Determining Safety/Match/Reach for specific instrument

mom2amazingkids
Mon, 22 Feb 2021 15:22:14 +0000

A few more thoughts…many of which will echo/ mirror the wise words of @parentologist . You’ve hit upon one of the most challenging and stressful parts of the process!

As ridiculous as it sounds, I actually Googled ‘Top Schools for Clarinet Performance’ (or similar) in the spring of D’s sophomore year when it was becoming increasingly clear that we were really ‘doing this’. Of course such lists are riddled with problems. They can be out of date, biased, etc., but it gave us a jumping off point. Similarly, if can you find someone on CC who plays your S’s instrument and has similar stats/ preferences, conversations with such individuals can provide a wealth of information!

Using the Googled list and D’s own research, we started to draw up a list of teacher names. As @parentologist recommends, she was able to listen to recordings of teachers playing, and find recordings from ensembles at the school. This can give you an idea of level of play and ‘sound’. Would you like to sound like these performers some day?

Faculty bios can provide information on the teacher’s background, where they studied and with whom. You’ll likely start to notice patterns. You may also be able to determine if professors from the top programs teach anywhere else. This can mean that they are spread thin, but it can also mean gaining access to them at a slightly less competitive or pricey program. That’s the dream, at least!

As mentioned above, the location, price tag, size and setting of a school may rule it in or out. We were fortunate to be undertaking this process during a simpler time. Visits, tours, and sample lessons really were invaluable. Lessons can happen over Zoom, of course, but as things open up this summer and fall you may want to explore a few schools of interest. Professors are often quite generous with their time, and will gladly meet with prospective students. This will likely be one of the most formative relationships for your S in the coming years. Can he work well with this prof., and will the prof. be able to get your S where he wants to go?

In the end, my D applied to six schools-- 2 from the ‘Top List’ (one of these was a reach, and one was a near-reach), 2 reach/ near-reach programs chosen based on program reputation and connection with the teacher/ school from a summer program, 1 large, in-state school with a high quality music program (this was also a more affordable option, and felt like a match), and one smaller conservatory which also seemed like a match. It’s possible some of our perceived near-reaches were actually reaches, or that our matches were actually safeties, but as you are realizing, it’s impossible to really know.

At times six schools felt like a panic-inducingly small number, and at others it felt like an impossible hill to climb. When all was said and done, it was clear that D had maybe three favorites in the bunch, and as anyone here will tell you, “It only takes one!”

Best wishes on your journey!