We really enjoyed Eastman, as well. It was a great experience! So glad you enjoyed it! Good luck with Frost!
ALL audition locations should do this.?? I feel stress leaving just reading about it and I’m sure my son would have been way less nervous if he had play dough to occupy his hands while he was waiting. LOVE LOVE. Glad you had such a great experience. Wherever he lands, I’m going to be that Momma pushing for that stress free zone (through my kid) for those coming to audition in the future. Absolutely LOVE the idea.
I’m a little late to the party on these comments…and congrats to everyone on a successful weekend of auditions!
@tubamama - as was already said, it is so very common that after the big decision and the stress subsides, there is a bit of a let-down and/or a period of wondering. My D knew exactly what she wanted…I was so excited for her to submit…and then after some time my mind began to question it…lol. What if it was the wrong decision!?! But then I found out these feelings of “buyer’s remorse” were very common and do go away with time. For you it’s early…but for others it often takes over May!
@runninglate - some kids can make a quick, solid decision…many take awhile to decide and need to go back and do visits…and others take until the very, very end and may seem torn even after the decision. In the end, almost all will love their school. So no matter where your kid falls on the spectrum, it’s all good.
I can only suggest two things:
1.) The “gut instinct” of your kid should be encouraged and respected. You may roll your eyes by the comments of “everyone at that school seemed mean” bc one kid wasn’t smiling in one hall one day. Or the kid who seems as concerned with food choices as with music curriculum. These “kids” are still young sometimes and some may have a hard time articulating their “gut” and use “crazy reasons” when they are simply trying to say…for some reason I like this school more than that one…bc it just feels right and comfortable and I can see myself there. And you the pesky parent needs to know WHY? What’s the sensible reason that I can share with family members and friends! Encouraging them to use their “gut” is important…imho…bc it tells them their internal feelings and happiness are more important than all the external stuff. On their own at college, they will need to make many decisions on their own…and some of it will be just “what makes you happy every day” as opposed to what’s “right”…bc sometimes nothing is right…it’s simply about happiness.
2.) For anyone rolling their eyes to the above (I may have!), you can make a list (I did! bc I needed a list and reasons why!). My D rolled her eyes at my list idea…definitely a gut instinct girl who has taught me a thing or two. I did enjoy making a list of important items (teacher, reputation, cost, curriculum, environment, dorms etc). Then I would weigh things (ie, teacher would be x2 and dorm would be x.5) That way every list can be individualized for a kid/family concerns. Then I would add up the score for each school. This helped me bc it showed that all schools had a lot of pros (some more than I initially realized)…and there was no bad choice. It definitely helped me let go of “steering” my kid…besides for financial considerations. However in the end, all of her schools were a possibility for UG (for grad school some were knocked out due to high cost).
Good luck!!
Hello ye helpful CC folks on this thread. Always good to butter folks up before you get to ask for stuff ? Speaking of buttering folks up, my son has spotted two of the personalized home-made Thank you cards I crafted on my Cricut for instructors who had given him lessons while he was on the hunt. He saw them prominently displayed on their office walls. On the front I had put Thanks Dr. XXXX and Merry Christmas (which means they should have been in a drawer somewhere or thrown out by now… not displayed ? ) and a cut out clarinet (easy card but effective) and he hand wrote a thank you note on the inside. The rest of the auditions he’s had have been with a panel so maybe they’re in those instructors offices as well. But I digress… but not really. Note to folks coming along on the journey… Thank you cards are a simple thing that goes a long way with instructors, admissions counselors you’ve interviewed with, etc. Initially when he started, I had bought packs of dollar store cards to send but got fancy and personalized after I got my machine. Dollar store thank you cards… same effect. OMG… I soooooo went off on a tangent when I just came to ask a question. That’s me… verbose to my core. ?
So my son had an audition today where he spotted one of those cards. It was THE most amazing audition day EVER. They had sent a letter last week asking for a change to Saturday but he opted to keep his original date if the instructor was going to be there today. Well, not only was the instructor there, but so was everybody ELSE he needed to see, interview , or do a test (aural skills and theory) with. The amazing thing… he was the ONLY person auditioning today cause everybody else had pushed their audition back to Saturday (The email they sent DID kinda make it seem like we were supposed to but my kid didn’t jump on it). Talk about getting the royal treatment… from the student who met us outside with a parking permit, to the coffee and donuts they had just for us, to every part of the audition, three classes we attended (super fun early education class where we did a 2nd grade singing musical chairs game and a vibrant west african drummers and dancers circle - a popular class with music majors and a keyboard class) interviews with a music industry professor and the band director who also did his aural skills/sight singing testing, lunch with 5 clarinet students for a Q and A, and culminating with an interview with the department chair because the clarinet instructor (the assistant chair) insisted that he does everything he can to get this kid in. Did I mention it was THE best audition day? Again, I digress, but after I ask my question, I’ll post what I posted to my friends who have been following him on this journey so you can glean at just how amazing this was. By the way after this amazing day, he decided to cancel the Sunday audition at Boyer. Those 5 clarinetists he had lunch with today had ALL been accepted there and choose Tell because of the clarinet instructor. While I know every situation is different and we shouldn’t base decisions on what others have said, he was on the fence for Boyer anyway since he never had a lesson there and they shouldn’t have made it on the list. He got no argument from me. He still wants to go to the audition at Duquense. He had a lesson there and made some connections so… ANYHOO… the Question !
