<p>My trombonist daughter auditioned at Manhattan School of Music, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, University of Houston Moores School of Music, Texas State University at San Marcos and UT Austin Butler School of Music.</p>
<p>All the auditions were different. At MSM (her final audition), no assigned practice rooms which definitely contributed to a somewhat tense atmosphere, but she eventually found one. The auditions were running about 20 mins behind and were in front of a full panel of about 5 brass instructors. No theory tests. They had an orientation session about financial aid and admissions for the parents at the dorms, which are around the corner and extremely nice. There were dorm tours available too. I thought she might be nervous for this audition, but she played very, very well from what I could hear through the door (the kid waiting next to me said sort of glumly to his mom, “She’s doing a really good job” about her Hindemith excerpt). Interestingly enough, after hearing both of the contrasting orchestral excerpts she had prepared, they did not ask her to play the solo. Don’t know if that’s good or bad? Per Brevig asked her where she came from and commented, “You have come a long way to play here!” and was very friendly and gracious, she said. He commented, “Nice job” and smiled after each one of her excerpts - perhaps he is just polite, or truly enjoyed it, who knows? She felt very good afterward, like she could not have played better. What impressed me about MSM was their career development counselor, whose job is to help kids find music work, all during their time at MSM, and beyond. The emphasis is on becoming a working musician, and I like the fact that they emphasize getting gigs outside the school as part of that, not just the instruction. The neighborhood is wonderful, and my sister lives not far away, on the upper west side. It has a good feeling to the place, and she liked it a lot.</p>
<p>Blair School of Music was definitely the friendliest and most welcoming of all the music schools - perhaps because it is one of the smallest. All auditioning students were assigned a practice room and were given a tour of the building by a student volunteer. They had a lovely dinner for students and their families at the University Club, which featured a very impressive student string quartet playing, plus a student concert that night (we didn’t attend, as we had plans with our Nashville hosts). Her audition was in front of the low brass faculty, and she said it went well. The trombone professor, Lawrence Borden, asked us to stick around after the 2nd trombonist of the day auditioned (only two that weekend, the last of the audition season), since he said he liked to talk to both students and their parents about studying in his trombone studio. He is a very interesting man and has a unique approach to the study of the trombone and music in general: [url=<a href=“http://www.vanderbilt.edu/trombonestudio/Text_Documents/Doctrine_of_Intent.htm]Doctrine_of_Intent[/url”>http://www.vanderbilt.edu/trombonestudio/Text_Documents/Doctrine_of_Intent.htm]Doctrine_of_Intent[/url</a>]
Blair certainly had the most welcoming students. Nearly the entire trombone studio came down to the lounge area between their classes to meet my daughter - they wanted to meet the “girl trombonist” auditioning. They were very easy to talk to and made my daughter feel welcome. I talked to them about where they had come from, how they liked the school and their experiences there. They all had very positive things to say about Vanderbilt in general and Blair in particular. Daughter also got to sit in on a class (Latin American Music, an elective) and took a theory test that was surprisingly tough. We took a tour of the campus the next day and she was very impressed. She could definitely see herself going there, but it is a tough admit because of the academics, which are given big priority.</p>
<p>U of Houston’s Moores School was another pleasant surprise – a really first rate modern music school with an incredible concert hall. She played well in front of a low brass panel, and they seemed to like her quite a lot – one professor was humming the Hindemith excerpt and smiling when she saw him again a few minutes later. The head of the low brass came out afterward to give us his card and said to call if we had any questions. He also sought her out again later and encouraged her to apply to the school’s honors program, as there is additional scholarship money available through this program. The campus itself is quite large and very modern, but does butt up against a poor neighborhood, so one might feel a little trapped on campus without a car, I would imagine. Unlike the other campuses we saw, you couldn’t really wander off into city neighborhood nearby. Many of the professors are in the Houston Symphony.</p>
<p>First audition of the year was at UT Austin. It was a strange audition for her – she played only in front of the trombone professor, Dr. Brickens and the room was somewhat acoustically dead. She felt that she didn’t do her best, even though she had played there last year at the ITF and felt comfortable with the school and Dr. Brickens. They had a welcoming session for the auditioners and their families, where the trombone choir (who are wonderful) played. In a way, it was too bad that this was her first audition, since she has learned so much with each one. She found out a couple weeks later that she did not make it into Butler or UT Austin, and this had been her first choice up until a few months ago. C’est la vie! </p>
<p>Last audition was also local, at Texas State University in San Marcos. There were a lot of kids auditioning that day – it was super crowded. There was a theory placement test and aural skills test given. She auditioned for the two trombone professors, and felt she played very well. She had been encouraged to audition there by trombone prof Dr. McCain after she played at a regional concert there last. He has been in contact with her ever since, heavily recruiting her for his trombone studio. He contacted her after the audition, saying she had played well and that she would be welcome in his studio, and also offering to give her a sample lesson. She also heard from the head of the trombone dept, who complimented her on the audition and offered to send her a DVD of the audition video they make of each student. She also received official acceptance into the program. </p>
<p>So, now the waiting game begins. I think her first choice would be Manhattan, then Blair, then U of Houston. Texas State would be wonderful if she were pursuing jazz, as their jazz prof Freddie Mendoza is amazing, and I think she would get a lot out of the school if it became the only option, but it is local and familiar and not as strong symphonically as the other schools. She has only become really focused on her playing in the last couple of years, so does not have the kind of summer experiences and years of intense career-motivated study that some others bring to the table – on the other hand, I hear a maturity and soulfulness in her playing this past year that is very gratifying. I think she will progress a lot during the next four years regardless of where she ends up, since each school offers a fine program of study for trombone.</p>