| Hat, a great post. A couple of more thoughts:
Some of the best means of guaging talent (and growth potential) comes from professional musicians or vocalists. These can be youth/school orchestra, church choir directors, local/regional symphony artists. Parents of high level kids within these groups can also be an asset, they should be part of your network. A few have been there before with an older child, and know a few of the ropes, contacts, teachers.
Personally, we found our knowledge began to increase exponentially as we got to know the parents of young musicians playing at a similar level to ours. The kids tended to gravitate musically, and it became natural to be running into the same people event after event. What started as small talk quickly became "pick their brain" sessions.
A good teacher, especially a private instructor, should give you an honest assessment of strengths, weaknesses, and growth potential. Be clear and say you want no sugarcoating, and most will cooperate. Ask as well if they know peers willing to assess the student through a sample lesson or two. Expect to pay for that service, but its cheaper than auditioning and finding out that the talent just isn't there.
Applying to high level competitive programs is a great idea, even just to judge ability against a national base.
jazzzymom mentions passion. I agree. If there's an all consuming interest, its usually worth pursuing. |