Sometimes undergraduate and graduate students compete for same spots in the studio. Sometimes there is a change coming, but not announced yet - professor leaving, retiring, going on sabbatical or leave. I am very sorry!
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I assume people are waiting to receive their merit offers before making a decision. So, maybe you’ll hear after April 1st.
@momto5kidz love your recent posts, the one on subjectivity in audition judging and the one yesterday on the final stretch and student futures. Hope you stick around next year! You have a great perspective- maybe having 5 musician kids has helped you get there 
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I think you meant to reply to @musicmania3 so I tagged them. But yes…agree! My son’s studio has about 35 on jazz guitar, a mix of undergrads-doctoral candidates. They all audition for the same bands, etc. When you enter you can take a “test” to pass freshman/soph lessons with other guitar professors. Mine did this so he has always had his “first choice.” It also has not hindered his band placement. BUT he does say from time to time that, for ex, “percussion will be hard to get into this year bc they arent graduating many and only have #/limited spots”
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Exactly, it varies. Some faculty are full time (my son’s ug teacher was a member of a top level chamber group, then became a full time teacher when he wanted to be there as his kids grew up), others are members of orchestras or performing groups or soloists who still are performing. If I had to hazard a guess a typical studio would be in the 10-12 range in violin for example at a conservatory, but that is just a rough average, it ranges based on instrument and how much time the teacher teaches and how much time they are performing.
Last year NEC came out today? Any ideas if it will be the same this year?
Just saw a post in the Rice page here about regular decisions coming out March 26th 7PM CST (on Wednesday). Does anyone know if Shepherd releases decisions for MM applicants at the same time?
I’ve also heard that if there’s a DMA candidate or two in the studio, they can take over some teaching/coaching, and the studio would be able to take in more undergrad students. Without any DMA candidate, the professor has to do all the teaching and coaching, and the studio size won’t be as big.
Art is subjective, more so for performing arts. These young and budding musicians, for many years ahead, will be putting themselves out for others to judge. They will encounter a lot of setbacks, a good portion of which are the results of some subjective perceptions. At certain point they get used to it and can shrug off. I don’t know how they do this. They must have really big hearts and thick skin. Not only do they not know why (the rejection), sometimes there is no real reason, just a feeling/hunch. I’ve grown a lot since my son decided to pursue music as career, just by watching him and standing behind him. I’m proud of him no matter what he achieves or who rejects him.
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very true- Music is like a vocation . Its a commitment although we would like them to do well financially and have a good life but having to take this road is the not the easiest.
As a parent, I am also proud of my son as he did not waver and so all the parents who supports them with their decision.
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“I’ll be back” as good ol’ Arnold would say. I have another kiddo going through this next year! Piano BM.
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Thought I would add my sons application status to the mix.
Jazz Drumset
Mich St - Audition 02/01 - Accepted 12K academic, waiting on music merit
Frost - Audition 02/07 - Declined - Waitlisted
DePaul - Audition 02/08 - Accepted Awaiting Merit
Berklee - Audition 02/08 - No Decision Yet
Oberlin - Audition 02/14 - Accepted 34K merit
Peabody - Audition 02/17 - No Decision Yet
UNT - Audition 02/21 - Accepted 2K (trigger in-state)
Eastman - Audition 02/28 - No Decision Yet
Manhattan School of Music - Did not pass pre-screen
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Hmmm…maybe at some schools. My D’s studio had MM, AD, PD and maybe a DMA…at a big school (IU). Still the teacher was required to lead the studio class. She couldn’t give it off to another student as it was part of her responsibilities. My D missed a private lesson or two early on bc she was mixed up about signing up (and frankly was too scared to ask how to make it up). Her teacher called her and told her that she was expected to provided a set number of private lessons and studio classes to each student…so my D had to get on her schedule and make up any missed lessons.
I just catch comments on occasion about how schools (particularly with grad students) may not give full attn to UG students (and I realize that this may NOT be what your saying). I guess this practice could be true at some schools…but I wouldn’t assume it. My D got her FULL studio classes and private lessons each semester from her teacher…as there really was no choice. No grad student was taking over some of the private lessons/studio classes.
She did have music theory small group classes with a TA but again a faculty members ran the big session and was always available. We understood that TAs could teach some parts of academic classes…but never studio classes or private lessons for a conservatory student.
