D applied to 9 to start - Easy more or less to recycle essays and send the same prescreens. As a soprano, we knew there would be a lot of competition. She passed all the prescreens, which surprised us, Given the expense and time involved in going to all the live auditions, she withdrew one and didn’t go for the audition. She did a video audition for another that was not high on her list. She also withdrew one application after audition, as it was far from home and she really didn’t like the vibe (had not visited in advance because of distance). So in the end, 6 were in contention. She is now going to apply to MM programs in the fall. No idea how many she will apply to this time!
A short list of schools might be okay if at least one is a financial safety (affordable) for your family. Before making your list, read through the process used by each school to award both merit scholarships and financial aid and make sure you are comfortable with what you learn. This varies a lot from school to school.
Lots of time and effort goes into developing prescreen recordings so some families will choose to cast a wider net at the start and narrow down later.
S started with a list of nine, including five with prescreens, three audition programs with no prescreen, and one non-audition music BA. (To cover him in case he failed all the auditions!)
We ended up visiting all of those within driving distance but only having lessons at two. The plan was to revisit the others later in the process if prescreens were passed and interest was still high. He had also spent time at two of the schools during the summer so didn’t feel a need to revisit.
This worked out well for us, as in the intervening months several options fell off the table. One turned out not to have a strong jazz program (he is doing a joint jazz performance/music ed degree), another felt too small after the visit and he didn’t apply, and another fell off after he was admitted on a rolling basis to our state flagship (since he would have preferred it to this option).
In the end, he passed all his prescreens and did five auditions: one early action (non binding but gave him something in his pocket as they informed him before Christmas), one at our state flagship (affordable without financial aid), and three others over a three week period in mid-February to early March. Two were on weekends and two on Fridays, so he ended up taking only about four days total off from school.
To our shock and delight, he was accepted to all of his choices. The really surprising thing was the range in merit aid-- from $0 at two schools to over $50k at one, with two other generous offers in between.
If we had to do it again, I would drop only one of the five – an expensive private school that he was never overly excited about, but I pushed him to do since it was near home. This school required a prescreen as well as an on-site audition and did admit him, but with no merit aid to offset the $78k a year cost. So that was a waste of effort.
So after starting with nine schools, he ended up doing five auditions, and four would have been fine, too. Hope this helps!
Agree with @bouyant. There are many strategies. Here is another example. D took ACT once: Score was solid and within the cutoffs used by the music schools at Northwestern and Michigan (Which is lower than the range for students in Arts &Sciences or Engineering). She had an excellent GPA, 5 AP classes, etc… We didn’t think that extra summer prep to improve the score would change her chances in music admissions, so she focussed on prescreens and did not retake the test. However, the higher the test scores, the more competitive they may be for academic merit aid. So do they spend the summer before junior year boning up to retake the SAT/ACT or not? Something to think about!
A lot depends on the ‘competition’ for your kid’s instrument. Mine applied to 7 with 3 requiring prescreens; auditioned at 6 and was accepted by 4. Same weird range of scholarships from $4K to $37K. We had visited a total of 8 (not all of the same) schools the year before and if I had to do it all over again I would have a) gotten on CC a lot earlier and b) had S take sample lessons at all of the schools he was applying to.
We found the schools he had a ‘connection’ with the faculty he was accepted at. This is not a hard and fast rule, if you look at this year’s journey, many musicians were accepted with only an audition. As far as ACT scores, my S did great on the ACT which has contributed to most of his merit aid. We also only applied to programs within university settings (except one conservatory that was ‘affiliated’ with a bigger university) as S wants to potentially explore other subjects. Many of the universities accepted him before his audition EA because the music school cut offs are earlier than regular admissions. But, getting into the music programs was conditional on audition. A couple of schools didn’t accept until after the audition - once again, no rhyme or reason.
Here’s my more than two cents:
1.) In general, there will be a “natural culling” of your list. So it’s OK to start with a larger list in the summer…bc in the fall and winter, TIME and MONEY will come into play…and the list will most likely shrink. This is NOT a bad thing. It’s the natural progression in choosing a school. So feel free to have a larger list now. But be sure to talk with your kid about prioritizing the list based on interest AND financials as best you can. A high interest school that gives money (or a non-audition safety with very basic requirements that can help you sleep at night) should be done early in the fall…then moving onto your kid’s high-priced dream school (and your nightmare if no money is awarded). Finally, if you are very uncertain about your student’s level and you do want to attempt for a good amount of pre-screens that’s fine. If your kid passes most pre-screens, it’s easier then to cut the list (or do video auditions). You may feel more secure at that time. If your kid passes all or most pre-screens, you are usually in pretty strong position.
2.) Allow for some INDIVIDUAL progression in the process. It’s good to read all this information. However each kid is an individual and very few will hit every high mark. Our experience with ACTs were similar to @songbirdmama. She did fine on her first try. She did take it a second time (bc we were told schools like to see two efforts…I don’t think it mattered). She did no special study for it and got the exact same score…lol. In fact she never studied for it…and she was always so busy and a pain in the neck about it…that I gave up. But her score was fine for all her schools…so we moved on. Could you get more money for a better score? Sure. Can you get your kid motivated to do that? If yes, go for it. I can only imagine the blank, angry stare I would have received from my princess…so…no, she didn’t attempt for a higher score.
