<p>I don’t know how much I can contribute because we are not yet to “the other side.” My DD just finished her last audition yesterday and now the wait begins. Although this is contrary to what others recommend, I suggest you visit as many schools as you affordably can as early as you can. On a spring break in my daughter’s sophomore year, we visited the in-laws in North Carolina. Within an hour drive of there we were able to visit a large state school (UNC), a medium-sized private school (Elon), a highly selective private (Duke) and a conservatory (UNCSA). Although none of these schools was seriously being considered, my D was able to distinguish what all of those descriptors meant. From there we were able to start planning. Once we picked her solid ten, it was too tempting to add “just one more” when she learned where her friends were applying. I would suggest to avoid that, as most of those added applications were soon eliminated any way after paying the application fees.</p>
<p>My other advice is do not underestimate how competitive some of the schools are. We also learned that some students got offers for highly competitive programs the summer before before the “public” auditions began.</p>
<p>Finally, figure out what makes your student “tick.” My daughter wants the stimulation and experience of a “real” college so stand-alone conservatories were eliminated. She is now focused on academically competitive schools in an urban setting. Do all of her schools meet that criteria? No, she has cast a wider net than that, but the ones she has focused on seem to meet that criteria–including her non-audition safety.</p>