<p>Viola dad is right on the mark with his comments about music performance. Though every instrument is different, all of them if you are talking about solo performance, chamber or orchestral work range from insanely competitive to totally on mars competitive and that isn’t just with the ‘top end’, it applies in many cases across the board. Quite honestly, given the level of competition I have seen even at the pre college level, I would question the value of a non audition program in terms of actually being able to perform (though if what Viola dad said was true, that some programs let you switch into the BM performance track after getting some legs). Among other things, I would assume that a non audition program would generally have a lower level of playing ability, and even if you got a really good teacher, the lack of general level of people in the program would be detrimental, as I know from direct experience with my son (he played in a local youth orchestra, where the kids for the most part were not that dedicated to music, and it really, really was not fun or rewarding for him, it actually worked against him rising up and picking up the pace, because it damped a lot of his enthusiasm; conversely, getting into a high level youth orchestra this past year has helped really, really build a fire under him and I think helped him beat the odds and get into the pre college program he is entering in the fall).</p>
<p>Even if you are thinking of going a non traditional route, like perhaps going into other areas of performance other then classical ensemble or solo work, you still may want to think about that the idea of a non audition school for performance. Though the standards are different, if you want to for example go into jazz or pop music or perhaps some type of folk, etc, you still will need to get your performance chops in, and again I suspect a non audition program won’t do much to light that fire…</p>
<p>Others probably have differing opinions and mine is simply that, an opinion among many.</p>