<p>I don't have a child who want to be a music major and I'm not going to ask for any advice. But I'm hoping that music parents could commeriserate with me.</p>
<p>My D (a HS sophomore) had an audition for youth orchestra at the beginning of this week. We switched teachers (which has been a great change!) and she has been practicing every day for 6 weeks in anticipation of this audition. We knew it was a long shot for her to make it but she was in the ballpark of people who could.</p>
<p>It was a terrible audition. The person auditioning after her was the only one she knew was much better than her. No other person would have intimidated her like this girl. Then she messed up her scales. She should know these scales and does but they were not the ones on the audition sheet. Her old teacher was not a great believer in scales (one of the reasons that we switched) and she worked hard on the scales that were on the audition sheet. Also the manner in which her teacher told her that they wanted the scales (fast and slurred) was not what they wanted in the audition (slow!).</p>
<p>She thought that her etude and sight reading went well but she has resigned herself to the fact that she blew her audition. It was compounded by the fact that the person after her was so much better. She really is very talented and my D is a hard worker.</p>
<p>Life goes on I know. Her HS band experience is so lacking. There are only 15 kids in the band and she is the only flute. She wanted to play with the orchestra and esp. to play with other flute players so much.</p>
<p>I'll commiserate with you! Auditions are tough! Kids who are musicians learn how to audition, and often it includes making mistakes. It's better, of course, if they learn to audition when they're very young, so by the time they are auditioning for stuff that matters they have a better chance. But I suspect there are professionals out there who still occasionally blow an audition.</p>
<p>Hopefully she'll get a seat in the orchestra. I'm rooting for her!</p>
<p>You came to the right place. Most of us who frequent this forum have kids who have had a number of auditions. Some have gone well, some OK, and others . . . . Sometimes I think the parents suffer through the auditions failures worse than the kids. Nothing is more stressful than the auditions for music schools. The is a lot of preparation, travel time and anticipation and then finally an audition of 15 minutes or so. Sure there are other factors, but basically it is that brief audition which determines acceptance offers and, in many cases, the possibility of substantial merit scholarships.</p>
<p>There are a few things to consider. First, you are right, life goes on. Other successes and opportunities will follow. It is usually very hard to accept it at the time, but often what happens, was meant to be. If your D really wants to succeed in music, this failure may be a motivation for her to really improve. If she was not up to the level of others in the youth orchestra, she may not have been that happy. That is how I view my D's audition failure at Eastman. As much as she wanted acceptance, she probably did not belong at Eastman. Long term she is better off in a school which is less demanding, where she fits in, is enjoying and learning. She is not stressed to the point of unhappiness which could have happened if she was accepted into a program beyond her current level.</p>
<p>By the way, my D was accepted into the local youth orchestra and the experience was not as good as had been expected. There was a lot of travel time and hours involved for relatively little return. It did not help her that much with music and she did not really seem to enjoy it that much. After a couple of years she hoped to move up in her ranking. She worked harder and had noticeably more skill than the first chair, but due to politics she was not advanced. After her second year, she quit and went on to other opportunities. The other opportunities turned out to be much better.</p>
<p>Maybe her impression of her audition is off.</p>
<p>Our son is now in college (music ed) and has been auditioning since middle school.
He has had good auditions and bad auditions. My H and I laugh, though, since when asked, he is almost always opposite the actual 'verdict'. Junior year in high school, he auditioned for state band. He was well prepared but VERY ill, coughing and feverish. He wasn't going to sit it out, no way. Before falling comatose on the couch after the audition, he told me he thought that he'd 'nailed it'. Maybe even first chair! Of course, he didn't even make the band that year....he was just too ill to see clearly. (He did make state band the next year).<br>
Other times he was resigned to having 'blown it' and he ended up with a seat. So many variables that it's impossible to predict the outcome.</p>
<p>I'll be hoping for your D. I understand the importance for her to participate in these extracurricular music programs, since her school is so lacking. It's a common experience, unfortunately. Don't let one misstep keep her from continuing! Best of luck.</p>
<p>Perhaps there are some musicians who "always" do well with audititons, and make every ensemble, orchestra, or whatever...but I don't know any!</p>
<p>The hard part about bad auditions, particularly ones that don't yield the desired result, is to learn from them and move on. I have been extremely disappointed for my son, when he has not made a conveted spot, but ultimately, he has dealt with the disappointment better than I have. He understands that there will be other opportunities, and sometimes agrees that he wasn't "ready" for whatever it was that he had auditioned for. Other times, he has been extremely fortunate to have made something at a younger age than others.</p>
<p>I think kids from grow from these experiences, as long as they don't get too demoralized. But as musicians, I think they need to be made of tough stuff, in order to weather plenty of potential disappointments.</p>
<p>Hope there are other opportunities for your daughter. I wish you all the best of luck.</p>
<p>Too bad your daughter had a poor teacher. Knowing all major scales before HS starts is a given for a flute player. </p>
<p>Youth Orchestra has its pluses and minuses like camps and band at school. Politics can be a problem. A good YO can have positives as well.</p>
