A dilemma: any advice?

College Majors Music Major
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<p>Different strokes, I suippose.</p>

<p>I could also come up with a list of reasons to participate…</p>

<ol>
<li>Opportunity to get feedback on playing</li>
<li>Looks good on college application</li>
<li>Can be motivating for learning new rep or technique</li>
<li>Offers ensemble experience (or different ensemble experience)</li>
<li>Opportunity to work with a great conductor</li>
<li>Get to take time off from school and stay in a hotel with friends</li>
<li>Social: meet new people with similar interests</li>
<li>Fun way to spend a day or weekend</li>
<li>Nice break from boring etudes, scales, rep assigned by teacher</li>
<li>Helps school music program gain credibility if students place well</li>
</ol>

<p>YMMV!</p>

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<p>glassharmonica, I guess I was responding to your comment “I don’t happen to feel the same way” re: festivals having a lot of value, and stradmom’s #9 when I made the “no value” comment. There are many good and valid reasons not to participate (I too have some reservations over the whole auditioning thing). I do respect everyone’s choice in this matter, but I must say I’ve dealt with conservatory pre-college teachers who pretty much poo-poo anything that the public schools do, music-wise, and who try to convince their students and the students’ parents to think the same way. </p>

<p>And yes, as far the OP, participating or not will not have any bearing whatsoever on her daughter’s college application/audition/acceptance or her musical future (I really don’t think colleges/conservatories give more than a cursory glance at an applicant’s musical resume, if they look at it at all). Participate if you can do it and want the experience, or don’t.</p>

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<p>Momof2-- that must be very frustrating. I’m sorry you had to brush up against that elitist attitude. I was a little startled to see those words attributed to me in quotation marks. :)</p>

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<p>Wanted to comment on this thread, been trying for several days and work keeps interrupting <em>lol</em>. Anyway, with things like all state and all national programs, it is like summer programs, youth orchestras and competitions, it is a cost/benefit kind of thing. If a student hasn’t had much exposure to auditioning, or playing with players from other places, something like all national could be valuable, as could all state. The level of these programs varies greatly, in states where there aren’t necessarily an abundance of high level music programs, like youth orchestras and pre college/prep programs, the all state system could be very, very strong; in places where there are these other programs, possibly not so much (In NJ and NY, the All State Orchestra programs, both of which I have heard perform, isn’t generally as high a level as some of the youth orchestra and prep program students, in part because there are the high level programs). </p>

<p>Yeah, there is some snobbery with private teachers, especially at prep programs, about all state and such, but some of it is simply that to the kids in the prep programs and such, the extra effort to do all state may not be worth it, given the level of the programs they are in compared to all state or whatever, trying to fit that effort in with practicing, schoolwork, work for the other ensembles they are in, may not be worth the time. </p>

<p>One thing, don’t think of this as a dilemma, it isn’t. The reason I say this is while there may be positives to doing something like this, being with other kids from around the country, musical experience, etc, if you don’t do it there won’t be any repercussions, it won’t be like word will get out they got this great honor, and turned it down, and a pox on them and so forth. With admissions, it is pretty much going to be all the audition, what festival you did or didn’t do won’t matter much on admissions and I doubt it would do anything for much of anything else, either, other than be an experience the student had. Even assuming someone with the program was vindictive, I don’t know of this program, but most of the people associated with it are probably secondary level instructors and/or other otherwise not likely to be on an audition panel at a school the student applies to, or have influence there…in other words, judge the program on its merits, whether it is worth doing, and don’t worry if you turn it down. The local school music director who nominated the student might get miffed, but in the end it is up to you and your child to decide.</p>

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<p>IMHO, go if if the schedule works out for you and your child. The best part about the regional festivals was meeting other like minded students from outside of your area. During the auditions, we ran into so many other bassists that son had met at different festivals. Son auditioned for but decided against playing in 2 different local youth orchestras because of the time constraints and rehearsal schedules. He was blessed to attend a public high school with an excellent strings program. As Momof2violinists said, “It’s all in the audition.”</p>

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<p>NAfME is a great organization. Not getting into the competition is not going to hurt her chances at getting into schools at all and being in the competition will look great on college applications. I am a music major and while I was in high school I did a few competitions. They really helped me with performing and made college auditions less scary because I was already used to playing in front of people under pressure.</p>