Bennie’s 6/6 at the moment … 6 auditions, 6 acceptances into the Music School/Program, complete with congratulations and welcome, but only 3 acceptances into the university itself… two of them coming prior to the auditions. The other three, including the one today which he’s already received a formal acceptance letter from emailed at 9:13p.m. (they weren’t messing around) contain the dreaded contingency clause…(his words) “contingent upon your academic acceptance to X University” . My son wants to get excited but is not really cause technically he’s NOT accepted into the school YET. And remember he has less than stellar grades. So the question is, for those who have gone the ‘music school within a university route’ and have received such notifications, what has been your experience? How quickly did you find out a decision from the university itself ?? Anybody gotten a negative from the Uni after being accepted to the Music School? Shudder. Why DO they do that? Thanks for shedding a light.
If you’ve read that far…and want to hear of our awesome feedback from the royal audition day today… here it is. This Momma is super proud!!
That moment when your son wakes you up from your car nap to say Dr Houlahan wants to speak with you… I know kid is in the music building somewhere doing theory tests and sitting in with the wind ensemble, as he already completed his audition and interviews this morning before lunch … and none of them with a Dr H. Befuddled, I quickly put my shoes on, try to freshen up and go in to talk with the summoner . Dr H - THE Chairman of the Department , An Irish man ( yea… that brogue woke me up) who got right to the “nuts and bolts “ as he was on his way to a meeting with the dean ? Dr. Banks, the assistant chair and clarinet instructor had come to him, apparently something she’s never done before , to tell him he HAD to do whatever he could to get this “incredible young man” into their program. So HE had summoned my son for an interview and called me in to tell me how “incredibly talented, smart, genuine and overall wonderful “ my son was and to tell me why, even though they didn’t have as much $$$ to throw at him, which he was sure the private schools and larger universities were likely doing, my kid should come here . Super convincing argument he made !! Parting words “What an incredible young man. You should be proud “ ( I hope you said that with an Irish brogue ? ) Heart swelling with pride… and this place checks of ALL his points … except $$$ , of course . BUT, Dr H’s argument , “some debt now, guaranteed rewards later. And if you don’t let your son come here , you better pray he doesn’t come up against a Tell School of Music graduate for a job , cause he’s going to lose “ I’m convinced ! 
I’m sure Bennie will be too as it’s been an amazing day so far . NOW he’s off to that ensemble rehearsal . And I’m going back to my car nap !!
Oh and a side note for @compmom … acceptance letter today states… "for admission into the Bachelor of Arts Music degree program (Performance track) AND the Bachelor of Science in Music Industry degree program with a Music Production Concentration in the Clair Brothers Music Business Technology program at the Tell School of Music at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. A double major. AS close to THE perfect FIT he can get at this juncture !!! Must have been that phrase used in the interviews, which even the department chair mentioned he said ?Thanks again !!! Grateful !!
Congratulations on a satisfying experience for you and your S.
As many on this board have experienced, it is totally possible to be rejected from the university and accepted to the music school. Some schools will not audition kids that don’t make the academic cut, but others do. For a particular school, you might want to call academic admissions and ask anonymously.
I beg to differ about taking on debt. There are no “guaranteed rewards later” in music. The bit about coming up against a grad of the program and not winning the audition is manipulative, in my opinion. Reserve decisions until you see all acceptances (music and university) AND financials.
@BenniesMom1 Congratulations to your S on all the positive feedback. With 6/6 admits he is clearly doing it right!
For this reason, among others, I agree 100 percent with @songbirdmama. Wait for the admits to the university (where appropriate) and the financial package before making any decisions. One important reason is that many schools increase their financial offers based on offers from competing schools. We were able to inform S’s first choice that “he’d love to go there but unfortunately finances are a factor and School B and C offered much larger packages.” We even sent copies of the letters. Schools expect this and most (Berklee being the only exception I know) respond with better offers. If they really want your kid, they know that money matters. There’s a whole thread on this from last year if you are interested.
