Audition Days?

Does anyone here have any idea what Audition Day is like at OU? D16 finally submitted her application to the school of music but even for a minor she needs to audition. We’ll be drive from Austin to Norman as soon as she gets out of school (4:00) on the 28th so we’ll arrive at the hotel around 10:00 if the traffic isn’t too bad. The audition is the 29th we don’t know what time until the week before but plan to arrive on campus early to tune.

Vocal or instrumental?

@Torveaux instrumental!

Mine are all vocalists. D1 is a senior. She was accepted to OU, but will not likely attend due to costs versus her other options. S2 is at the last round of all-state in Abilene as I type this. We have a few years with him, but he is gifted academically and vocally. I was hoping to get some insights on vocal tryouts and the ‘rules’ around those types of scholarships. I doubt any of my kids will want to be music teachers, but they are all ‘music geeks’ to one degree or another. I think S2 wants to minor as well…let us know what you find out in your journey! Can a student reasonably be active in college music and pursue a challenging academic program?

This is was in important question D asked when we toured last year and spoke to various students and for her major (meteorology) it’s very doable if she were to go into engineering, it might be too much.

D16 is very interested in OU’s meteorology exchange program with the University of Hamburg it’s a 6th month program and she is hoping to be able to take lessons at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg while she’s abroad.

I’ll let you know how auditions go, though it will likely be very different for vocal auditions.

@Torveaux we were mailed a schedule of events for audition day:

9:00 Registration Begins, Gothic Hall (A light breakfast will be provided)

9:30 Welcome Presentation, Sharp Hall

10:00 Student’s Tour of Facilities, Catlett Music Center

10:00 Parent’s Presentation, Sharp Hall (Parents only presentation)

10:30 Class Observations & Music Education Presentation/MUED Class Observations, Catlett Music Center (Students observe classes and meet applied faculty)

10:30 Parent’s Tour of Facilities, Catlett Music Center (Parents only tour)

11:00 Housing and Food Service meeting, Seminar Room (Parents only presentation: Students will be in classroom observations)

11:30 Lunch (Not Provided)

12:30 Warm-up, Found on your name badge

12:30 Financial Aid Meeting, Seminar Room (Parents only presentation: Students will be in warm-up locations)

1:00 Auditions and MUED Interviews (Insert audition times here)

3:00 Meet applied faculty, Arrange with professor during Audition (Optional)

Thought I’d report back. D thinks the audition went fairly well she had a brain fade and missed a few notes but the says she recovered well. She auditioned in front 3 or four people, I think they were the head of each instrument in the string department. I was not allowed in the room during the audition. I have no doubt that she will be accepted into the School of Music. We are just waiting on scholarship announcements.

The School of Music offer two types of scholarships, tuition waivers and cash scholarships. Tuition waivers are given to students based on playing ability and academic merit. D will not be seeking a tuition waiver because she already has a full tuition waiver for National Merit. The smaller cash scholarships are offered based on the schools need of a specific instrument. It looks like D’s instrument is “in need” so we are keeping our fingers crossed that she she’ll be offered enough cash scholarship the cover the fine arts “fees” that aren’t cover by National Merit.

OU just feels so right for DD and I’m so happy that every department seems to really want her, it’s such a nice feeling to be wanted!

It is nice to be wanted and OU does a great job of letting prospective students feel that - especially NMS. D is in her fourth semester and we feel that she made the right choice. OU has definitely delivered. I am impressed with many things about her experience. D has taken a couple of large classes, but the majority of her classes have been small and she has gotten to know several of her professors. She has found faculty to be supportive and gracious about recommendation letters and advice for applying for study abroad programs and scholarships. I’m impressed with the advising she has received and they are keeping her on track for graduation with a major, two minors, honors college, and study abroad. Good luck to your D.

So good news for us… S2 made the all-state choir! The important part of that to this thread is that it sparked a conversation with another local parent whose son was all-state and is currently at OU doubling in Music and Meteorology. He is not an NMS or anything like that, but got some money for the music (OOS tuition waiver, I believe). Other than the expected limits on other electives due to time, he seems to be doing well. The boy is in his 2nd year (middle-school classmate of S1). So it appears that it is not outside the realm of reasonableness to do Music and an academically challenging major.

Glad the audition went well. I wish schools could put in a bunch of sound-proof one-way mirror type rooms (thinking interrogation rooms from crime shows) so we could see them audition without affecting the outcomes. D1 and S2 are at round one of UIL auditions right now. Wish I could watch…just have to wait and see what happens.