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Is it just me, or does the wait get more agonizing the closer it comes down to those last few schools? 
Only two left, and some aid packages, but oy. Here’s my my kiddo’s current tally for those looking for info.
Voice Performance (tenor)
Baldwin Wallace - accepted via Early notification - academic merit and need, waiting on Music merit
PLU - accepted, received academic, music, and need based awards
DePaul - accepted, waiting on financial aid
UNCSA - accepted, waiting on financial aid
BU - accepted (!) with full aid package, including music merit
NYU Steinhardt - waiting. . . .
Peabody - waiting. . .
My kid has been pretty chill about it all, I am merely faking it! Waiting for the aid packages has me more stressed than acceptances, but I’m trying to find my zen, anyone with me?
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As a parent, this whole process has been quite the experience. I’m thankful for the great times on the road with the family visiting schools for auditions. Trying to listen in on the audition through the walls someway or another. Amazed at the opportunities my daughter is fortunate to have. Wondering sometimes how it is even possible to have a daughter invited to audition at there institutions at this level since both my wife and I are not musicians. Happy to see all her hard work being rewarded.
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My son asked at his first choice school. He was told 7 or 8…7 but if there was someone they really liked they would push it with 8
Thank you!
CIM said financial info will be coming out “in the coming days” - (acceptance came last week Friday I think). Does anyone know what that means? Or have they called over to CIM to ask for a better timeline? It’s driving our family a bit insane right now to not have this information.
My son has worked with teachers with TA’s (usually DMA or AD students), and the TA’s didn’t teach the studio classes or the individual ones (they might fill in if the teacher is sick on a given day, but then IME the teacher will make it up). What @bridgenail wrote about how teachers are paid goes along with that I have seen/heard, that teachers in a effect are paid to teach a certain number of lessons and studio classes in a given semester/year (It is why a teacher cannot simply add a slot to their studio, they would need to get the school to agree and set the payments for teaching the kid from what I know).
In terms of DMA or TA’s teaching classes that would in effect be a bait and switch, because you are paying to study with a specific teacher. It isn’t the same thing as TA’s in academic courses teaching the low level courses. From what I saw with my son and others TA’s can work with students to work out playing issues they have or run recitations for things like music theory. My S’s UG teacher had a large studio and he definitely taught all the individual and studio classes (amazing man, he is now in his middle 80’s , and bless him, he still goes all out. One of the stories about him was he walked like 9 miles to school in the middle of a winter deluge that paralyzed traffic and public transit, it was like 9 degrees out, because he didn’t want to cancel classes.
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Not specific to CIM, but most schools seem to have financial offers extended by around April 1.
Somehow time seems to slow down at the end of March. Rather like the last miles of the marathon when the finish line feels like it is not getting any closer.
Hugs to all on this thread!
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This is one of the hardest times of what is a very difficult process (and I say one of the hardest, maybe I should say the latest of the hardships that is the lot of kids/parents heading into music), the waiting. You have agonized over where to apply, gotten through the pre screens and auditions, filled out a mile of paperwork for financial stuff, and now it is waiting for the process to grind through. Sometimes it is suddenly seeing that the school says they don’t have the financial information or letters of recommendation, sometimes it is that other kids seem to be getting results from the school and you aren’t. It can be getting waitlisted when a teacher said they wanted you, then you find out the school either cut slots or refused to open up a new one for to allow the kid to be admitted to the studio. Music school bureaucracy like any bureaucracy can be messy, and to be blunt they don’t always do the right thing. In a sense the admissions process is getting a student ready for the broader world of music, which is just as nerve wracking, irrational, illogical and both bureaucratic and will of the whisp.
There also will be agony of deciding where to go, did I imake the right decision, is the teacher right for me (it was a lot easier with grad school than UG, but wow was it intense), I think in my sons case the period deciding where to go was worse than the prior part.
So how do you survive this (or music in general,being parents of course we never stop worrying about them, even when they are established)?
-As hard as it is, try to be supportive of the kid, and while you may be angry at for example them getting rejected from a program they wanted to go to, try not to feed their anger and emotional upset. That doesn’t mean ignoring their feelings or telling them they shouldn’t have them, being sympathetic is fine, but don’t let your own emotions get mixed in it, it will only make them feel it more (in part, because they may assume you are disappointed in them, rather than the school didn’t admit them).
