School of Music

music_uofter
Tue, 23 May 2006 14:39:01 +0000

I applied to the School of Music this year for double degree (Weinberg and Music) for Music ed as piano as my instrument. I don’t know a lot about violin performance, but I do know that NU music is very competitive - more than I ever expected. It almost seems to me that because it has an incredible double degree program at such a top school it is even harder to get in than some conservatories. I know A LOT of people try out. Just for my weekend they said that they had about 600 people. They have two other weekends plus regionals plus recordings. So that starts to add up. Still, it’s better to call the school and ask how many violins they take and how many audition.
As for your grade question. I had a very high GPA (4.0) and was top in my grade and I was not accepted to Music. I’m not sure how much impact this had on their decision. They say they look at the whole student meaning grades are just as important as the audition, but I am almost positive this is not true. I felt that they put a lot more weight on the audition than grades. If you’re talented enough, they say they will fight for you.
One more thing, just so you know, it is possible to be accepted to one school and not the other. I was accepted to Weinberg and not Music and I had no idea this was possible until they said so at the audition weekend.
Whether it is really competitive for a violin spot or not, I would still say to take a shot at it. It’s a good experience and you never know what will happen. Good luck!