Fly. But I’m poised to drive a very long day if needed. 
Twist! Vanderbilt (Blair) is cancelling official events this weekend (due to lingering ice storm effects) and offering scheduled students a choice between:
- converting to online
- coming another audition weekend (when my son is booked with other auditions already)
or - coming this weekend for a modified experience, minus the chance to sit in on classes/rehearsals/sessions that had been planned.
For added context, my son has two auditions to get to next week.
Which would you choose, if you like the school?
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I need more info. 
Is option 3 a live audition but just without the additional tours, rehearsal observation etc?
Is your flight fully refundable?
#3 IF you still have a live audition with the professor. #2 doesn’t work for you and #1 is always last choice
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It is going to be 20 degrees in Nashville this weekend and it looks like the city is already overwhelmed. If he has other auditions next week I suggest doing anything you can to reschedule or even do the online audition
We got a little more information. The professor who had reached out for a second trial lesson the day before is still going to be available for that lesson, as well as for the audition itself. It sounds like a scheduled evening performance will still take place, and maybe even a class. They just had to cancel a catered dinner and a few info sessions. My son wants to go, based on the professor’s availability. Thank you to everyone who weighed in. Hopeful this works out!
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Yes. I absolutely would go. Good luck with the weather and the audition.
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I’d definitely go then. Have a safe trip!!!
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Thank you! 
Commenting from Nashville. Main roads are fine, and Vanderbilt has done a great job on campus. We flew home yesterday and the airport and Ubers were operating regularly. There are still a lot of areas without power, and hotels are still pretty full with locals. But as long as you have a reservation, I’d definitely still come! You’ll see some of the best of Nashville right now (people helping each other out, restaurants and hotels being incredibly hospitable), along with the challenges severe weather presents our city. Best of luck!
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I appreciate the first-hand report. That’s great to hear. Sending care to your community.
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One down! He felt pretty good about it. No major gaffes, just a couple of hiccups he was able to recover from. He immediately gathered with three other trombones he met who were also done with their auditions, and they played together with a current freshman. I feel like my kid would have left immediately if he hadn’t felt like he represented himself well. They are all crazy talented, so I have no idea how it will turn out.
Vanderbilt did an awesome job amid what has clearly been a very challenging week for the community.
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On our audition weekend end we traveled from Ft Lauderdale to Detroit for Michigan State. My Florida boy definitely did not care for the snow but if somehow the money works out it can be a contender. I made sure he knew I’d properly outfit him if he went to a cold state. We then traveled from Detroit to LA yesterday. Our flight was delayed about 5 hours because some part was missing on the engine. No clue how that happens but we ultimately made it. He had his audition at USC today and we are getting ready to head to the airport since we’ve got nothing else to do until our red eye tonight.
oh and while in Michigan we found out he got into UM Frost
next up is UNT next weekend
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Fun times! The travel is hectic, but you are creating long lasting memories! Enjoy the process!
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Learned something at an admissions office presentation at NEC yesterday that might be helpful for others to know. They said NEC typically cuts around 50% of applicants at the prescreen stage. (That’s an average across all instruments and voice.) From among those who pass the prescreen and get a live audition, roughly 70% will be offered admission. (Again, on average.)
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Daughter safely returned from Thornton audition. Eastman and Oberlin this weekend.
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What did she think of USC? We loved the campus it’s just so pretty and my son obviously loved the weather better than what we experienced at East Lansing lol
The USC hotel was definitely over priced for what we got but you can’t beat the location.
Liked the teacher she had a lesson with, hard to gauge the UG program. Good experience.
USC hotel great for us since she travelled on her own at 17 and many hotels would not make that happen for us. And very safe and nearby. At least USC gave audition dates far in advance so flight was cheap. Colburn flight is 2X.
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The costs of audition travel are no joke. An extra hotel night here and there to make flight times work, or to select the plane that physically fits your instrument definitely adds up on top of buying last-minute tickets.
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speak of audition travel cost, in one of the summer festivals my son attended, he hung out with some MM students who were auditioning for orchestra spots. They joked that they should start a trucking company to earn some money to cover the cost of driving to auditions (flying is too expensive). My son and I discussed and felt that there’s a business opportunity there, not for driving around but what if there’s an app for the auditioning community to share rides and lodging.
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