-if something that comes up that seems to be wrong, don’t be afraid to contact the school and ask. If the kid had a connection with a teacher and they got rejected, contact the teacher to ask if they know why, that the kid was looking forward to going there. Sometimes bureacratic mistakes happen, or the teacher can explain that the kid would have gotten in but they didn’t open up expected slots. Not saying rage at the school, that won’t do anything.
-Keep in mind that as much as we talk about getting into the right program, getting into the right teachers studio, that if the ‘perfect’ path closes it isn’t the end of it all. It is why I get irritated when I hear “if you don’t got to X school, don’t study with these teachers, forget it”. Music doesn’t work like that. I am not polyanna, that any place you go is fine, it will all be good in the end, there is realism. If the kids dream is to get into the Chicago symphony and in auditioning for music schools, they only get into non auditioned programs, they likely are not good enough to ever do that. But to say “I auditioned at Juilliard, wanting to study with Perlman on violin, and i got rejected” but they got into other competitive or ultra competitive programs, then no, that isn’t the end (I used an extreme example, but you get the idea).
This includes where financially the dream school is not doable, but a solid program with some good teachers is. In the end it is up to the student and their ability to learn. Yes, there are advantages to going to the big schools, with noted faculty, the level of playing can be an inducement to kids to achieve, and they do have great teachers (hint, the name schools also have teachers who aren’t that great, too), but going to the big name school is not the be all and end all, and if the kid got in there it means they have the playing ability needed to succeed.
Keep that in mind , and when talking to the disappointed student, tell them you have confidence in them and that being a musician things like this happen, but that they are at a high level to even get in or audition there and they have the ability to do well where they can go, as long as they believe in themselves.
-One thing to tell them, what looks like the golden path may not be, which unfortunately can only be seen in retrospect. My son applied to a number of high level programs on violin. He got into Juilliard, he had down a couple of teachers he wanted to study with. His primary choice only taught there part time, and he didn’t have room there. The admissions department screwed up, and they didn’t talk to his second choice right away, and by the time they had, his studio was full. He got waitlisted (basically he was admitted but would have to find another teacher), and he wasn’t happy about that.
He ended up studying with the teacher he had as number one at another school. He agonized about it at the time, but my wife and I were talking about it and had he gotten his number 2 teacher, I am not sure he would still be in music, that that teachers teaching style and the way he viewed music wouldn’t have worked with our son. For one thing, his number 2 teacher was like many violin teachers, that the goal is turning out the next generation of soloists (which my S didn’t want to be, his heart was with ensemble playing). Studying with the teacher at the other school was a goldmine IMO, because the teacher there had been part of a very successful chamber group, and I think that allowed my son to see his path.
You kind of have to take the attitude that in the end what happens may be for the best, whatever the final outcome, and try to project that on the kid.
It is not an easy process and it doesn’t become easier down the road, we want the kids to do well and we feel every bump and what not, we agonize with them. One thing because music is so fraught is you have to believe that whether music works out or not as a career, the kid has done so much just to get the point of being able to study music and that will stead them well in anything. If you feel that, then your own doubts and fears don’t get caught by your kid. And understand that studying music is not ‘wasted’ if they don’t become a full time musician or whatever, it leaves them with incredible skills and understanding that will do them well in whatever they do. If they end up doing something else for a vocation but enjoy doing music as an amateur, whether they play for themselves or even stop playing, they still will have something special with music. Of course we worry as parents, we have our doubts, we know how hard music is, we know what the real world is like, but my recommendation is to try and keep them to ourselves and project confidence in them. Kids read our body language, they catch what we are feeling, and in the middle of this turbulence even if we are telling them “It will be okay, I believe in you”, if they catch the negative stuff we may be feelings it can make it worse on them. Not saying it is easy, it isn’t, but it is definitely a way to try and make it easier on the kid as they go through this agony. And yes, it gets better, once through the process, they decide what to do, and get through the 'did I make the right decision", it does. Doesn’t mean it gets easier, my S is a working professional now in his late 20’s, but that doesn’t mean in some ways it gets easier with music as a parent, because it is a long path for them and we worry, it is just what causes the worry changes:)
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