<p>It is competitive to play in one of the orchestras, but not to play in Chamber Music Society, which has an audition but accepts all people as far as I can tell. Lessons, too, are basically open to all. The written placement test is just that–a placement test. To do many things in the music department (take lessons for credit, for example), you will need to take or pass out of music theory. The test just suggests what class you should be in; personally, I found it rather difficult overall, as it includes identifying intervals and other aural skills that I was totally unpracticed at, and I was placed in the lowest music theory class (MUS 111), but I took the slightly accelerated class MUS 111X and found it extremely easy. I would characterize myself as a good but unremarkable clarinetist (I made it into my high school’s highest and very well regarded ensemble my senior year, but I was one of the lesser clarinetists and was certainly not all-state material, for example), and while I did not get a spot in the orchestra I never received any doubt that could take lessons and be in the Chamber Music Society. Doing lessons and Chamber, I spend slightly less than 2 hours in rehearsal and then practice time. Overall, I would not worry very much about it. It is not very high pressure in my opinion; I feel confident that a “decent” musician has a home somewhere in the music department.</p>