Auditions

[Susan in IL]

Ds (10th) told me a week ago that he is interested in minoring in music performance or music ed. I have gone to some college websites and know the music required for majors but they don't say anything about minors other than they have to audition.

I have no idea what all is involved with auditions. I know that several of you have dc that are majoring in music perf. and have btdt. How long ahead of time did your dc start working on the audition pieces? If you made a CD or DVD, did you make it in a practice room or an auditorium or home? Does the child need to know piano for music ed.?

Those of you who have dc in college now, have your dc said anything about others who are minoring in music performance? We will be looking at schools in the midwest if you have any suggestions.

Any advice?
TIA!

[tajott]

I think the best thing to do is for your son to make a couple of email or telephone inquiries about some schools' policies. They will be different from school to school.

My dd plays the cello and is double majoring in music and theatre. She was given a nice scholarship from both depts. However, even tho' she has a scholarship, they don't even HAVE a string orchestra, but they do have a fabulous woodwind ensemble. When she plays for them she plays the oboe part on her cello! She also plays with our town's youth symphony.

This seems to me a great time to introduce your son to his own college research. Let him figure this out for himself.

Teresa

[Katia]

I agree that each college is different and you need to check what they require. We found that they wanted the dc to come in person: a CD or DVD was not allowed for a scholarship audition.

Also, each will want differing pieces, styles, etc. My dd had 5 different pieces memorized and ready to go and would do what the college requested.

At the schools we looked at, auditions were held mid-February to March. At some you could set you own date, but with most....there is ONE date. You have to schedule your time-slot well in advance and BE THERE. There is no make-up date. We drove through snow and ice to get to auditions.

At schools were the audition dates are set, there are big informational assemblies, meetings, interviews, etc. It's really big stuff. You really need to contact each school and each music department to get all the information to be prepared.

And if you missed it this year (for college beginning in the fall), most will not even look at you until next year. Sorry.

[Tokyomarie]

The good news is that since your son is in 10th grade now, you've still got time to figure this all out. There are lots of differences amongst colleges as to their admission requirements and what coursework would be included for a particular degree or minor program.

Generally speaking, most institutions auditioning a student for a minor will expect the student to perform selections from the same repertoire requirements as students auditioning for the major. However, the expectation for actual proficiency would not be as high as for a performance major.

You mention a minor in performance or music ed. Music ed is a comprehensive degree program requiring studies in both education and music. In our state, music ed is mostly a 5 year major because of all the requirements for the degree from both disciplines. Therefore, a music ed minor would be most unlikely as a possibility.

You might go to Collegeconfidential.com's discussion forums, specifically the music major forum, to read as much as you can about various topics related to auditions and other practicalities. While most participants (or their child) are planning a major, you will still find lots of helpful information.

[Beth in OH]

I will address the CD/DVD audition, since I haven't seen it mentioned. Most schools will require or prefer live auditions, but some may allow recorded submissions if you live far away. You will want to record somewhere with good acoustics--a church or college recital hall would be good. Plan to hire an accompanist and have the recording done professionally. The standard of professionalism is high for an aspiring musician's recorded audition. In our community, it costs around $250-$300 to record--($50/hr. rehearsal with accompanist plus $50 for the recording day, $50 for the recording technician, teacher's regular hourly fee if they help coach the recording.)

Talk all of this over with your teacher. He or she will be able to help point you in the right direction. Also, the end of 10th grade is a typical time to lay out the repertoire that needs to be mastered prior to auditions in the senior year. Your teacher will want to know what your ds is thinking.

Beth

[Susan in IL]

Thanks for all the info.

He isn't really sure yet but I don't want to him to have to stress if that is what he decides. He will major in international business/relations or something along those lines. Possibly looking at Law School.

I think he wants to keep playing and do things like weddings, small gigs, etc. He definitely is not professional material. He is thinking about going to a camp this summer and maybe that will help him decide.

I'll talk with his teacher too about it.

Thanks!!

[JennW in SoCal]

Susan,

I just wanted to share that there is life for a musician after college even without getting a minor. I played all through college, took lessons from faculty, was in the university symphony and other small ensembles, but didn't get a major or minor. Acutally, I was offered (and gladly accepted) a music scholarship even though my major was in another department!

I'm now a busy part-time, semi-professional violinist and teacher. I play weddings and community theater gigs and almost every-other weekend at church. There are times I wish I had taken music theory classes, but I'm learning it on my own as the need arises.

Just stop by the music departments when you go on college visits and see what opportunities there are for dedicated non-majors.

Jennifer