshman year (guitar) back in 2004. iirc, I was looking at their requirements and noticed that they didn't accept transfer credit for certain courses like Music Theory. Including from Juilliard. Damn, son. Geography it is.

@untjim1995 I'm not too familiar, but I there should marching competitions that happen from time to time *I assume* 

I wonder where these marching competitions are and if they are with several other bands or just one other school. I apologize for my stupidity on this--its never even crossed my mind as to how any of this works. I don't think I've ever watched the marching performance closely even once in my time at Fouts/Apogee.

[Mean Green 93-98]

I was briefly trying to make it into the jazz program my freshman year (guitar) back in 2004. iirc, I was looking at their requirements and noticed that they didn't accept transfer credit for certain courses like Music Theory. Including from Juilliard.

I know all about that.  I transferred from a highly respected music college (not Julliard), and virtually none of my credits were accepted as actually applying toward my degree.  I was able to test out of most of the theory and ear training (aural skills) when I arrived, but it still ended up requiring over 180 credits for me to get a bachelor's degree from that college of music.

Classy post, Jim.  There is excellence to be celebrated at UNT.  And it's not an "either/or" thing.  I still hope for UNT to achieve athletic excellence, especially football, before DeepGreen dies.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Mean Green 93-98

[DeepGreen]

I know all about that.  I transferred from a highly respected music college (not Julliard), and virtually none of my credits were accepted as actually applying toward my degree.  I was able to test out of most of the theory and ear training (aural skills) when I arrived, but it still ended up requiring over 180 credits for me to get a bachelor's degree from that college of music.

Classy post, Jim.  There is excellence to be celebrated at UNT.  And it's not an "either/or" thing.  I still hope for UNT to achieve athletic excellence, especially football, before DeepGreen dies.

Holy crap!!  You have me six feet under already!!

[Mean Green 93-98]

Holy crap!!  You have me six feet under already!!

Actually, it seems to me that I just predicted an unusually long life for you. 

[THOR]

i know this is not current, but from 95-98 we marched in all home games, 1 away game, and a band competition or 2 every year.  they were high school marching bands with the green brigade as the special guest.  we did one at fouts and others at area schools...hated doing those and the shows were usually bad...but then again, i was not the best in the band...

[MeanGreenHoops]

James Scott for AD!

PFfft! If you knew him, you'd know he goes by Jim

[letsgiveacheer]

Nice post! 

Yes, I'm very proud to be a grad of the COM and am fortunate to make my living in music as the director of an opera company in NYC.

Jim Scott is a very impressive individual and has taken the COM to new levels. Musical America (the "authority") named the COM one of the top 50 in the world and that is saying something.  He works very hard at fundraising as the state provided budget is not nearly enough for him to maintain these levels of excellence.  He makes about a quarter of what Dan McCarney makes.

I also know he attends football games!

PS. The reason Juilliard credits do not transfer is that they are not accredited. 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2015 by letsgiveacheer

[CMJ]

I'm actually surprised some of those numbers were so low (13th in the country was below where I thought we were for instance).  I know several former students are in major orchestras around the country.

[greenminer]

They are featured at 1 or 2 high school band festivals every season.

I transferred to UNT after two years elsewhere and my previous theory courses were irrelevant.  I ended up, however, taking the placement exams and enrolling in fourth semester theory anyways.

[letsgiveacheer]

It seems everyone with a computer is ranking something now. The referenced ranking is suspect to me as it ranks Belmont University as the best in the South! I have never heard of this place and can assure you that they are not a major force in music. The ranking also says SMU and TCU are other strong schools of music in Texas.  Both schools are good but is is generally acknowledged that Rice and UT-Austin are the other really strong programs in Texas.

There are about five programs in the US that are acknowledged as tops: Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, and perhaps New England Conservatory and Indiana. There are others that are consistently ranked very high including Michigan, Cincinnati, Illinois, Florida State, Manhattan School of Music, Yale,  USC, and of course North Texas. It's really anybody's guess who is better. For example, Illinois is usually ranked higher than North Texas but Dean Scott was the dean there prior to coming to North Texas.

[Mean Green 93-98]

It seems everyone with a computer is ranking something now. The referenced ranking is suspect to me as it ranks Belmont University as the best in the South! I have never heard of this place and can assure you that they are not a major force in music. The ranking also says SMU and TCU are other strong schools of music in Texas.  Both schools are good but is is generally acknowledged that Rice and UT-Austin are the other really strong programs in Texas.

There are about five programs in the US that are acknowledged as tops: Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, and perhaps New England Conservatory and Indiana. There are others that are consistently ranked very high including Michigan, Cincinnati, Illinois, Florida State, Manhattan School of Music, Yale,  USC, and of course North Texas. It's really anybody's guess who is better. For example, Illinois is usually ranked higher than North Texas but Dean Scott was the dean there prior to coming to North Texas.

Belmont is in Nashville, and has close connections with the diverse studio scene there.  They have pretty well come to be considered a major player among the music schools.

As far as where you rank them, it depends on what your angle is.  For a purely classical education, UNT is probably not top 10.  But when people talk about jazz schools, pretty much everyone agrees the top 3 are Berklee, Miami, and UNT.