09xoxo

I'm a high school sophomore considering a double major in piano performance (or something else, because I'm not too talented) along with something math-y. I mostly troll this part of CC because I ... like piano, and because I applied to BUTI (with a very small chance of admission, but applied nonetheless).

stringfollies

My youngest S is a hs junior. We're just about to immerse ourselves in this process. So far, CC has proven to be full of interesting information and I look forward to sharing this scary though exciting experience with others. I don't know many parents going through this process (most that I know have kids going to college in liberal arts or sciences) so it is very reassuring to know that I have a place to turn for information.

We have visited Manhattan School of Music (very crowded, but a nice atmosphere), Julliard (my S was completely put off - probably scared- by the cold building and impersonal tour) and University of Md. (very attractive buildings, nice admissions office - we had a positive reaction). We are about to go to Northwestern, Michigan and Cleveland Inst. over spring break and he will play for teachers in each of these - he's biting his nails and practising hard! I'll let you know what our reaction was.

S is reserved and quite young for his age - I worry about sending him away, but he thinks he's ready.......we'll see.

pianoman1189

I'm a senior in HS and I'm applying/auditioning for piano performance programs. My last audition was a few weeks ago... To be honest, I enjoyed auditioning more than waiting... I don't know if I can wait until April!! I go to MSM precollege and attended Eastern Music Festival last year (and I'm returning this year) I applied to (in no specific order)

Manhattan School of Music
Eastman
Peabody
NEC
Oberlin
Northwestern U

Hopefully I will get into a few of them.

notfromme

Hi!
I have two daughters. One is a freshman in college, majoring in Music Theater with a strong instrumental background (french horn, piano). Other daughter is a soph in hs, looking to major in flute (performance?)....which is why I am now lurking on this thread more than the musical theater thread!!

orchestramom

welcome to CC stringfollies! There are a bunch of us 08 music parents in the same boat, getting ready to fasten our seat belts for the ride ahead. (My Jr daughter's a string player too -- violin.)

notfromme--I remember first lurking here a couple of years ago before CC started the music thread, and MT was where ALL the action (and info) was then! This board is a terrific resource.

pianoman--good luck with auditions and waiting!

saxincol

My D is a senior and planning on majoring in saxophone performance. She's been accepted at (alpha!) Arizona State, CU- Boulder, Northwestern and USC. So aside from the financial aspect (she's got either partial or full rides at all schools) how does one "rank" the various programs? ? ? One has a legendary professor, another has a professor that 'really' wants her in their sax studio. US News used to rank music schools, but aside from NW, how do the others rate? Can someone help?

binx

I'm bumping up this thread because I've noticed a few new names recently, and hope they stop by to introduce themselves!

freakthmusicgeek

I am a High School sophmore who is OBSESSED with music. I play everything, but my main instrument is clarinet. Bassoon is my secondary instrument. Flute and trumpet are next, then the saxes. Mellophone and horn are in there somewhere too.

I plan to attend a conservatory, but I am still thinking about maybe doing a major university because I love math too, and am thinking about a double major in performance and math.

neumes

I never noticed this thread before, so thanks, binx, for the bump.

I'm a mom; son is a Junior bass-baritone who is serious about classical music but not opera--he's an ensemble guy and excellent sight reader--his voice seems really suited for early opera (Purcell, Handel) and he'd love a bass solo in a Bach or Mozart oratorio (did the bass solo in Faure Requiem recently) and is beginning to really like the art of song (Schubert, Schumann, and wants to do the Butterworth setting of A Shropshire Lad). Loves the early guys and the contemporary classical composers, too. Ideal life: singing with the Kings Singers, The Sixteen, or both, and teaching choral music. Has sung in England with our local choir of Men and Boys (and mixed teens) several times, including this summer. Is thinking Bachelor of Arts with music major, or even the daunting double major, as he likes literature and history, too. Does MT at high school because it's a wonderful program with a really tight group of kids, but he is not aiming for the stage as a career.

rudysmom

Yes, thanks binx, for the bump.

I am a mother of a 16 y.o., HS sophomore cellist who is definately planning a cello perf. career (at least at this point). Until I discovered this board 4 weeks ago, I would still be struggling with direction for helping my son "find his way" through this college search process. We have received a great deal of help from others on the board who've "been there, done that."

We live in the 'burbs of Chicago, and with the encouragement from several thoughtful folks here, we contacted Hans Jensen, Prof. of Cello at Northwestern in Evanston. My S. had a lesson/evaluation this past Sat. and Mr. Jensen agreed to take him on as a student beginning in the fall. My s. is very excited to begin studying with him. So much so, he practiced yesterday, on his own! (w/o me prodding him.)

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and advice.

vicariousparent

Our daughter is a 14 year old HS freshman who started out by playing piano and is now focussed on Voice. It is too early to say where she is headed with this but she loves to sing! We joined this site because we had questions about summer music programs. D is going to Interlochen for 6 weeks. As parents, our greatest musical talent is listening!

Flutemom

My daughter is 16 and just finishing her sophomore year of high school. She like many others here is planning on a major in performance (flute). She started private lessons in the 6th grade. The past 2 years she studied with a flutist with St Paul Chamber Orchestra. We recently changed to the professor at the Univerisity of Mn. The last 2 years she has gotten pretty serious in her flute studies and performed in a masterclass with Wissam Boustany and attended a masterclass and had a lesson with Keith Underwood. She has an audition for one of our local youth orchestra's this fall that she is looking forward to also.