3.) It’s fine not to be perfect in this process. Do what you can do financially, time-wise, emotionally etc. We were blissfully ignorant for undergrad (partly bc my D is a vocalist and they develop late and my D had other interest so we weren’t solely focused on music). She did ONE sample lessons with a dept head…very last minute before an audition and it was so stressful to fit in…we never did THAT again. She met her teacher the first week of school. We even went to summer orientation at the school and never reached out to her teacher…not knowing that was a “thing”. Sometimes, we flew in and my D auditioned two hours later and then flew out…I was managing the dollars to a fault! We were like the Beverly Hillbillies of auditioning…and somehow it all worked out.
And finally on the INDIVIDUAL progression, my D choose a BS instead of a BM. She continued throughout her academic stints to be attracted to a variety of opportunities (which in VP/Opera is not always considered “best practices”). But now out of school, she has really enjoyed the “artistic/creative freedom” away from academics (however she is grateful for her intensive music studies). So it is important to know the “academic straight and narrow path” but allow your kid to be an individual. If they are not picking the BM BEST program!..maybe that’s for a very good reason…their interests and happiness…and you should let that be (as I’ve had to learn the hard way).
Make sure you are in a support position during this process. You should NEVER get ahead of your kid. You should be behind them or next to them (even when you think you know the answer…you don’t).
I hope this helps…and good luck all!
Great advice, @bridgenail especially this:
“Make sure you are in a support position during this process. You should NEVER get ahead of your kid. You should be behind them or next to them (even when you think you know the answer…you don’t).”
I felt very strongly that my son, who was strong academically, should reach for a school with an intellectual approach. I wanted him to reach in general – to be the smaller fish in the larger talent pond. However, for most of the process, S resisted this approach. The majority of the schools he applied to were safe academically (although this meant academic awards, not to be sneezed at) and would have made him a bigger fish in a smaller pond.
He aced those auditions and felt great about the results. Only then – with a couple of those admits in his pocket – did he feel confident enough to blow away the nine-hour (you heard me :)) audition at his reach school.
He got a great scholarship and, literally at the last minute, did a 180 and committed to Eastman. This was the outcome we were hoping for, but he had to get there himself. In retrospect I think his fear of being rejected at his “reach” caused him to gravitate to easier admits. But whatever it took, he got there on his own.
I agree with everyone above that mentioned leveraging your lesson teacher or other mentor that can help guide your selection on schools and MOST importantly professors that would be a good fit for your student. I can’t stress enough to NOT get caught up in the schools name when deciding what is the best fit for YOUR student. The professor is the NUMBER ONE most important factor in deciding IMHO. Find out from others who the well respected professors are, which ones have a great track record of placing their students in high level graduate programs, military bands (these are great gigs for young musicians), and orchestras. You may be surprised to find out that some of the lesser name schools have a better track record for your particular instrument or voice. Bottom line putting reach schools on your list is fine but they need to make sense. Reach for a great professor not a ‘known’ name. Yes, sometimes they go hand in hand but sometimes they do not and each instrument if different.
Before even deciding that a career in music is right you need to have a very frank and open discussion with their lesson teacher/mentor on if they have the required talent to pursue this path and what the outcomes can be. Good lesson teachers and mentors can spot raw talent vs. a student that is very well rehearsed and their is a difference. Keep in mind that not every student progresses at the same rate and that the 3 time all state player at 17 could very well flame out in college or have hit their peak and the kid that never made all-state in HS could end up a stellar professional player with a long career. Many a kid is accepted at great music schools ahead of ‘all-state’ players that didn’t even make the schools waitlist. Remember that even an average business student can be successful in their career. That doesn’t really apply to music students at least music performance students. If they are accepted into a BM program as a performance major it is because a seasoned professional (the professor) thinks they have what it takes, now they need to work their tails off to continue to grow.
I couldn’t agree more with what has already been said… pick more, because they will naturally widdle down, pick a school known for your area of study, pick a variety of reach and non reach schools, also ones that are stand alone conservatories and music schools within a University, save airline miles for those auditions, start early looking at schools.
For us there were a few different scenarios; one our primary horn teacher is a very well connected session player and professional, however he never had the audition process, he was recruited directly into a conservatory… therefore he was no help with that part. He was a tremendous help in preparing for a high level audition and knowing the real story of those people at certain universities. So I had to look up all the teachers that he didn’t know. Second, one of the professors who taught at a place we applied to returned an email saying that he didn’t give lessons prior to the audition stating that he felt it would be unfair to those who did not seek this out. He did however, give a master class the day of the audition so you could see how he was. Oddly enough, this put a bad taste in my D’s mouth but ultimately, she chose this teacher. (You never know.) Thirdly, she got almost ALL of her prescreens but the very top programs only took 1 or 2 students… some said maybe 0… so make sure you find out how many they are taking and whether you are up against Graduate students for that spot… this was the case in the one prescreen she did not make.
