stringfollies

ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

cartera45

Things seem to be a bit different for vocalists sometimes because they see so many at the auditions that I think they tend to just mark their sheets and smile. At one school, the Director of Opera and Music Theater told her after she sang that she had beautiful colors in her voice. She was ready to sign up right then and there. I think the kids are a little starved for feedback so any little thing that is done or communicated goes a long way. She felt really good about each audition though - the lack of feedback didn't inform the way she felt about her performance and it didn't impact acceptances.

lorelei2702

Judges can be very creative in their language of remarks, i.e "What a memorable performance!","I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed your singing"."Wow!" Do take it to heart if a judge goes out of his/her way to say "be careful about.....", it is a sign they were listening, thinking about what they heard, and that they think fixing something is worthwhile!

This is the time of much second guessing and replaying of the audition memory reels. Remember that schools are selecting musicians who can be successful in their programs, and they are basing that judgement on what they hear now. If you do not gain acceptance where you think you belong, take it to heart....work harder and/or consider all your options. Good luck!

MomOf3Stars

In our experience, the more prestigious the school the less interactive during the audition. At Eastman, it was a very neutral audition except for the one comment "that was a very strong finish". Unfortunately this really put my D off attending there.

At all of our other auditions the faculty were SOOOOO friendly and wonderful it has given my D fits of anxiety over having to choose. At one school we were told that she would not hear back until all the other Horns had been auditioned only to get an acceptance letter within 2 weeks (this was an early audition). Another we were told "I hope to see you in the fall", which is nice and friendly but I believe non-committal so we were happy to get an acceptance there. Still yet at the other 2 auditions my D was told point-blank that they loved her, wanted her, and then they proceeded to try and sell the school to her (not even a need to try and sell at this point, she loves both places) and one school even asked her why in the heck she is not a performance major. We did receive the acceptance for one but are waiting on the other (academic acceptance at this school is rigorous).

All in all the audition process has been somewhat empowering for my D. We have learned a lot. She has never been to a summer program nor has she had extensive private lessons or played with a youth orchestra. At the auditions she was actually lauded for this!!! One professor was astounded that she had completely prepared for auditions all on her own. At more than one school they commented on her excellent singing ability and at yet another were IMPRESSED by her NYSSMA record (which various people have told us no one would care about). We found that the excellent recommendations from her JH and HS band teachers really got the adjucators attention before she even went in (these recs were mentioned at every audition except Eastman).

Overall, I can say this whole audition process has so wonderful. Going into it we felt at a distinct disadvantage and would have considered ourselves lucky if she squeaked into one school but she has been so warmly treated pretty much everywhere that it really makes her feel like all of her hard work has paid off. I think no matter where she goes she will not feel like she has been second choice or just squeaked in and will feel valued. That is worth all of the miles logged for sure.

I should mention that she felt she made minor mistakes at all of the auditions on various things. For the most part the adjucators were extremely helpful and understanding. One came out before the audition and spoke to me privately and asked me how D was feeling that day. I thought that was a nice gesture.

Oh, and I don't expect to hear from Eastman soon. I am hoping but whoever posted the mid-March to Early April is probably right on. I just never asked when we would hear.

stringfollies

Eastman said mid-March. I'm glad your D had such a great experience. I think my son has also grown tremendously. The praise he has received has been more from individual teachers before the auditions, but this has made him approach the whole process with greater confidence. He is exhausted though!

musicianmom

I suspect everyone's experience is unique and dependent on where they auditioned, for whom they auditioned, for what program they auditioned, who else was auditioning, etc. I don't think there's a real possibility of averaging out the answer to the questions "how did I do - what does it all mean?" based on what happened to others! But, wouldn't it be nice to be able to figure that out without having to wait...