She does well in school academically (ranked 1st in her class) We just recenetly started putting together a spread sheet of schools after reading the recommendation to do so here on the board. So we are really just in the beginning stages of our research and we have found this board really helpful in the planning.

Oh and I sang a bit in school and have a pretty good ear but never mastered an instrument the way my daughter has LOL

SpiritManager

My younger S is a high school sophomore. He has been composing since he was quite young. He plays cello in a very good Youth Orchestra, electric guitar in the high school's nationally known jazz ensemble, cello in a string jazz trio/quartet, and sings and plays in a Funk Band. But it's the composing which is as essential to him as one of the food groups. He can't live without it. My older S is a Junior at a liberal arts college in Southern California. We live in the SF Bay Area.

FiddleMom

Most of you know me by now, but I realize after looking at this thread that I never introduced myself here. I'm mom to a new college graduate in an arts field other than music, with a double major in a foreign language and a minor in business, starting the long road to finding her way in the arts.

I post here because of my fiddler, who announced last September that yes, after all, she thinks she wants to major in music, but not on trumpet, which had been her primary instrument, but rather on violin, on which she had no previous classical experience. She plays traditional Irish music and was beginning to venture into jazz and fiddle improvisation at the time she decided to audition for music programs. At that point she quickly got a new teacher who worked with her on classical and jazz works for her auditions (3 auditions in classical and one in jazz).

After the long roller coaster ride of the last few months, once her acceptances were in she chose to attend Bowling Green State University in Ohio for 1) the violin teacher and 2) the world music/ethnomusicology offerings at the undergraduate level, which will complement her fiddle interests as well as her interest in non-Western music. She also plans to continue her fiddle work outside of the curriculum, as well as take jazz violin studies in the summers. We'll see where this all leads, but at the moment she is working hard to finish her high school studies, and looking forward to starting college in the fall.

I also have a 12yo S who to date shows no real interest in playing music, nor has he yet shown an interest in anything else that could suggest a future direction for the focus of his high school studies. We'll see what the next couple of years brings.

team_mom

My Background- a recent steep incline
As a mom with no music background whatsoever (PhD-chemistry), I was pulled into this world by my oldest child. Several years ago I didn't know about music teachers, pre-colleges, summer music programs, concerto competitions, orchestras or conservatories. I now feel comfortable in this world and have acquired some experience that I feel could be helpful for people that find themselves where I was just a few years ago. There have been many great decisons along the way, together with a few misteps. I didn't have a college confidential resource to consult; but on the flip side-I didn't realize how much I didn't know!

My children-all 3 are musicians
My kids include a D, a performance major at Rice (woodwind), a HS S sophmore (brass) and another S, a 7-yr old (string.) My children have attended pre-college at Juilliard, been in many (at least 15 or more) of the NJ and NY Youth symphonies, attended Kinhaven, Tanglewood, SMI/Kennedy Center, Brevard, NY SMF, and prepare for auditions, recitals or competitions more often than I clean out my fridge! I still remember the first music fact I learned 6 years ago...get the best private music teacher you can..school is not enough. I laugh when I remember cringing at the thought of the money that would cost. A lifetime in 6 years.

What I have learned-
1) Your children must LOVE music to do it at this level. They have to drive it forward, not you. It is not for the meek, it is not for the uncertain. This level is hard work, long rehearsal hours, mad-cap dashes between concerts and rehearsals. (This month we have ~18 concerts, 30+ rehearsals and 10 conflicts including 2 unresolvable conflicts (with 2 unhappy conductors at how they were resolved).......but, I do have 3 kids doing this. My oldest saw it as exciting and fun and we learned together what it really entailed -although she still finds it exciting and fun! The younger ones knew exactly what kind of work it meant before they became involved, but chose to do so anyway. Lounging around in PJs watching TV on Saturday morning is sacrificed for a 7am train to Juilliard. They have to make these choices, not us. As the parent, you must always walk the precipice. Encouraging adn full of pride, but at the same time helping them understand if they should ever choose not to continue, you will be just as happy about them playing in the local chess tournament as you were in their playing 1st chair at Carnegie Hall. It's a fine line we walk. You don't want them to be afraid to decide it's not for them, for fear of disappointing you. It is their happiness we are after.

2) As the parent-facilitator (that's what I call myself) my job is critical. Organize applicatons, deadlines, auditions, etc, for summer programs, orchestras, colleges and competitions and in the meanwhile, get everyone everywhere they need to be, and with all the appropriate concert dress-CLEAN. And, of course, pay for it all! If you think your kids can do most of this themselves, you are right, they can. But remember, they are attending school, rehearsals, practicing, studying to get good grades and occasionally, getting together with their friends. It is the least I can do if they are working so hard!

The payback-
My kids LOVE what they do and are so happy! And when they are happy, they not only play well, but all aspects of their lives seem to go beautifully, including school. In the few free moments of their lives, I find them doing music anyway. It is their souls. We should all be lucky enough to discover what makes us glow and gives us unending energy at such a young age.