<p>Son is putting together an audition CD for Aspen summer program next year.
Has anyone here attended?
Any info on selectivity, performance opportunities, etc would be appreciated.
(Son plays tuba).</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>There's a few comments from thumper1 about her son's experience at Aspen in post #15 here: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=358868%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=358868</a></p>
<p>Aspen is very selective, but it is also quite large -- over 700 musicians. It's really a spectacular place, because it is beautiful in Aspen itself and because there are innumerable opportunities to perform, to attend master classes, to go to concerts (almost all are free to the students) -- many each day, with top performers from around the world. The students are pretty much on their own -- a lesson once a week, a studio class if the teacher arranges one; there is a chamber music program, but students have to be pretty self-driven. If they are, they can audition for performances of various kinds, including "house concerts" where they perform for a small audience in a local house, and performances in local venues; they can also apply to perform in master classes. The cost is reasonable considering the length of the program and the quality of the accommodations, not to mention the opportunity to study with a terrific teacher. I visited the last two summers; family members of students can purchase a pass to attend almost all of the performances during a week and we went to lots of events, all day long.</p>
<p>violadad- thanks for the link. I must have forgotten how to search! </p>
<p>Mamenyu- I guess I better go study their website. Had no idea the program at Aspen was so large. I hope they have room for our son; I don't think he has a pending 'plan B'....</p>
<p>My son had a very good summer at Aspen. He sent audition CDs two previous summers. First year, he was rejected (and went to Eastern Music Festival). Second year, he was waitlisted (and ended up going to an NU trumpet workshop and CLOC for part of the summer). Third year, this last year, he was accepted with a partial scholarship. I hope he goes back there next summer, but I know he is exploring that and a lot of other options. Good luck to your tuba son!! It's a great experience.</p>
<p>from everything i've heard, aspen is absolutely supposed to be a great festival. </p>
<p>the only thing i'd say, is make sure your son is familiar with the faculty he'd be working with at aspen and is sure that he wants to work with them. i haven't been to aspen, so i don't know how closely students work with the faculty, but i do know that in my area, which is bass, i've always been reluctant to apply to aspen because i'm not terribly crazy about the faculty there. </p>
<p>something to keep in mind. best of luck.</p>
<p>The musicians who play orchestral instruments are all in one of the orchestras and perform regularly, in addition to their lessons with faculty, and studio classes (and any chamber groups).
Pianists don't participate in orchestra (with a few exceptions) but can participate in chamber groups; there is also a separate program for collaborative piano. There are fewer scholarship opportunities for pianists.<br>
Aspen has long-term plans to become tuition free.<br>
Students can also go to only one session, though it might be tough to do that for the first time if you go to the second session. By the end of the 9 weeks, a lot of students and some of the faculty, too, have left.
And it is indeed important to like the teacher. Once there, you can't realistically expect to switch teachers (you are admitted based on the willingness of an individual teacher to take you as a student). You can take lessons with other teachers, though (at additional cost, about $90 per hour lesson).
I would add that Aspen can be a truly transformational experience, maybe particularly so for the underage kids (high school age).</p>
<p>I am not sure how students are accepted for Aspen. Acceptance may not be entirely based on competition. I understand many faculty members bring their own students.</p>
<p>I think edad has a point. I believe as well that each faculty has a number of "admits" drawn from within their own studio(s).</p>
<p>Yes, but the admission process is specific to studios. If one of the teachers you request accepts you, you're in; if not, you're not, regardless of ability. Perhaps receiving an orchestral fellowship would change that, though.</p>
<p>I'm applying for next summer.</p>
<p>I guess these comments confirm what I heard. Faculty members make the selections and often invite their own students rather than base the selection on ability.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>the admission process is specific to studios.>></p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Yes, the specific faculty DO make the selections. In the case of DS's instrument, he (and all the other players of that instrument) took lessons with ALL three members of the faculty on that instrument. So...he was accepted as a player on his instrument...not for a specific "one" applied teacher. I do not think this is the case for all instruments. I do know that this has happened for at least three summers on DS's instrument.</p>
<p>yes, i do think that teachers for certain instruments absolutely tend to accept students from their own studios. for example, when all the students of a certain teacher don't bother applying to any other festivals and are all accepted to aspen you have to wonder...</p>
<p>Faculty who are affiliated with conservatories do seem to accept at least some of their own students or students of colleagues (this is true for the underage students too, for example, Juilliard prep students); but some have fairly large studios and even some of the most "famous," like Veda Kaplinsky, have had many students who were not from their own studios or conservatories.</p>
<p>Yikes.
I guess I best advise my son to include an Aspen backup plan in his thoughts for next summer. He's not studying with any Aspen faculty currently and will have to hope his auditon CD speaks to someone on the admissions committee.</p>
<p>My D has spent the past two summers in Aspen, and has had a wonderful experience each time. We took a one-week vacation there each summer and also had a great time. </p>
<p>My D does not study during the year with any of the Aspen teachers. Of the two students (out of about 15) in her studio who did study with Aspen teachers during the year, both deserved to be at Aspen. One just won a principal position with the San Diego Symphony.</p>
<p>Aspen is a very selective program. It requires a strong audition CD and a strong resume. Most students should have back-up plans and apply to a variety of programs with varying degrees of selectivity - just like college applications. About half of the students who attend Aspen return for another year, although there is no guarantee that you will get in a second time.</p>
<p>I have an old program from the summer of 2006, which shows only 5 tuba players in the entire program. I know that one of the tuba players in 2006 went to Curtis.</p>
<p>rcmama-
Thanks for the specific info, especially about the number of tubas accepted in 2006. Although that might change a bit, it wouldn't be by many.</p>
<p>Son theoretically knows he needs to have backup options but suffers from the 'overly relaxed young man' syndrome. He never seems concerned about his chances at school or orchestra auditions and doesn't reveal much disappointment when he doesn't succeed. I think it's his mechanism for dealing with the incredible competition instrumentalists face on a continual basis. </p>
<p>Son has a strong resume and background and should have a reasonable shot at admissions. He's accustomed to the large number of applicants for small number of tuba slots. I think there's just the one tuba in NY Youth Symphony this year; there may have been 2 or 3 tubas at EMF last summer.
But music admissions seem even more variable than Ivy admissions!</p>
<p>Glad to hear your D loved Aspen. I'd be thrilled for our S to have the opportunity.</p>
<p>Backup plans are essential for any of the top festivals- Aspen, MAW, Nat Rep Orch, Tanglewood, Meadowmount, etc. The full scholarship programs fill up quickly and are brimming with extremely high level players. Others, like Meadowmount, can be very expensive if resources are limited. </p>
<p>It makes sense to apply to a number of programs even if dates overlap. You can alwys decline admission if you're lucky enough to have two or three quality experiences to choose from. Just like auditions, admissions can be a crap-shoot. </p>
<p>Good luck to all.</p>
<p>The problem we've run across is that the programs don't all tell you at the same time; we ended up having to pay a deposit for one program and forfeiting it later (Aspen can be quite slow at getting back to students). Also, if you are on a waiting list, they may not get back to you in time to change plans without losing a deposit (or they may never get back to you at all, which happened to us in one case, despite being "first" on the waiting list). And it is true that with some teachers, being accepted to Aspen one year does not mean automatic acceptance the following year, so backup plans are always important.</p>
<p>My daughter got accepted to Aspen Music festival 2010 for French Horn. This is her very first music festival experience. Its expensive. She’s a junior in HS. Anybody from the SF Bay area going to the first session?<br>
Thanks</p>