<p>They say setbacks are a good learning experience. Now with a new teacher, her strong desire and willingness to work, she will no doubt be successful when she is a Junior. Often a year or two of YO is plenty.</p>
<p>Sometimes an experience like that can give a child a better picture of how they compare in the big picture of just how many good players are out there. I am always saddened when I see kids who were the big fish in their little school or weak band program not find out until late in HS they would be lucky to even make the top band in another schools program. Not to say that is the case with your daughter, but you hear parents talk at honors bands or at camps.</p>
<p>A dose of realism can be good thing. </p>
<p>Frankly if she does not intend on continuing in music she can probably find many better ways to spend her time than YO.</p>
<p>Thanks for the encouragement. I think that there have been many positives out of this experience. One is the renewed interest in playing. This year has been hard; it's hard to have interest in music in a school where instrumental music is not popular. But since we've changed teachers, it has been a 360 degree difference. </p>
<p>She has a very realistic view of where her ability it in comparison to other flute players in the area. She's done enough camps and honor bands to know how to assess the talent in our area. She's not the best player but she would play first chair in all but a very few schools in the area.</p>
<p>I agree FluteMomLiz about every player should know all of her scales and she does. She suffers from a little bit of performance anxiety and just froze on them. Crazy things happen, I never expected that she would mess up her scales.</p>
<p>She knew the odds for making YO. She doesn't want to be a music major but if the opportunity is there, she would like to continue to play after HS. I don't know if that will happen, good flute players are a dime a dozen but you never know.</p>
<p>A good teacher will spark interest and enthusiasm. Most HS band programs I have seen are either downright bad or could be much better. Truly unfortunate.</p>
<p>Sorry about misreading your statement about not knowing the scales. I thought you said she should have known them and couldn't do them because they asked for slow instead of fast and she learned them slurred and that her teacher did not believe in teaching scales. That got me to the conclusion she really did not know her scales.</p>
<p>She probably would not make HS honors bands unless she knew her scales, depending on where you live. </p>
<p>There is an unbelievable number of good flute players out there, most players of other instruments would be shocked if they had to compete with that kind of depth and quality. Like other instruments it does start thinning a bit in numbers as it gets nearer the top. there a dime only gets you a couple. ;>)</p>
<p>Maybe the best thing about YO when she does make it, she will know better what it is like to play for a living. For many players it becomes boring and more like "work" than play.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I have to say something in defense of youth orchestra! We have two wonderful, top-notch youth orchestras in my city. My kids have played in both of them. They have both had absolutely the best experiences in there. They've had a chance to play with the top kids in the area, make really good friends, learn some great music and the YO has replaced what for them was a very mediocre school music program. (Although there is certainly not a high school in the area that has a comparable orchestra.) Now, my kids never wanted to go to music summer camp (well except one went to Eastman's jazz camp I guess that counts) or anything like that, so that is the disclaimer.</p>
<p>I guess the good thing here is that we actually have four levels of YO, so the kids are likely to make one of them and then move up.</p>
<p>deb - I can relate. I have 3 kids, all involved at some level or another in music. That's a lot of auditions to put Mom through. Over the years, we've had our share of auditioning disasters. With S2, who is the most serious about it, there was the time the scales were played too fast that knocked him out of All State. There was the morning of youth orchestra auditions when he woke up with a large coldsore on his lip. (He made it, but just barely.) There were auditions he deserved to be downgraded on, and ones where he didn't deserve it, but was anyway. All part of the process. My kids have been blessed with the ability to go forward quickly. I'm the one that gets my dander up. (Like others have posted, so I guess I'm not unique in that area.)</p>
<p>We've also had blown recitals; blown performances; blown concertos. It's aged me. I don't know if I'll ever be able to handle it all with grace, but I'm a lot better than I used to be. I do help my kids actively seek out audition opportunities - even for things they don't stand a chance at, be it orchestras, scholarships, concerto competitions. The more attempts they make, the better they get at it. And sometimes the results are surprisingly satisfactory. My S is now even planning to take an audition next year with a major orchestra - for the experience, not because of any reasonable hope of being chosen. (But we also believe in miracles.... I told him that if he gets a job with a major orchestra I will "permit" him to drop out of school. :) )</p>
<p>In our experience, youth orch. is not all it is cracked up to be, but it can offer good orchestral experience if it is run correctly. If the YO isn't overloaded with flutes, you could always ask if your dtr. could re-audition if she doesn't get in. The YOs in our area take people in throughout the year.</p>
<p>Another thought that would give your dtr. some experience & help build her confidence is to get together with some other musicians & play in a chamber group. Our dtr. plays in a flute/oboe/bassoon trio. They can play in public as much as they want so they get a lot of performance experience. In addition, they are able to help each other improve and have become very close friends. I'll bet there are members of the YO who would welcome the chance to play chamber music with your dtr. I recommend a trio, because trying to schedule rehearsals with more than two other people is rough during the busy high school years.</p>