I also agree that Dr. H sounds (forgive me) a bit full of it. Unless he will guarantee to hire your son himself upon graduation, he’s not in a position to offer “guaranteed rewards.” We had several occasions where similar smoke was blown in my son’s direction, but in the end, it came down to how much S loved the program as well as how much the schools offered. To be brutally honest, my son thought that schools who were on their knees begging for his attendance weren’t necessarily at the level he wanted to be. And schools that talked a big line but didn’t give him enough money weren’t, in his view, serious about wanting him there.
That’s one kid’s opinion, and may not apply here. But I’ve been in this space for several years now, and the only schools I’ve generally heard “we love you but the money’s not there” from have been Berklee and NYU. Taking on debt didn’t make sense for my son, so he waited for better offers, which came through more generously than I ever imagined. Sounds like the same may happen for your son.
I agree it is wise to avoid debt. If a school is affordable without loans, great.
This is a special case due to your son’s multi-faceted interests and the particular double major offered is a reason to consider paying more. But make sure that other schools cannot offer something similar, regardless of how the degree is named 
Glad my little phrase helped !
ps I tried sending you a new Peabody program but got the wrong link. Here is the right one (also posted in a composition thread here): https://peabody.jhu.edu/academics/instruments-areas-of-study/music-for-new-media/
Your son may be able to find what he wants and needs in many ways at different schools.
@songbirdmama thanks for the feedback. The three schools where he’s waiting for a decision for WAIT for the results from the audition before making a decision. The schools which make an academic decision before getting an audition (like University of Maryland) were bumped off his list before he even started sending out applications. We asked those questions last Spring when we were on a visiting spree. And we’re definitely waiting to make ANY decisions until we have everything/financials in hand. He’s just tired and feels since he didn’t have ANY connection with Temple (they didn’t agree to a lesson before hand) that they should be cancelled. Like I said, they shouldn’t have been on the list anyway according to his matrix and his primary deciding factor… the instructor.
@akapiratequeen thanks. I’d LOVE to see that thread from last year about letting other schools know how much you’re getting from a different school so they can up that. We were advised AGAINST doing that at the College Fair for musicians workshop we went to on Financial aid. Well, we weren’t exactly advised against doing it, just against letting them know specifically who’s making the offer. They advised to work on getting a better deal but not letting them know specifics about other offers. Disparity there.
Funny that you should say that cause as soon as we got in the car, my kid looked at me and said… "Mom, you must have still been in sleep mode when Dr H said that cause I was surprised you didn’t tell him he was full of it " ? My kid knows me well enough to know that if I was off sound mind, I WOULD have called him out on that statement and certainly given a little bit of a WOA… that’s a pretty cocky statement. What’s your basis for that? kinda response. My kid has his heart set on TSOM at the moment, and I AM convinced it’s the best place for him, Dr. H not withstanding, so I’m sure I’ll have a chat with the good Dr. at some point in the future when I get into “show me the money” mode. I can be fierce. I’m a salesperson… just can’t sell me on anything, especially not where my kid is concerned.
I’m confident it did !! Thanks and YES…he’ll be looking to see if that can be simulated at other schools. I DID look at the three which he’s been accepted to and unfortunately, they don’t have it. Which is why we’re still headed to Pittsburgh tomorrow, cause Duquesne does, or at least something similar. Though he just told me… all things being equal, and even if I am able to do a double degree like that elsewhere, those other schools don’t have Dr. Banks, which is the main draw. Always has been. She’s a gem for sure. So we shall see. I forsee a down to the last minute kinda thing happening in April. I’m ready for the financial fight.
Happy though that he only has one more audition now cause I’m mentally DONE. Hartt came back with a “you can send in a video” email today when he cancelled… just like Ithaca did though we’re not in video audition distance for either of them. He’ll probably send it off tomorrow, or maybe he won’t. I’m staying out of that decision.
The journey continues !! BUT, there’s a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
@BenniesMom1 I’ll look for that thread…it might have been part of the 2023 Journey thread…here is some info I cut and pasted, though.
"Each school has a different appeal process so I would start by contacting admissions and asking what their process is. It helps if there are other, larger offers and if the school is definitely her first choice. (My S said he would commit immediately if they agreed to an increase.) Also if there’s any sort of financial hardship not reflected in the docs you sent — illness, retirement, job loss etc. Finally, it helps if there’s a gap between your EFC and the amount they are offering (in other words, if they don’t meet need.)
