<p>Does anyone here have any advice for those auditioning at CMU?</p>
<p>Last year when my son auditioned there it was unlike any of the other auditions he did. His audition was on a Sunday I think and there were no other activities other than the audition-itself and he had a composition interview as well. I am pretty sure the admission office was not open but just a lot tables in the hall and people there to answer questions. He sort of got a weird vibe on audition day and we had visited before but if your audition is on a weekend it might help you to know what to expect. Good luck. My son said the practice rooms were really cold so you might want to dress with this in mind. I think the auditions were on Sunday only because that is when the faculty could do it.</p>
<p>My son currently attends Carnegie Mellon. He had visited campus on a different date so on audition date there were tables and adminstrators from music school on hand. They did have some food out for students and family and tried to make it comfortable. His audition was on the weekend which was better for all of us. It seemed similar to other schools audition day that he attended.</p>
<p>We have not gone on audition yet so I do have many questions.
- Will there be any other planned activities for them that day? Do they provide food?
- Would you suggest staying through monday and have them attend some classes? Would the school let them?
- what hotel do you suggest staying at?
- Can we get away with not renting a car? Is there a shuttle from the airport to hotels? are hotels close to campus?
- Are there any other must sees or must dos while at CMU?
Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Wis3over—on 1-2, definitely call the school. Many times audition practices change from year to year and it should not be assumed that last year’s experiences still apply. Also–many schools have discounts available to auditioners at local hotels–check with them on this as well and call each hotel re shuttle service. Shuttle service changes from year to year and seasonally as well.
And as far as “providing food”, I am not aware of any auditions that cater…would love to hear about some that do! 
So it’s always a good idea to pack a few energy bars and water.</p>
<p>@Wis3over—although I don’t have a child who attends CMU I am very familiar with the area. CMU is in the heart of the university and medical center area in Pgh. It is right down the street from U. of Pittsburgh, Chatham, Carlow Univeristy, and the Pgh. Medical Center. There are several hotels within walking distance of the CMU campus. You can definitely get away with not renting a car and taking a shuttle or taxi from the airport but the public transportation system is not anything like big metro areas such as NYC. You are a few blocks away from the Carnegie Museum and there is a hotel right across the street from there. CMU is on the edge of the Oakland/Shadyside area of the city and Walnut St. in Shadyside is a good place to shop and have dinner. I would go on Trip Advisor and find the list of all the hotels in the area. I just can’t think of all their names. There are even some lovely boutique and bed and breakfast places nearby and I would bet you could get a great deal in the middle of winter. Especially without the Steelers in the playoffs and no hockey season to speak of. (Pgh. is a big sports town!) The people are VERY friendly and I think you will have a pleasant visit.</p>
<p>We’ve stayed at the Residence Inn on Bigelow many times. Nothing fancy, breakfast is included, but it’s close by and they have a shuttle to campus. Also, if you get hungry, the campus food store, Entropy, is very close by to where you will be auditioning. It’s in the University Center and has just about anything you can think of. There are also some decent coffee places/restaurants if you walk down Forbes to Craig Street (which is where the CMU and Pitt campuses overlap a bit).</p>
<p>thank you for all of this great information!! It is very helpful and I really appreciate it!</p>
<p>When my D auditioned there last year, we stayed at the Hampton Inn -University Center on Hamlet St. The hotel’s shuttle took us to and from CMU. We arrived a day early and took the shuttle over to campus for a tour of the music building and admissions meeting and then walked back to the hotel (long walk). On audition day, we took the shuttle both ways for comfort. However, make sure you plan plenty of time to get there because the shuttle also takes people to the hospital. </p>
<p>We took an airport shuttle to and from the airport. CMU is next door to University of Pittsburgh, so there are plenty of restaurants in the area. </p>
<p>CMU was very organized and they had plenty of students around to help. I seem to remember that she had some trouble locating a practice room because they didn’t have specific ones set aside for auditionees. They were in the process of renovating to make more rooms- hopefully you have access to them.</p>
<p>This was the only audition my D did that included sight-singing for instrumentalists.</p>
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<p>This is kind of unrelated to auditioning, but if you have time, I’d definitely go see a PSO (Pittsburgh Symphony) concert. They’re a fantastic orchestra and it would also be a good opportunity to check out the classical music scene near and around CMU. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for that . I am looking into all of your suggestions. </p>
<p>It looks like they only offer the tours during his audition. Would anyone suggest trying to find a student to give us a tour?</p>
<p>I have heard wonderful things about the PSO so it is on our list!
Thanks!</p>