<p>Two instruments, eh? Very, very difficult, but not impossible, even though most conservatories (especially the tippy top ones too) will tell you it is. The only school that my son looked at that absolutely would not entertain the idea of two instruments was MSM, although they were fine with auditioning on both—then he had to choose (and he didn’t want to do that, which was fine because they offered him the least money). </p>
<p>He had prescreens everywhere, and doing two sets of prescreens was no small feat. But again, it was doable, just required good organization skills! Had he looked at less competitive schools, he would not have had all those prescreens. That could be something else to consider. He was also offered full rides at less competitive schools by teachers who met him at festivals and summer programs. More things to consider.</p>
<p>My S had several teachers acknowledge that it would be very difficult to do what he wanted to do, and indeed, it has been difficult…but not impossible. Others saw his strengths and potential and were encouraging. The trick is to find a school where they will help facilitate the two degrees and two instruments and be supportive. If the administration and teachers are not behind the student, it really will be impossible. The scheduling alone could be a nightmare (my son is doing both classical and jazz degrees, and only so many courses overlap). The practice requirements are very difficult, but he has worked it out. It took a little time to figure out how to do this though. </p>
<p>I’d definitely recommend the talent assessment, and talking/taking lessons with professors. They are usually pretty upfront.</p>