Two CCM Students Earn Entry to Prestigious Music Programs

Both Credit Faculty for Their Record of Success – Posted 5/6/16

Drew Flieder and James Stith, both of Morris Plains and music majors at County College of Morris (CCM), have been accepted to top music programs in the country to earn their bachelor’s degrees.

Flieder, an Electronic Music major, has been accepted to the Music Composition Program at the prestigious and well-respected Eastman School of Music. The Eastman School of Music is a part of the University of Rochester and accepts only 13 percent of its applicants. The application process consisted of a portfolio review, an audition and interview, a music theory exam and another audition in which three piano pieces had to be prepared from the traditional concert repertoire of composers like Bach and Mozart.

Stith, a Music major at CCM, gained entry to the Manhattan School of Music where he will major in Piano. The audition process consisted of a video audition and then an in-person performance audition. The Manhattan School of Music is considered to be one of the top music conservatories in the U.S.

“The support I got from my music teachers helped me a lot throughout my time at CCM,” says Flieder. “The faculty really makes all the difference here.”