<p>A third option is to look into whether there is a community orchestra in your area. While there isn't the opportunity to play with kids her own age, she would still get orchestral experience. We have a community orch. that rehearses at the local university. There has been no charge for playing in it and some of the local symphony members sit in at various times. In our city, there are also orchestras at some of the bigger churches. You might check into that.</p>
<p>I think YOs are as varied as everything else. We have a wonderful youth orchestra with 4 different levels and a great chamber program. There are a number of kids each year from our YO who audition into the top conservatories, but we also have room for the kids who don't want to pursue music professionally. It has been a excellent experience for both my sons - the one who went to Eastman and the one who wants to continue in music but not professionally.</p>
<p>The main thing about the whole experience is what she learns from it, good or bad. If she now knows more that she did about what she needs to do, she is ahead, whether she is in the orchestra or not. It is agonizing for parents, our own "nothing we can do about it" performance anxiety, and we suffer for them, for every disappointment and slight. She will have more time to benefit from this wonderful new teacher without the extra ensemble responsibilities, so either way, she will be ahead. Good luck to her (and your!)</p>
<p>Honestly, I thought I already posted a response here....I guess I didn't. First regarding auditions...I agree with many who have already posted. There are good ones and bad ones...even for professional players. For example, DS got a perfect score on an audition here, and the very next week blew the SAME piece in a competition. Also, auditions sometimes don't go the way one thinks. DD auditioned as a junior for Youth Orchestra...and did not get a seat. The seats went to two seniors, and one was a student who she consistently outscored in competitions and auditions (e.g. All State). However, this year as a senior, she is first oboe. Re: Youth orchestras...both of my kiddos were in an excellent youth orchestra, with an outstanding conductor (affiliated with the Hartt School). The both grew as musicians under his direction. Our school has a wind ensemble, but no strings, so YO gave them the opportunity to play in an orchestra. They both loved it, and their best friends were YO members. If your D doesn't get into the YO this year, tell her to try again next year. DD just persisted, and she is happy she did. It helped that the Hartt School also has a Wind Ensemble, and she was able to play in that for two years as well. DS actually did BOTH ensembles for three years...rehearsals from 2-9 on Sundays...whew.</p>
<p>I'm with Binx. Life is full of blown auditions, performances, etc. It does totally age you...my son started performing and I started coloring my hair. If you dance, you might slip...if you play music, you might mess up a passage, if you play basketball, you might miss the basket ...The key is to keep doing it.
Youth orchestra can either be a blessing (in my son's case, it provided him with many, many opportunities) or a drain on time. My violinist son will not play in one until high school. He can better use the time to become a decent violinist rather than playing the trenches and trying to move up a chair.<br>
Your daughter should try again next year and spend the time with the new teacher improving on her instrument (I agree with Lorelei) Frankly, it's time much better spent (although I know not as fun as hanging with her flute friends).
Binx...I am so crossing my fingers for your son! Let's hear about it when he's done!</p>
<p>Oh Binx, that is exciting. It's good to get as much audition experience as possible. In DS's sophomore year, he also did an audition for a major orchestra seat (he was actually surprised he was granted an auditions...which was based on his resume, and letter). He worked very hard on the repertoire. He didn't make it past the first cut, but it was a great experience nevertheless. He found out what these type of blind auditions are like. He also got great feedback from one of the principal players on his instrument and actually takes lessons with him monthly now. So...while he didn't get a part, he certainly learned a LOT. He has periodically looked at other auditions since. But he has decided to put that off for now largely because of the time he would need to devote to this type of audition prep. Right now...he's concentrating on grad school audition repertoire, and his senior recital music. Oh...the auditions never end. Maybe that is why <em>I</em> also have my grey hairs!!!</p>
<p>Yeah, we really have no expectations for this one. He just decided last year that he was going to start taking auditions his junior year, for the experience. His teacher actually mentioned this one to him, which surprised him. He may not make it any further than submitting the resume, but nothing ventured....</p>
<p>If his teacher is encouraging him to audition in his junior year at Julliard, he must be spectacular! Son and I wish him the best of luck. It'd be great to hear about his experience.</p>
<p>Binx, that is awesome. I chuckled at the statement "permit him to drop out". I have told my son he absolutely must graduate, but wonder how realistic that is; if a phenomenal opportunity comes along, I suppose you have to go with it.</p>
<p>Regarding auditions, I found this forum because my son's NFAA audition score was so poor that I could not believe it was his tape they scored. We learned here that you don't record on cassette no matter what, but also, that probably was just not a good audition. A few months ago he auditioned for an improvisation contest, came home and said it was the worst audition of his life. He would not talk about it and actually sat in a chair for the rest of the night, depressed. On the morning we left for his audition at MSM, he received notification that he won the contest. Then he went on to have a great audition at MSM. So you never know, maybe it wasn't as bad as you think. And in any event, life goes on and your child keeps at it and good results will come.</p>