Hi All,
For those who auditioned on campus for BW, can you tell me what they do in regards to a piano test. My daughter has absolutely no training in piano and we just heard that it is a component in their audition for MT’s. What does she do when it comes time to do the “test”. I can imagine it may be a bit humiliating if she just sits there and does nothing.
Thanks!
I am not sure exactly what they do - but it is only to measure the level of experience. In the case of your daughter they would know that she should be in a beginner level class.
I guess I mean, should I rush now and find someone to teach her something basic so she has something to do when asked?
My daughter played “Pop Goes the Weasel.” They don’t care. It’s just for placement. Not worth running out and hiring someone to teach her something.
Once D demonstrated that she doesn’t play well - they used the time for some music theory questions etc to assess general knowledge in that area
They asked me if I had a piece prepared and I said “No, I’ve been studying piano for two weeks.” Then they laughed and asked me to play a D major scale (which luckily I knew) and that was that… Piano 1 it was! It really doesn’t matter either way, we all have to take 2-4 semesters of keyboard here unless you test into private lessons right away. Almost all the freshmen start off at level 1 keyboard with the exception of the few that have studied at a younger age. It certainly doesn’t affect the audition. No stress.
What @destiny95 said… My D didn’t even know where to put her hands on the keyboard at her audition! She’s in her fourth and final semester of piano now, and for having no experience before arriving at BW she’s done well! Don’t stress about the theory test either. It’s truly just for placement - does not affect the audition.
So, she shouldn’t attempt to learn something? @kategrizz, did your daughter tell them that she had no experience and they still had her sit and attempt to play? Just want to make sure we know what to expect when we get there. Thanks so much for all the answers!
My daughter had a few lessons in elementary school and played French horn in band all through middle and high school, so she started to pick out the melody with one finger… Then they asked her to use both hands… And she had no idea where to put them, and the monitor laughed and said “piano 1, then!” It was really low pressure.