I already replied to your good news on a different CC post, but reiterating my congratulations here for your daughter. Please reach out if you have any questions at all! I am sure my daughter would be happy to connect with your daughter.
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My daughter is a second year at Bard Conservatory (BM VP). She received an excellent conservatory scholarship that brought her tuition down to below what we would have spent at our own in-state public university.
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Yes, that is correct. We didn’t qualify for needs based aid. D25 received a generous merit offer from the conservatory initially which still left a COA much higher than we were comfortable with and significantly higher than her other offers from LACs.
She advocated for herself by reaching out to conservatory admissions and Bard financial aid to ask for additional merit to make it possible for her to attend her first choice program. She did send a couple of comparative offers and a spreadsheet we had made showing the net COA of all schools she has been accepted to so far. Their reply came about a week after she appealed and they did increase her scholarship to make the annual COA within 1 to 5k of her other offers.
For reference, Bard requires the double degree for all conservatory students, and it’s my understanding that Bard College is generous with grants and other needs based aid for those who qualify. In our case, all aid awarded came from the conservatory as merit.
I plan to share all offers/results on the acceptance thread once she’s wrapped up all of her communication declining other schools, but feel free to DM me if you want to know the numbers.
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Thank you for sharing!!
Congratulations! That is wonderful news! So happy this worked out well for your daughter!
How does it compare in cost when you factor in a fifth year? Is it a fifth year of complete additional cost?
Oh, definitely 5year double degree programs are overall more expensive re:total COA. But D25 was specifically looking for this type of degree plan, so we were comparing apples to apples when it came to her other choices.
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Congratulations and welcome!! I have 2 sons at Bard Conservatory.
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Congrats!
Anyone else receive more scholarship after you accept admissions? Daughter got an email letting her know there were changes to her scholarship amount. She logged into her portal. She received more money. Interesting.
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Yes, that happened twice for my son last year through CCM. I think they disperse more merit aid as others commit to other programs.
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Wait, after? I thought all that went on before in an attempt to get th student to commit.
I am the daughter of @momto5kidz who auditioned at seven schools this year—BU, CMU, Peabody, CIM, IU, Eastman, and SFCM—and the process was long. I had auditions back-to-back at many places, often flying out the same night and auditioing the next morning. It’s mentally challenging. You have to reset your mind for your next audition and try to take what you can from your last one in order to better prepare yourself.
My biggest piece of advice: practice as much as you possibly can. If I hadn’t put in the hours I did, this whole experience would’ve been so much harder. You’ll most likely get nervous—everyone does—but having your music solid is what makes the difference between nerves taking over or you being able to push through and still play your best. But beyond technical security, what really makes you stand out is your musicianship. Professors can teach you how to clean up runs or avoid memory slips, but they can’t teach musical instinct. Several professors complimented me specifically on my intonation, rhythmic accuracy, and musicality—and I think going in with that already developed really helped. Also, don’t underestimate the value of being unique in your sound.
Another major piece of advice: take lessons with the professors ahead of time if you can. Honestly, this was the least enjoyable part for me because I don’t love the Zoom format—it just doesn’t translate well for musicians. But the in-person lessons I had, either right before or after auditions, were so much more valuable. You get a real sense of the teacher’s style and how you connect musically and personally. That connection is huge—it’s not just about the school, it’s about finding a mentor who fits you.
Out of all the schools I visited, my experiences ranked like this:
7. BU
6. Carnegie Mellon
5. IU
4. CIM
3. SFCM
2. Peabody
- Eastman
These rankings are based on my audition experiences, how well each school accommodated me and my parents, and the opportunities to meet and work with professors. Ultimately, I’ve committed to Peabody. The professor there (Victoria Chiang) was high on my list in terms of connection and teaching style, and I received a scholarship covering 80% of the total COA—which was a huge factor for both me and my family.
Ultimately, you have to decide what works best for you when deciding which school to attend. I feel that professor choice is the most important, followed by opportunities at the school as far as orchestra programs, chamber music programs, etc.
I wish the best of luck to all auditioning musicians!
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Congrats! You did really well and should be proud of yourself. One thing I wanted to affirm based on my longer term view is that you are dead spot on with practicing and auditions (or anything else). A teacher of my son said something that has been reinforced by what I see, that you rehearse to get as near 100% as you can, because during the audition you likely will play below that level bc of nerves and so forth, so the higher your base max is, the higher the audition will be.
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Anyone deciding between NEC and other schools? Would love to hear your take as we are struggling
Anyone hear of any waitlist movement?
My jazz drummer son committed to USC yesterday and confirmed he will study with the teacher he was hoping for. He let go spots at DePaul and UCLA. Thanks to everyone for ideas about how to write to schools to turn down offers. I’ve really appreciated this group’s support!
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My son, pop music guitarist, also committed to USC! He loves jazz as well and has already talked to the jazz department about taking some jazz classes. Maybe they will get to play together
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Good morning! We got exciting news last night! IU matched the COA for UNT, and my son will now be attending the Jacobs School of Music for Percussion Performance! It all started when my son reached out to a professor he most connected with at IU asking who he could talk to about getting his award closer to his other schools. This was after he got his merit there. Heard nothing until 2 weeks ago. He then told them what he’d need, which was double his award. Last night, he got an updated merit award and has accepted his place at Jacobs!
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Kudos to your son for advocating for himself! Well done!!
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