nasi

I've been a lurker here for about 2 years. My dd is a senior who wants to major in oboe performance. She applied to 8 colleges/conservatories. I agree with bluepearl. This process is very overwhelming. I did have to help keep my dd organized through it. Her first audition is on Monday. Its going to be a busy couple of months. Nancy

barbmaz

I have a D who will be auditioning this winter at several schools for Voice Performance. So far, she has auditioned at CCM, and will be auditioning at Carnegie Mellon, Baldwin-Wallace, hopefully Oberlin, IUP, and a few safety nets. I have a son at Point Park in Pittsburgh ( acting major) and I have a daughter who just graduated, also an acting major. She is now doing an internship at a theater in Cincinnati, and did summer stock in Cape Cod which was a great experience.

Hat

I'm the Dad (no musical background beyond HS and church choir - DW plays the piano). Son is looking for schools with strong academics and strong vocal performance departments, really wants to pursue a dual degree program. He has been singing with good school teachers/choir directors since third grade, but has only been taking private lessons for about 3 years. Went to Tanglewood last year and loved it! BTW, he was the first person from his voice teacher's studio to apply to Tanglewood. He applied to Tanglewood and Interlochen and was accepted at both - maybe it was a "relatively" inexpensive way to determine if he has what it takes to make it on a national level.

BobSB

I'm a father of a 1st year community-college student who wants to transfer to pursue a vocal performance major. I sing and I embarrass my shower: she sings and shakes the entire neighborhood - and weighs in at around 98 pounds. I'm new to the subject and to this discussion, and I'm trying to (gently) steer my daughter through this process.

guitarist's mom

My name says it, my son the guitarist but music-as-a-career hopeful. I just posted for the first time in Suggestions of Colleges with Music Majors. This forum is terrific.

DableST_1

Hi there,

I don't think I ever introduced myself in this thread. I am a hoping to be a Vocal Performance and Music Education major. Currently I am at a Jr. College and I will be graduating this May. I have applied to 7 schools, completed 3 auditions already with 4 more to go. This process can definitely be overwhelming but well worth it!

binx

We've got quite a contingent of vocalists on CC this year. If we ever all meet, I'm expecting quite a chorus!

compclub

Hi everyone,

So glad I found this site. I am a Los Angeles native, lived in Boston for 4 years while attending Berklee - which was not for me - came back to LA and am now hoping to transfer to the Boston Conservatory or the New England conservatory as a Composition major. I have 2 and 1/2 years of traditional theory under my belt, and have taken a 20th century compositional techniques class, although I could use some brushing up on my tone row methods! I'm taking beginning orchestration and have done some ear training as well. I have written only two full pieces starting from Spring 2007 but am working on my third. John Williams is coming to my school to work with the "Composer's Club", of which I am the "president", so I am fairly excited.

With all that said, I am still desperately nervous about getting into these schools although I have an invite to interview at BOCO. I have read some posts blasting BOCO and conversely praising NEC, but to speak honestly, I am so eager to learn from any one that admission to either would be a great achievement. i am a firm believer that you have to make the MOST of what you are given and eventually success will follow.

Anyway, glad to have found such interesting and good people.

-vanessa

binx

compclub - Your attitude is great. All of the schools you mention have things to offer. And music or not - there is no such thing as a perfect college. If you have found a place you "can stand" and a teacher you can learn from, then don't worry about what others may think!

My S has recently had lessons (instrumental, not comp) with a few teachers that he was "warned against." He is enjoying the lessons and learning a lot. His take is that students who did not do as well had perhaps a self-fulfilling prophecy. They wanted to study with other teachers, or at other places, so set themselves up to not like what they got. He is far enough along in his playing (last semester, senior) to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff.

rlmcmillan

I've been a lurker here for a bit over a year. Have learned tons. Thanks.

DS, currently a HS senior, is a violinist and composer. He got a bit of a late start (age 10) but has been pretty serious since the start. He studied for 3 years with Phil Lewis (at UNT) when we lived in TX and has for the last 2.5 years been studying with Richard Luby (at UNC). Though entirely self-taught in composition, I guess he might be pretty good as he won ASTA's Merle J. Isaac Composition Award (Junior Division) in 2007. He's applied to UNC, Oberlin, BU (auditioned today), Brandeis, Tufts/NEC, McGill and UC Berkeley. He plans to double (in some cases triple) major in violin performance/composition and environmental studies.

I'm looking forward to hearing where everyone here on CC lands for next year. Good luck musicians and parents.

Franklinbm

First time post....Our D received a phone call today that she will be accepted to the Blair School at Vanderbilt based on her vocal performance DVD, however, if she want to apply for a scholarship she needs to give a live audition. Does anyone know about the Blair scholarships and how competative they may be?

violadad

Franklinbm, congrats to you and your d. From the last year's Master List of Acceptances thread Master List of Music School Acceptances, the posters lgreen and RedHerring have instrumentalists at Vanderbilt. There were no vocalists listed at Vandy on that thread. You may want to PM either or both for their experience or knowledge.

Perhaps someone else has additional knowledge.

convoybutterfly

I'm a junior in high school in southwest Ohio, and I play the viola. I realized too late that I want to make music the rest of my life, so I'm here to look for help and advice. I'm preparing for auditions next year, but I don't know where I'll go yet. I feel really out of my league here with all sorts of talented kids and parents of talented kids around.

Trumpet_Dad1

Hello to All,

I'm a parent with a son applying for admission as a trumpet performance major. Having just completed his last audition this weekend we have now moved to the wait and see mode. Thanks to all who have posted on their experiences. I only wish we would have found the site sooner.

binx

Welcome, Trumpet_Dad! Thumper will be glad to have another trumpet parent around. We will all welcome another fresh take on the process, and you will appreciate having other folks commiserating with you during the 14 year wait between end of auditions and hearing back. (Some say the wait is shorter than that, but they usually aren't music parents who say that ).