There are more schools that have music departments that are on that list. Those schools truly are the front-runners, but they all have their upsides and downsides. Besides, only now have you mentioned the schools you were interested in applying to. That could have helped any of us focus our comments.
The first rule is always to do your own research, as much as possible. And when you ask for input, be as specific as possible. People who are giving you their time (rather then who you are paying for expertise) are more likely to respond when you let them know your starting point. I've been on both side of that fence, repeatedly.
For example, for an undergrad, I personally would sing the praises of UWO over McGill, but really recommend McGill or UofT for graduate school if you wanted stage/opera experience. If you wanted other things, I would suggest different schools.
He didn't mention Memorial, Dal, Acadia, Windsor, etc etc etc. The "best" are also the most contentious. But "best" also depends on what you want out of your education.
Best of luck! If you'd like you can email me privately, but as you're gearing up for Fall 2010, the best thing to do is go to as many schools as you can, and take 'trial' lessons with as many teachers as is feasible. And I mean that in all honesty!!
This message has been edited by redmezzo on Jul 5, 2009 8:30 PM
