Acceptance to University vs Music Program

TooManyViolinists
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:31:41 +0000

I see I am getting called out here – sorry all, had to have a minor surgery that took me out of commission for a bit.

Regarding the repertoire thing, it is a combination of what you play and how well you play it. If you play Mendelssohn at 16 but you have also already played Wieniawski and Dvorak and Saint Saens and Paganini, you are going to be fine. (This is actually how my son’s precollege teacher often does it.)

But if you are applying to college and only made it up to Mendelssohn after playing Kabalevsky and Bruch, you are definitely going to be behind technically. Most of the people who play Mendelssohn for their auditions fall into that latter category – and it is usually too hard for them, out of tune, and not so great. That is what folks are talking about…not the rare person who plays a gorgeous Mendelssohn, and then also rocks a very challenging Bach fugue and a crazy caprice.

I have seen a perfect Mendelssohn get someone into both NEC and Curtis. But it has to be perfect, because technically it is just not as challenging of piece as Sibelius or Tchaik.

A good Saint Saens is going to be a strong contender for second tier level conservatories such as Oberlin, Eastman, Peabody, Indiana, San Francisco, etc.

The listed rep looks like a bit of a mismatch to me. Generally I would not touch Bach C major until the entire rest of the Sonatas and Partitas are completely learned and you are technically ready to play the C major fugue. I guess you could learn just the easier movements, but most conservatories are expecting to hear a first movement and a fugue, not the latter movements.

I was warned that Paganini 16 is the absolute last choice for auditions and you should not do it unless you cannot play any other ones.

Will jump in more later!