Sure, most schools’ official policy is that ensemble placement is based purely on ability, so in theory, you can be a “serious” non-major and still play in a “serious” group. But we all know that politics come into play at most schools most of the time. And forget about private lessons; there isn’t even a cattle-call solution here because they’re generally way too expensive to offer to everyone. Class piano and class guitar are a start, but where I went, they were tailored exclusively towards beginners, and the few sections that there were filled up so quickly that you had to be an eighth-year senior to be early enough in the queue to get a spot.

What we’re left with, then, is the “trickle down” theory applied to the music world, a heaping of riches on the few who manage to jump through the right musico-academic hoops at the right time (i.e. the performance majors), accompanied by an irrational expectation that this will somehow benefit everyone in the long run. It should be clear by now that it’s not working. I’m not privy to much budgetary information, so when people tell me it’s simply a matter of money, I suppose I have to listen. But truthfully, I don’t buy it. I think it’s about priorities, about choosing to chase prestige in the form of distinguished alumni who won this or that gig rather than nurturing a musically engaged and active student body throughout the entire institution. Let the private schools chase prestige and give themselves awards; that’s why we have private schools. The conservatory model is incompatible with the scope and mission of a public institution, and hence, in absence of funding for a parallel department, really has no place in it.