There's been such a great crowd this year of singers, jazz musicians, wind, string, and composition students that what I've really learned is how different things are for students in different circumstances - even those auditioning at the same schools. Best of luck to all!

thumper1

My son is seldom happy with his auditions. He seems to find and remember only the parts that go poorly...and doesn't seem to care about the parts that went well. As he says...he knows what needs work.

-Allmusic-

I would say the universal to S's auditions was people noticing that he had perfect pitch. During sight singing or aural training, most of the adjudicators did comment on it. I don't know if PP is all that rare, but perhaps it is something they will remember!

Aside from that, not much more overlap. He definitely did not get any gushing, like Momof3Stars' D did, but felt that everyone was solicitous and professional.

shennie

I want to share my son's audition experience for grad school last year. He was auditioning at Juillard for cello performance. They asked him to start with a movement of Bach. They then asked for a movement that he could play quite well, but had not memorized particularly well. He said he had at least a dozen memory slips. At the end of that movement, one of the judges (he has no idea who - there were about 10 people there) told him "Don't worry about it." So he took a deep breath and proceeded on with the rest of his audition. He thought that other than the one movement of Bach, it was his best audition all year. He was accepted but chose to go elsewhere to study with the teacher he wanted.

My point is that, even at the graduate level, your audition does not have to be perfect. The judges have all been on the other side of the table many times and know how nerve-wracking it can be. If you do mess up, showing poise and professionalism can go a long way towards still creating a good impression.

Binx - I had to smile when you mentioned a ways back about the good days / bad day / good days / bad days. When son has had a bad audition or lesson I usually get the "law school" call. When he calls and talks about applying to law school I know he is in one of his low spells. However, in the 4 years since he started talking law school as an alternative, he hasn't sent in a single application! When he starts studying for the LSAT, then I will get worried

L. Fortissimo

That is encouraging. So do you think there are schools where a "perfect" audition is required? If anywhere, I would have thought Juilliard! So what quality is it that overcomes that kind of lapse? Would love to know what you think!

Hat

My son was soooo glad to be done with the auditions, not because of the competition but because they took so much time away from school (and homework). I think it was five weekends in a row, with one break. My wife took him on the first two auditions (one on a Friday and the other the next day) and he felt really good about both. By the time he got back from the third audition (he went solo because both my wife and I were ill) he had an acceptance from one of the first two. That really took the pressure off. So much so that when he went to his fourth audition with me, he claims that he hit a note that the human ear was never intended to hear (fortunately this was the school that he had the least interest in). For his fifth audition he again was solo, but I took him to his last audition at Peabody. He had a great time and got to see some of his friends from Tanglewood. I got to see some old college buddies, so a good time was had by all.

The admissions director at Peabody had an interesting comment about how the kids perceive their auditions. He said that most with be focused on their mistakes. He then asked a question of the prospective auditioneers "How long do you have to listen to another musician on your instrument before you know if they are equal to, lesser than or greater than your ability?" The only answer that I heard was two minutes, but the director said 15 seconds (which my son later agreed with). So don't sweat the small mistakes.

lostinthemusic

My Eastman audition was miserable. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I went right after an extremely accomplished friend of mine (just by chance), and I felt like I was completely ignored. I don't think I'm enough of a finished product for them anyway, but the professor that was there just sat there checking his email (!) the entire time while occasionally scribbling something on my sheet or telling me to stop and play something else.

I wasn't expecting rainbows and ponies, I mean it is a top-notch conservatory. It would have been nice to at least feel they listened, though. Even if they knew right away they didn't want me.

I've had some lovely feedback and encouraging vibes at other schools though, so I suppose it all evens out.

L. Fortissimo

Was it perhaps that the prof already knew your playing well enough? (hope)

cartera45

You really cannot predict anything based on the auditors' demeanor. If they decide in 15 seconds, they maybe they will take the chance to catch up on email - not saying they should. I think they should feign rapt attention.

L. Fortissimo

There are also some departments that are notorious for attempting to rattle you with odd noises and so forth, to test your concentration, I suppose.