| Momofwildchild,
(Now I am curious about that child of yours!) Thank you for your thoughts on NEC. My son actually HAS been there, when his youth orchestra took an East Coast tour last summer. He really liked the Boston area. I'm not sure how much of NEC he saw, but they did play in Jordan Hall there, and NEC is the alma mater of his orchestra conductor. He also knows a trumpet player who is a freshman there this year, so I guess he has some idea what it is like. (I personally know nearly nothing about NEC.) He actually doesn't think there is much chance of getting in.
He did consider Rice. His trumpet instructor recommended he apply there. However, there were a couple of things against it. First of all, it is in the middle of a big city which is not known for its cleanliness (according to some we have talked to). Second, Rice does not have regional auditions and only accepts tapes for screening purposes. So he would have had to fly down there to audition, if they liked his tape. Mainly it was the idea of living in the middle of a big city for four years that made up his mind for him.
Susan M |