MIT4Lyf

I was thinking of submitting a music supplement, but I need some opinions from you guys.
I play the piano whenever I get time (4-5 days / week) but I'm not an expert, I play it for fun, covering songs by other artists, etc. I can submit few of the covers I have done so far and may be make a few challenging ones and submit it as my supplement, but will that be OK ?
I mean after reading this forum I feel like I shouldn't even think of even applying because the people here are far superior than what I am. Alright, so as I was saying should I submit a music supplement or should I just mention it in my application. I fear that if I don't submit a very good supplement it might work against me

sbjdorlo

Sure, submit it! My son submitted a violin supplement. He's not planning on being a classical violinist and he didn't really do competitions, but he's been playing for 11 years and it's a big part of who he is. He submitted two classical pieces that weren't perfectly played, and honestly, I don't know if it helped in admissions or not.

But I still say, why not? If you love music and it's a big part of your life and you think you can submit some excellent recordings, go for it.

jennieling

Go for it! In the Info Sessions I attended at various colleges this summer (Amherst, Williams, Brown, Carleton, Wesleyan) they said that it won't hurt you. The admissions officer sends it on to the appropriate music professor who evaluates it and sends his/her eval back to Admissions. They said that a good eval can help you, but a poorer eval would just be neutral, ie not help you but not hurt either. I just finished recording mine (piano solos and marimba solos). I think that it shows motivation and enthusiasm, so I figured it was worth doing.

Mikalye

No it probably won't. The best way to think of art/music supplements is in line with recruited athletes. You might think that you are a great quiddich player, and your opinion is fine, but when the coach at MIT contacts the admissions office to say that you are really great, then that provides the evidence of the talent that MIT ((a very evidence-based institution) is looking for.

With an arts/music supplement, you are presenting MIT with some evidence that you have talent in a particular area. MIT is looking for some confirmation of the size of that talent, and so sends it off to the visual arts/music faculty respectively for them to evaluate the portfulio. It is theoretically possible that a submission may be so bad that the faculty member writes a horrible letter to the amissions offce, but that is exceptionally unlikely. Far more plausible, is that an unimpressed faculty member will simply not write in support, or not include you on their list of artistic stars.

If you have something to show off, then show it off. Do not fret.

falcon92mom

As the mom of a music student who went through this process 3 years ago, it was our impression that these art/music supplements were specifically intended for students such as yourself. It's a way of distinguishing yourself from the pack of other applicants and showing a broader pictures of your background and interests. None of the top tier music schools/conservatories are interested in these supplements. These schools have very specific pre-screen and on campus (occasionally regional) audition requirements that are entirely separate from these supplements. So , yes, go for it! I think it can only help you. These supplements are not judged by the same standards as a music major.