I have two music performance grads in my family. I will start by saying that they were both incredibly busy when in conservatory, with very little free time. And any sort of job with a set schedule would have been hard to do, as rehearsal and performance schedules can change last minute so kids need to be able to have a flexible day (and night) Both of my kids were able to work some during conservatory, more so after the first two years when the schedule gets a little lighter. Or they get more efficient.
My oldest was able to manage a small studio with about 6-8 students with back to back lessons on Saturdays.
My youngest was actually playing paid gigs throughout and also worked as an RA for two years.
I do think it is great for them to work, especially in music industry type jobs.
Summers can be challenging because young musicians may want to attend various festivals or other events which actually cost money.
Seems doable to me assuming you can catch early evening fight from Rochester to Cleveland. We did three day / 3 Auditions tour (NYU to Oberlin to Bard) this past year for daughter (vocal performance). Took some planning, and involved driving in snow for Bard, but was actually quite fun. We were done at Oberlin by 4PM, but could have been done earlier if she skipped the tour. During her audition one of the voice faculty set up a time to meet with her after lunch that day. It was good for her to stick around for that. In my opinion, sticking around for the tours and any 101 sessions after the audition is nice, but not a necessity. Given the limited time for getting auditions done, in some cases you may need to leave immediately after an audition to travel to the next. Good luck!
We did both last year but not in the same weekend. We ended up doing IU/Oberlin/CIM one weekend (driving in between) and then Eastman/CMU another weekend, also driving.
Eastman had a lot going on during the day and encouraged everyone to be there from the beginning, including tours (which we had already taken) and some department-specific panels (I highly recommend the voice panel during lunch hour for VP majors). They also had a relaxing/stress relief area where they had coloring books and played Disney movies all day. I don’t remember if they gave her the audition time before we checked in (I know for sure she didn’t get her CIM time until that morning but can’t remember about Eastman), but she ended up being the last voice audition on the last day of auditions at Eastman. That was cool and definitely made her memorable, but it made for a late drive to Pittsburgh in the snow. Fortunately, her CMU audition wasn’t until fairly late the next afternoon, so she was able to rest in between.
So, it’s definitely possible, but it could be a tight timeline depending on flight schedules, etc.
It will depend on the program whether he is able to work during college. I was a vocal performance major and was able to work a campus job as a department secretary, which gave me plenty of time to sit around and memorize music and do homework. My daughter is currently a vocal performance, major as well, and she does not have a job yet but plans to hopefully line up a church job for next year, and possibly something on campus.
Depending on the instrument/voice, gigging is also a possibility. My daughter is at Oberlin, and while it is a small college town, they always seem to have music stuff going on, including paid band gigs at various venues around town. Schools like UNT, which is in a an artsy town in North Texas and very close to Dallas, often have incredible opportunities for jazz musicians, etc. So, it really just depends on what he’s doing and where he ends up.
My son was homeschooled, givern that he applied only to stand alone conservatories it didn’t matter, but what parents of kids homeschooling often did was use an accredited online homeschool program. That saved the grief of having them question how the kid was taught, kids in homeschool coops and the like had trouble when they applied to schools where academics mattered (music schools inside universities).
My son has a friend from NYO who is currently in Curtis but was not invited to live audition at Bienen. His high school gpa was below average in his high school. Another friend whose high school gpa was in the range of 25-30% decided not to apply to northwestern for he was concerned that he would not do well in the required general ed courses. He is also currently in Curtis.
Working in the summer is different for BM students. In many summer festivals there are opportunities for students to earn some income, enough to cover food. Some summer festivals give scholarships so some students can attend for free.
We are considering sending our DD to LA Thornton on her own for audition for financial and work reasons. Independent kid who goes to boarding school 6 hours from parents and has already flown to west coast for music festival. Any recc on nearby hotels to music school? She is 17 any strategies with hotel for minor? Transportation from LAX?
We discuss this all the time in one of my facebook groups. It is a risk but the best option is to find a hilton and use the mobile check in option. They may still get stopped for an ID and credit card and then would be sent away. Did you reach out to the school and see if they have housing on campus for music applicants?
There is a USC Hotel which is right across the street from campus and walking distance to the music buildings. I would have my young daughter take an uber not the public transportation from the airport.
Booked USC hotel, not the cheapest but her flight was much cheaper than expected. She is comfortable with Uber (though it has it’s own issues.) Thanks!
Daughter BM Classical Voice. Anyone receive a RD Prescreen reply from NYU-Steinhardt yet? Their website is vague. Applied for RD at the ED2/Early RD deadline. Website states applicant MIGHT hear prior to the holiday break, but if they don’t it doesn’t mean they won’t. Elsewhere it says they will typically hear within 7 days of the prescreen deadline. But the normal prescreen deadline for RD is later!!! So has her 7-day window expired, or is she subject to the normal RD deadline? ARGH!!! I’ve also read Steinhardt wont reach out at all if the prescreen is rejected. Lots of “ifs”.
We’re just trying to lock down travel. Prescreen passed at IU, SMTD, and Bienen. Waiting for CCM and Juilliard in January