<p>I auditioned for Lawrence University’s Conservatory today, and right after my audition, the faculty asked me quite a few questions. For some reason they didn’t receive any information about my repertoire and school records, so I told them about being in IMEA All-State, and being Glinda in my school play, and they seemed interested in me. I was feeling under the weather today, and they asked me how I rated my performance from 1-10 compared to a day that I could sing healthy. I told them I rated my singing at a 7 because I was congested and I felt like I couldn’t control my voice at one part of the song. Afterwards, one of the teachers started complementing me on my Italian piece, and was really happy that I have 6 years of piano experience. She asked to hear my range (though I was sick), and I sung as high as I could with my cold. That one particular teacher also asked me what other schools I applied to. After saying the schools I applied to, the entire faculty seemed impressed. Then she told me then that I should “tell the other schools that [I’ll] be considering Lawrence”</p>
<p>I don’t know what this could mean haha. I felt really happy about these comments though!</p>
<p>I think it’s an excellent sign, and Lawrence is a fantastic place-we were very impressed when we visited. Congratulations, and keep us posted!!!</p>
<p>While it may be flattering, I’m quite concerned about any teacher who would ask as student to range when said student had already indicated illness. Vocal health should always be paramount in any program and singing as high as you could put strain on your chords and could have caused damage that would impact another audition.
Young singers simply don’t know how to “sing sick”, nor should they be expected to. The professors are supposed to know better, not risk injuring a student. It’s perfectly alright to just say that you are really not comfortable singing further when you are battling an upper respiratory problem- if teachers don’t understand and respect that, then that’s not the right place to be at all.
Just a note: with rampant flu and sundry viruses going around, carry copies of your rep list, a school transcript and a CD/DVD of your audition material to your auditions, just in case. Someone in the main admissions dept may look at these in advance, but most of the time, the faculty sitting in your audition has not read through anything and will use those questions as “ice breakers” and discussion points. That’s your chance to show yourself in the best possible light by being composed and well informed! Good luck to all this year!</p>
<p>I agree with the others that this is a very good sign. It seems to me that a teacher is not going to waste her time ‘interviewing’ you after an audition unless she thinks there’s something potentially promising there. Of course, as you know, there are no guarantees. Between now and acceptances, she may decide that somebody else is more promising, or that she doesn’t have room for another soprano afterall, or even that you were not as promising as she had hoped. But, yes. I think it’s a good sign. My son came very close to attending Lawrence years ago. We LOVED that school! Best of luck to you, SopranosGotPower, and keep up the good work! :)</p>
<p>Well, hopefully the teacher only asked for something like a brief scale up to what was comfortable under the circumstances so there won’t be any damage, and I agree that they wouldn’t waste time interviewing without some real interest. I think it’s great that they spent some time gathering more information. A simple nod and a “thank you” can dismiss someone in a kind way if they’re not impressed.</p>
<p>^Yup, but the simple nod and a “thank you” is also one way that some audition panels consciously, intentionally dismiss ALL applicants, whether they’re impressed or not! It’s all very hard to second-guess, isn’t it?</p>
<p>I was at that same audition day, and I think I may have gone directly after you (did you run out of the audition room ecstatic ? haha )</p>
<p>ANYWAY, I did not get nearly that amount of interest except 2 questions some smiles and a thank you. So they don’t do that to everyone :). Congrats!</p>
<p>Now does that mean that since I was essentially just given a smile, thank you for singing for us, and a goodbye, I will not be accepted?</p>
<p>Thank you so much! I am falling in love with the school and program. And baritenor, yes, I was the idiot who ran out smiling :). I was ecstatic! I really wanted to leave a good impression, and I felt like my audition did just that. I really hope your audition went well! Don’t get me wrong, butI think you were the only beritone that auditioned that day! Although I was sick it was ironically the best audition I’ve had so far!</p>
<p>I will definitely keep you all posted, though I won’t know the results until late March :)</p>
<p>Mezzo’s Mom- They asked what my range was before testing it on me. They let me sing a little shorter of the range I told them I could sing, and they told me not to strain it. I think they really noticed I was sick once I started talking to them, because they couldn’t understand what I was saying when I first started answering their questions, but knowing that they are skilled singers, they probably noticed I was sick while I was singing But thank you so much for the information just in case I get another sickness/ I think I will start doing that for now on, just in case this happens again!</p>
<p>No, baritenor, a simple smile, a thank you, and a goodbye does NOT mean that you will not be accepted. That is actually the more common response following most auditions. It can mean anything. Responses like the one SopranosGotPower received do happen – and even those kinds of responses don’t guarantee an acceptance (though they’re a good sign), but people are commonly accepted following the kind of response you got as well. And others are rejected following the kind of response you got. Beyond the fairly obvious – that a teacher running after you is a good sign, though not a guarantee – it is next to impossible to accurately predict final results following most auditions. Don’t fret just yet! ;)</p>
<p>SimpleLife is right on, baritenor. At some schools, no questions are required of the very best candidates because the panel has made up their minds within the first minute that they will accept. </p>
<p>Equally promising candidates can receive very different responses at the same school because of different potential studio teachers. A soprano’s requested teacher may love asking questions, while a baritone’s requested teacher may be able to observe all that he needs to observe during the audition. It was clear at a couple of my son’s schools that even though the panel composition was identical between different auditions, that the panel leader changed and that the audition “style” changed when a new student walked in.</p>
<p>Not to take anything away from SGP (her description does make it sound like the school will accept, especially the line about telling the other schools “I’ll be considering Lawrence”–it would be cruel for the teacher to have said that if there was any uncertainty about acceptance), but at least some of the interest in SopranosGotPower would have been due to the panel’s not having received her records etc… If a candidate is on the cusp, then more information is required in order to make an informed decision.</p>
<p>The standard advice still holds: don’t read too much into panel reactions and interactions at an audition. While I think that SGP will likely get accepted at Lawrence, almost every student that has done many auditions misreads the panel feelings in at least one audition (either seeing a guaranteed acceptance where a swift and certain slamming door followed or seeing rejection when acceptance with huge $'s follows). </p>
<p>Occasionally, enthusiastic faculty at some schools forget that their schools have academic requirements. I don’t know about Lawrence, so this comment is not directed to SGP. Some of the major disappointments that students have suffered have sprung from an acceptance by the audition panel and a rejection by the academic authorities. </p>
<p>Baritenors have a great deal of power too! ComplIments to you. I am sure that you sAng well.</p>
<p>I agree with violindad. Who knows what the panel is thinking? Talkative, non-talkative. Anything goes I guess! My D had her CCM audition on Jan 12 for cello performance. It was 10 minutes (and need I remind everyone of the years of preparation, lessons, etc) and she got a “thank you” and three head nods, and then it was over. She left feeling good about it, but who knows for sure…Three days after she got her acceptance. Don’t read too much into it or it will drive you crazy.</p>
<p>My two cents - I think that they sometimes like to talk to the singers to see where their speaking voice may lie. Hearing the singer speak can provide insight into the potential of a voice and indicate whether the chosen repertoire has given them an accurate picture of the sound. I must say that it happened several times to my daughter, and sometimes they would actually ask her to talk about anything she wanted, simply to hear the sound. She was a bit of an enigma, I think. Maybe you were too, with the cold, and you confused them?</p>
But thank you so much for the information just in case I get another sickness/ I think I will start doing that for now on, just in case this happens again!</p>