Still, the levels to which schools take contemporary music seriously varies. Other schools also have an exemplary record, such as Yale and the University of Michigan . However, what is probably more typical of the treatment that new music receives at many universities is the Hartt School , a part of the University of Hartford. While Hartt does have several good outlets for its student and faculty composers, generally it does not seem to make new music a high priority. The shortfalls of the Indiana School of Music at the University of Indiana in Bloomington are even more disappointing because they have available such vast resources.
Some schools make up for a lack of emphasis on composition with special projects.
For example, Florida State University, which is strong primarily in the field of music education , has a Biennial Festival of New Music. Many conservatories acknowledge that their primary mission is to aid students in the development of their technique, and to teach performers the standard repertoire. For example, at Juilliard and the San Francisco Conservatory , students' primary interest is not new music. Festival, an important outlet for modern music in New York City, and the San Francisco Conservatory has the New Music Ensemble, which under its dynamic new director, Nicole Paiement, seems destined to become an important contribution to the contemporary music scene on the West Coast. Even a conservative conservatory like Curtis genuinely appears to be supportive of their composition students and faculty.