Bottom line, we looked at this as an adventure… good/bad, tough/easy, tears/fears, train delays/ flights cancelled, dim sum/ chicken french, drive through daiquiris/ beignets …these are great times I will always remember and she will too. I was the travel planner and bank… but she did the work and it was her journey that I supported her on. Now on to the next step.
I’m back for another round. Junior daughter (D20) plans to major in Voice Performance. I feel like I’ve got a bit of a head start in this game. We did a lot of the leg work when my oldest daughter (D18) went through the process. She is now a Freshman at Lawrence University studying VP.
Not sure where D20 will land. But gearing up for the journey. It is a whirlwind.
Welcome @3gigglinggirls! I’m guessing by your screen name that you have three daughters. Me too! This is my first time going through the process. It feels overwhelming at times. There’s always something to talk about or research. Just yesterday D finalized her summer music plans. I’m sure I will look to you for your experience.
@SweetStrings reminded me! Any rising seniors have exciting summer (music related) plans?
Is anyone’s child going to the Berklee 5-week this summer?
@pdxtigermom , congratulations to your S and to proud mom. I was secretly rooting for UW for you once I heard the he was accepted to CS in itself. Such an amazing accomplishment… but also violin performance??? Wow, that truly is impressive. Seeing your logo made me smile as my own S (non-music kid) is so proud to be there and to wear the sweatshirt that has Paul G. Allen on it.
@Lendlees , congratulations to your S and to you as well! After forcing my junior S to check out Temple (which he didn’t want to since it’s his parents’ alma mater), he was surprised at how nice it was. He was also impressed at how the band director approached him and introduced herself during a break when we just walked into one of the rehearsals. He enjoyed hearing the band and liked the idea of a semester abroad. I myself liked what I heard re: merit aid. Philly is such a great city! And direct flights from Seattle make it a bit easier for the parents, doesn’t it?
I just noticed I posted the above in the wrong thread. Sorry! Guess I wasn’t quite awake yet in doing so 
@Busy_Momma - you must be one busy momma! Thanks for the congrats. We had the same feeling at Temple - the faculty have been super nice all along the route. Each time we’ve been there (tour/audition) the head of the percussion department has walked S out to meet me and introduced himself. Even introduced S to the flute professor and talked about a Bernstein collaboration they were working on. So, all of this makes a long distance mom feel a lot better. Will your S apply to Temple? (and yes, the merit aid helps take a bit of the sting out of ‘out of state’ tuition.
Hi everyone- I’m new here and new to the whole process of music auditions, posting and commenting. I feel there is a lot to learn and share on this site, so I’m happy to be here. I am a single mom of four and my junior is applying to opera programs- she is spending the summer at Tanglewood and we have to hit the ground running when she gets back. She has her heart set on a Conservatory, but the mom in me also wants her to apply to liberal arts schools where she can get a dual degree (always afraid of the starving music student syndrome). She has already had the lead role in an original opera at her school, and she wants to perform as an undergraduate. This is the most time consuming aspect of the search for me: to find who offers the best performance opportunities for her as an undergraduate.
Thanks for reading and I wish everyone luck this next year!
Hi everyone. I am new as well. I followed the 2019/2023 thread this spring and I am grateful that a 2020 thead has been started. My S is a junior and will be applying to schools in the fall. We’ve already been on 8 college visits so he has an idea of where he is going to apply. He is going for tuba performance/economics dual degree. Looking forward to this journey with you all
Welcome newbies! I was in your place last year – head spinning – and found wise counsel and support through every step of the process here at CC. If you are still putting your list together, check this year’s acceptance thread to find out which groups of schools students in similar situations applied to. For instance, if you know you are applying as a soprano in VP, and you visited and loved Northwestern, it might interest you to see that a class of '23 soprano VP student applied/was accepted to the following schools:
2/5/19, U of Maryland
3/15/19, Carnegie Mellon
3/22/19, U of Miami
3/22/19, Northwestern
3/23/19. Boston U
3/23/19, USC
3/28/19, NYU
You can also reach out directly with questions to families who chose a school that interests you (noted by an asterisk next to the school name). The thread is here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/2119460-acceptance-thread-for-undergrad-class-of-23-grad-class-of-21.html#latest
Finally, if last year’s “journey” thread is too overwhelming, remember you can search through based on dates to discover exactly what was going on last year at this point in the process! This is especially helpful during prescreens, when setting up travel plans, and when you need support because you are climbing the walls waiting for decisions! The months even have names: March Madness, April Angst, and so on.
Best of luck and know that we are rooting for you/here if you need us! Love, the Class of 2023
@coloraturagirl , a number of schools will fit your criteria but check out Furman. It has an excellent music school with great teachers, has no VP grad students so many performance opportunities, and is a very good liberal arts school in general.