<p>Does one have to win international or national competitions for music to be considered a hook?</p>
<p>Are there other ways for music to make an impact to the adcoms besides winning awards?</p>
<p>of course, you could send in tapes of composition, do community service (chamber group, choir, etc) with it, you could show that its a passion of your life and that you devote a lot of time to it, show fascination with music theory and relate it to something else, like math or physics, there are lots of ways, and im just coming up with these off the top of my head.</p>
<p>music rocks. especially rock music, i guess, due to the definition…</p>
<p>Of course! There are many things you can do with music besides participating in concerts than may interest admissions officers. Just to name a few…</p>
<ol>
<li>Make a professional recording.</li>
<li>Play at Carnegie Hall or similar venue (even a local one).</li>
<li>Lead an orchestra or band (president, concertmaster, section leader, whatever).</li>
<li>Send in a musical arts supplement.</li>
<li>Tutor or help kids become involved in music.</li>
<li>Play or sing for senior citizens.</li>
<li>Raise money through benefit concerts.</li>
<li>Become involved in multiple musical ensembles (only if you love it).</li>
<li>Join junior orchestras in your local area.</li>
<li>Compose music.</li>
<li>Take music classes in high school and private lessons outside.</li>
<li>Form your own rock band, string quartet, etc.</li>
</ol>
<p>Of course, there are a lot of contests out there. Some are much more casual than others. For example, an international Chopin piano contest would probably be too intense for some people, in which case something like Solo & Ensemble would be ideal, because it is less competitive and you can take a riskier and more creative approach. But you don’t have to participate in contests to show that you love music.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions! But would these be outstanding enough for the more selective universities? (such as HYPS) I’ve heard that music has no impact for these schools unless one has a load of awards…</p>
<p>What are your school-related music activities? Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Winter Percussion? Choir? Pit Orchestra? Do you enter the Solo and Ensemble competetion if you have one?</p>
<p>Most schools (including HYP) love musical students, even if you haven’t won tons of awards. It makes sense to think that most applicants would not have a lot of awards to speak of, but if they can show their dedication and skill through their application, then admissions officers will be able to recognize their talent on their own. If you are passionate about music, definitely send supplementary material to show this (a tape recording of a performance, a recommendation from a music teacher, etc.) and your love for it will shine through. I personally know a couple of people who had no individual awards in music (although the marching band is highly regarded here). But they were extremely passionate about music, participating in chamber orchestra, wind ensembles, marching band, and the school symphony band, and both had leadership postions in the former three, sent in recordings to arts department for review, and recs from private tutors. One is currently at Princeton, the other was accepted at Harvard but turned it down for full tuition at U Chicago. Just make sure your involvement in music shows that you are passionate about it.</p>
<p>music isn’t a hook… if ur as desperate as usin music as a hook y consider hyps</p>
<p>Music can be a hook if you are especially talented. It can be just as good of a hook as having published research or having a written (unplagerised) novel. There are many people to whom music is very important. There are other things that shouldn’t be hooks, in my opinion: legacies, donated money, URM status, etc. But using talent as a hook is not ‘desperate’ any more than being a recruited athlete, an Intel finalist, or even have killer SAT scores is desperate. If you are good, then you are good. Don’t be jealous of others who are more musically gifted than yourself.</p>
<p>Approximately 25% of female and 20% of male high school kids participate in music. A very substantial percentage take private lessons as well as participate in high school opportunities. Nationwide there are approximately 50000 high school seniors who could be considered very accomplished musicians and are at all county or all state levels or even well beyond. Many of these kids have had 10 years of more of training and participate in summer music camps, including Tanglewood and other very elite camps. Thousands attend pre-college conservatory training. There is a very strong correlation between strong music skills and strong academic achievement. The applicants to the Ivies include a very large number of musicians with exceptional skills and advanced training. It is not too surprising that many strong musicians are admitted to the Ivies and other very elite schools. It is very unlike that these skills by themselves provide much advantage in the admissions process.</p>
<p>BandTenHut, to answer your question… So far I have taken concert band symphonic band, and the wind ensemble (audition). I’m also in 2 outside symphony orchestras. I have around 3-4 big leadership roles in music. also sending in a supplemental cd.</p>
<p>Will a strong review of my recording give me a boost?</p>
<p>Music is a wonderful activity. It can show passion, leadership, and dedication. From that standpoint it is important to demonstrate your interests and abilities on your application. However, it will not be a hook for you for any of the top schools. A strong recording may give you a slight boost, but probably won’t have that much impact. Many students who apply to the top schools are strong musicians.</p>
<p>I would assume that your supplemental recording, if good, will give you a boost, but I don’t know how much. I would, however, like to posit that it may have the added benefit of getting you noticed by the music department early on, which would be nice to do, especially if you’re thinking of trying out for competitive ensembles. Then again, that probably depends a lot on who reviews it. My CD was looked at by a prof who mainly teaches composition and whom I’ve yet to work with, not either of the relevant ensemble directors.</p>
<p>On the original subject of the thread, my attitude towards “hooks” is rather skeptical in the first place, especially when you start talking about “making something a hook”. Yes, hooks exist, but you don’t need one to get in, and trying to create one where it doesn’t already exist seems to me to defeat the purpose in some way I can’t quite put my finger on.</p>
<p>I know music makes a huge impact on admissions if one is as good as Yo-Yo Ma, but can music also make an impact even if one isn’t a virtuoso on their instrument? (such as through passion and leadership)</p>
<p>I haven’t really won that many awards, but I spend like 20 hrs a week on music related activities…</p>
<p>Well, it wouldn’t serve as a hook (and I wouldn’t suggest trying to “make” it a hook by involving yourself in a bunch of activities you normally wouldn’t do, of course) but if you are dedicated to music, it can serve as a very solid EC, especially if it is such a huge time commitment.</p>
<p>
maybe for the people who are actually passionate about music? I certaintly find it more valuable than Taekwondoe…</p>
<p>For music to be a hook at HYPS you DO have to be very talented. I can’t see participating in music-related activities as being anything more than a regular EC.</p>
<p>neither can I see stuff like model UN or amnesty international as something more than a regular EC</p>
<p>This topic comes up repeatedly, and there are a number of past and present threads addressing the issue. These are two of the more recent: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=408172[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=408172</a> and <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=403235[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=403235</a></p>
<p>Note that at HYP and other Ivies, schools like Stanford, MIT and others you will find a number of students who have won or placed in some major and local competitions, have the “chops” to have made it into programs at Curtis, Juilliard, or any other top conservatory level program yet are pursuing academic degrees in other disciplines.</p>
<p>A number of these students will go on to grad school for serious music study in performance, composition, etc.</p>
<p>Unless you can count yourself in this group, it’s not a hook. A nice plus, depending on your level of talent, but by no means a hook at the Ivies.</p>
<p>I think hooks are things like URM/legacy that you can’t control</p>
<p>There is a continuum from “good EC” to “hook,” and where you fall on that continuum depends on a lot of factors. For example, an oboe player will probably do better in admissions than a violinist of similar achievement, simply because oboe players are less common. This doesn’t mean, however, that every oboe player has a “hook” to get into a top school.</p>