Not every school allows appeals but many do. You can also search CC to see if anyone else has tried appealing the school. In our case, we attached letters from the other schools and this definitely made a difference."
And here’s a big thread on who gives what (anecdotal so take it with a grain of salt!): http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/2130409-merit-scholarships-for-music-majors-reported-by-school-p1.html
Ithaca has some of what he is looking for. Is he going to audition there at all, either in person or from a distance? They have a major in recording technology, composition and performance, but a minor in audio production and some classes in that, digital production and other relevant courses.
It does sound like he has found a place he loves, so hope the money works out!
Thanks but Ithaca was already withdrawn for various reasons, one being distance. There were very nice about it . On paper it qualified for the 5 hour driving range (just barely) but it took us waaaaaaay longer with traffic which we heard is “normal” and always there. We had to whittle down the very long list somehow, so… My kid said No Regrets cause he wouldn’t have stumbled upon a few ‘GEMS’ much closer to home if this restriction didn’t exist. So far with his top choices, Momma gets to keep up the trend at being at every single one of his concerts. He said “It would be weird if I looked out in the audience and didn’t see your smiley face”. I don’t intend to have the kid weirded out, if I can help it ?
And yea… he definitely found a place he LOVES. Let’s hope the $$$ work out indeed.
@akapiratequeen thanks for the helpful info and link. Appreciate it.
And off to Pittsburgh we go for a lucky 7/7, he hopes. Everybody auditioning this weekend… Break a Leg !! Our kids have got this !!!
Did you know that there are more Performing Fine Arts scholarships than Athletic scholarships, AND over $1.2 billion go unused every year!
This keeps popping up on my Facebook feed. Has anyone ever tried this site or something similar and been successful in getting any? Or do you know of any Music specific scholarships outside of the school’s talent awards etc that might be available?
Thanks for the feedback. It’s number crunching time.
@BenniesMom1 check out this website:
https://majoringinmusic.com/scholarships-for-music-majors/
Thanks much !!!
Eastman vocal audition upcoming…I’ve never been so nervous!!! Everyone has been telling me just to relax and be myself, show them my personality and sing my best. I’m the only person at my school auditioning for classical voice…anyone with some REAL experience got advice for how not to blow it at the most intimidating school on my list? ALSO, is it too late to schedule some sort of lesson with faculty? I’ve heard it’s a good idea for voice students to do lessons at their top schools. I’m just worried about cost (we’ve been doing a lot of travelling thanks to auditions!) and whether the teachers will be available!
Elegie17-
Eastman has some advice for you on their website:
https://www.esm.rochester.edu/admissions/2015/02/preparing-audition2/
One of my younger daughter’s violin teachers suggested an interesting variation on Eastman’s “practice being nervous” advice- he said when he was prepping for a big audition he would literally jog around the block to get his heart rate elevated as it is when the adrenaline is pumping and then play his piece, to help him figure out how to perform with his heart racing.
That said, my vocalists’ daughter’s Eastman audition was one of her best; that whole audition day is designed to put you at ease. Very friendly atmosphere. You passed the prescreen, so you belong there. No reason to be intimidated. They want you to be great just as much as you do. You’ve got this.
@Elegie17 - You’ll have a wonderful experience at the Eastman audition with plenty of time to hang out, talk to students and wander around the school. In the recent past there was a window of time during which the teachers didn’t do lessons with auditioning students, and I think you are in that window now so don’t worry about that.(Of course feel free to ask someone though.) Instead, visit the SLC (dorm) and talk with some VP kids. They’ll be wearing t-shirts with their name and major. Remember - this process is also about finding the right fit for YOU. My daughter was the only one auditioning for classical voice from her midwestern public high school - we’d never even heard of an “arts high school” or a summer voice program - and she liked the students there. The good thing about Eastman is they understand that incoming/auditioning vocalists are coming from many different backgrounds and they are looking for potential. You’ve got this!
@Elegie17 Great advice from @buoyant and @NYCMusicDad — you got this! I’m sending good vibes your way. My son found the Eastman audition to be one of his most fun. As you will see, they are really welcoming. Be sure to visit the “no stress zone.” Most important, remember they are looking for “potential, not perfection!” That was my son’s mantra going in, and it has turned
out to be absolutely true. They are trained to see your potential. So just be you, and trust your talent and many years of preparation to do the rest.
Go get ‘em tiger! Please let us know how it goes! Oh also, I wouldn’t worry about a lesson at this point. You’ll be busy most of the day, as will they.
@Elegie17 you have a great advice above. I just wanted to wish you good luck. You are “enough” just as you are…no matter if it’s your #1 or #10 school. Approach them all the same with the knowledge that you are “enough as is”.